Alex 'Kanu7' Miller: From University Poker to High-Stakes Pro

Alex 'Kanu7' Miller's poker journey began unexpectedly. While studying engineering at the University of Warwick, he discovered the game after watching a poker show called Poker Superstars. This sparked his interest, and he started playing with his brother and later with a roommate on the Victor Chandler room.

Miller's poker nickname 'Kanu' was given to him by his university poker club members, who compared his football style to Nwankwo Kanu. He began his poker career by playing tournaments with buy-ins up to five dollars, and his skills improved significantly over time. By the end of his university years, Miller had a bankroll of approximately $2-3 thousand and started playing NL50. He quickly moved up to NL100 and then to higher stakes.

Miller decided to pursue a professional poker career after successfully playing at NL100 and having a bankroll of $100,000. He turned down a job offer as a business analyst to focus on poker. His most significant downswing occurred when he dropped from $25/$50 to $10/$20, losing over $100,000. Despite this, he continued to climb the ranks and became a specialist in heads-up no-limit hold'em. Miller also discussed his experience with the Full Tilt Poker scandal, where he lost a significant amount of money due to the site's closure.