Meeting 100-year-old Ivor Ward, Britain's oldest professional poker player, offers insights into both a long life and success at the card table. Ward, who worked at a pharmaceutical plant until his 90s, has been playing poker since age 14 and credits the game with keeping his mind sharp.
Decades of experience and modern adaptation
At the launch of GG Poker's Goliath 2026 tournament at Grosvenor Casino, Ward discussed how he keeps up with modern poker. Despite learning in the 1940s, he studies algorithms and game theory to adapt. 'I've brought a few modern things into my game... I am on the algorithms,' he said.
He acknowledges the growing role of AI and complex statistics: 'You've got to work out percentages, odds, studying your opponents.' He believes technical approaches appeal to new generations.
Reading opponents and mental sharpness
Ward relies on body language, noting 'little habits' that reveal hand strength. 'Sometimes you'll see someone sitting back, and they'll suddenly sit forward, and you know their cards are very good because they've taken an interest.'
He asserts poker is 'definitely' why his mind remains sharp, as it requires multi-tasking. He encourages older people to take up low-stakes friendly games rather than retiring at home.
Advice for life and poker
'People retire and just sit at home. They're not going out, they're not meeting people, they're not using their brains. Poker allows them to be active,' Ward said. His key advice: 'If you've had a bad hand or you got beat, forget it. The secret is to learn to live with your bad things and just wipe them out completely.'
