Chapter 2 – New Tricks After 22 Years

UK Pro Rob Sherwood’s 20-Year Journey from Inaugural Betfair Singapore Event to Record-Breaking APT Jeju Classic 2026 Series

British poker professional Rob Sherwood has over two decades of experience under his belt, with live tournament results dating back to 2005 on his Hendon Mob poker resume.

Sherwood’s third-ever recorded live tournament cash came in the inaugural Betfair APT Singapore Championship Event which the garrulous Antanas “Tony G” Guoga won back in 2006, with Sherwood cashing in 33rd place for a USD 5,830 payday.

Fast forward twenty years and Sherwood is still playing in APT events, although it’s the tour’s eclectic offering of mixed games that has seen him return to Asia to compete, rather than the more standard No Limit Hold’em tournaments.

Not wanting to miss an opportunity to pick the brains of someone who was there as poker took its first baby steps on the Asian continent, the tour sat down with Sherwood at the recent record-breaking APT Jeju Classic to talk about his poker journey, and his views on how the game has developed out East over the past two decades.

Reinvention, Not Retirement

For more than two decades, No-Limit Hold’em was the game Rob Sherwood knew best. From the early days of online poker in the mid-2000s to today’s increasingly solver-influenced environment, the affable Brit built a steady and successful career. With over USD 3.4 million in live tournament earnings and over 22 years as a professional, Sherwood has established himself as one of the UK’s long-standing regulars, sitting at #43 on the England All-time Money List. Then, last August, he made a deliberate change.

“I had 22 years playing No-Limit Hold’em. It was time for a change,” said Sherwood. The decision was less about stepping away and more about rediscovering challenges.

“It’s not that I don’t like Hold’em,” he explains. “But after that long, you just want something different.”

At 47, Sherwood shifted his focus to mixed games, a move that reflects the same spirit of evolution seen in the Asian Poker Tour’s New Era. Not a replacement of the old, but an expansion into something broader.

Rob Sherwood was there when it all began for the APT in 2006 in Singapore

Where It All Began

Sherwood’s poker journey began in Asia. In 2002, while backpacking, he was introduced to the game by an American traveller.

“I was travelling around Asia and an American taught us how to play. He ended up losing all his money to us,” he laughs.

After university, he worked in finance. But poker steadily became more than a hobby. “I had a normal job in finance. Then I got made redundant and travelled for a bit. I went back to work, but I was making more money playing online poker. Then I had a break from my contract… and I never went back.”

The transition was gradual, but decisive.

“It just became obvious which one made more sense.”

His APT story began in 2006, when he won an online satellite on Betfair Poker into the inaugural APT Singapore Main Event.

“The buy-in was USD 5,000 back then. That was huge at the time. It felt more like a Championship event than a regular main.”

He finished 33rd after losing a crucial flip, min-cashing in what was one of his earliest major international appearances.

“I remember getting it in with pocket twos against Tony G. He hit a seven on the river,” Sherwood recalls with a smile. “That was that.”

Even so, the event left a strong impression.

“It felt really prestigious. It was my first big experience of the APT.”

Witness to Growth

Over the years, Sherwood returned to APT stops intermittently, from smaller venues in Ho Chi Minh City to the much larger-scale Hanoi Billions festival in 2023.

“They rented a government building. Poker had just exploded there. I remember thinking, wow, this is really growing.”

The contrast between eras is clear to him.

“The difference now is the scale and how polished everything is. It’s so well run. The dealers are all very professional. The floor staff know exactly what’s going on.”

Beyond Hold’em

Sherwood’s move into mixed games was not impulsive. It was shaped by how the game itself has changed. _ “No-Limit now is solvers. It’s just going to get tougher and tougher. Everyone’s studying the same spots.”_

Mixed games, by contrast, feel less solved.

“There’s less computer power looking at them. A lot of the games aren’t explored properly. It feels more like proper poker.”

Sherwood also enjoys the unpredictability.

“Sometimes people don’t even know the rules,” he says, laughing. “Especially in some of the newer formats. Everyone’s figuring it out as we go along.”

At APT Jeju Classic 2026, he travelled directly from the UK with the intention of playing primarily mixed formats.

“I really enjoy the draw games they put on. It’s miles more fun learning different formats than playing the same game every day for 20 years.”

The APT’s commitment to mixed games stands out to him.

“It’s one of the few organisations that really backs mixed games properly. They keep expanding it, which is great for players like me.”

Sherwood getting mixed in at APT Jeju Classic 2026

Why Asia?

For Sherwood, travelling to Korea or Taiwan is about more than tournament schedules.

“I’ve got friends here from Australia, China, Germany, England. It’s always a good laugh.”

He also points to something less tangible — the atmosphere.

“What I like about poker in Asia is the attitude. When people lose, even if they get unlucky, they just laugh about it.”

He contrasts it with the mood in parts of Europe.

“If you’re a week into a series in Europe, most people are losing money and moaning about it. You just don’t see that here. It’s a different energy.”

After more than two decades in the profession, that environment matters.

“It’s not easy being a professional poker player,” he says plainly. “But after 22 years, I’m pretty relaxed about it.”

Mixed games was simply the next interesting step for Sherwood

Looking Forward

Sherwood did not compete in the inaugural APT Championship but is watching its trajectory closely.

“I think having a championship event at the end of the year is amazing. There’s no way that won’t grow.”

Friends who went deep last year have encouraged him. _ “A couple of my friends had big runs, so that makes me want to play it this year.”_

To aspiring professionals, his advice reflects his own pivot.

“Get involved in mixed games. Hold’em is getting tougher. Mixed games are more open.”

As the Asian Poker Tour marks 20 years, Sherwood’s story runs in quiet parallel. He discovered poker in Asia. He played through its boom years. And after 22 years in one format, he chose to learn again.

“Hopefully in 20 years’ time,” he says with a grin, “I’ll be celebrating 40 years of the APT with you.”

Check out the full interview with Sherwood here:

As the Asian Poker Tour celebrates its milestone 20-year anniversary, it's time to take a look back at the stories that have shaped those two decades. From the people that have helped to shape the APT experience, to the players on the felt that have defined the very competition the tour stands for.

Throughout the year, the APT will unveil a series of 20 iconic stories offering personal perspectives of how the tour has impacted lives, careers, and journeys, with Rob’s story the second part of 20.