Charalambos Xanthos
Encyclopedia
Charalambos "Bambos" Xanthos is a Greek Cypriot hotel
and restaurant
owner based in London
, England
. Following on from being a backgammon
player, he became a semi-professional poker
player in 1993.
Xanthos learnt poker from his father in 1960.
He made numerous appearances in the Late Night Poker
television series, and reached the grand final in series 2 (beating Victoria Coren
's pocket aces along the way) and the semi-final in series 5.
His biggest tournament cash was second place behind Dave Colclough
in the $1,500 no limit
hold'em main event at the 2000 European Poker Classic, where he won £40,635.
Xanthos has made more final tables at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino than any other player.
He does not tend to play in tournaments outside Europe
. However by 2008 his total live tournament winnings exceeded $940,000.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
owner based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Following on from being a backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
player, he became a semi-professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player in 1993.
Xanthos learnt poker from his father in 1960.
He made numerous appearances in the Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first...
television series, and reached the grand final in series 2 (beating Victoria Coren
Victoria Coren
Victoria Elizabeth Coren is a British writer, presenter and champion poker player. Coren writes weekly columns for The Observer and The Guardian newspapers and hosts the BBC Four television quiz show Only Connect....
's pocket aces along the way) and the semi-final in series 5.
His biggest tournament cash was second place behind Dave Colclough
Dave Colclough
David E. Colclough is a Welsh professional poker player, now living in Thailand.-Before poker:Prior to becoming a poker professional, Colclough worked as a computer programmer. Amongst the companies he worked for were the Post Office and the National Health Service...
in the $1,500 no limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold'em main event at the 2000 European Poker Classic, where he won £40,635.
Xanthos has made more final tables at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino than any other player.
He does not tend to play in tournaments outside Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. However by 2008 his total live tournament winnings exceeded $940,000.