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| MORE THAN JUST A CHIP AND A CHAIR by Sandford Tuey Vancouver BC Canada - Texas Hold’em Poker: Team 1040 Radio and TruePoker.com sponsored one of the best Texas Hold’em Tournaments the lower mainland of Vancouver has ever seen. Hundreds of amateurs and professionals participated at four Vancouver area pubs with the final showdown held at the downtown Shark Club July 18, 2005 and what a great time it was for all involved! Even though it was a free tournament it made the Shark Club feel like a gambler’s paradise. “We enjoy hosting events of this nature and look forward to the next tournament.” says Tim Murphy the general manager of the Shark Club. The atmosphere Monday night was serious one minute, cocky and casual the next, then all of a sudden a table erupts in cheers with acknowledgement of a perfect winning hand. There were moments when the stack of chips were worth more than the cash they represented, more like personal medals of honor between competitors. One minute you were laughing with everyone at the table just for the fun of it, the next minute you were shaking the hand of the person who you eliminated from the game or vice versa. It was my first time to play Texas Hold’em but not my first time for poker. I cleared the first table I played at in the first round on the first night but never won another for the rest of the tournament. Competitors try to read you like a book but the poker faces on some players either expose the truth of their hands or make you ask ‘who knows what they have?’ Bluffing was tough to get away with, I found it to be hard and I believe this was due to the chips being free. To challenge by ‘call’ only meant you would be out of the tournament once you lost all your chips. There was no fear because you were not losing your own money. On the positive side, it meant seeing more cards in action, which allowed players to get a feel for how other players play certain hands. Either way, most players defended their chips like professionals. The Summer Poker Series tournament final started with 120 entries then as the night progressed, fewer and fewer LIVE players were reduced down to the final ten. This is where you want to be - at the final table. The Final Table The above players finished in the sequence above with Kevin Pawluk being the champion of the night holding bragging rights until the next tournament. “I played conservatively most of the night then at the final table got a few good hands that helped me win.” Kevin said with a smile. Congratulations to John Knechtel who randomly was drawn as the
grand prize winner of a trip for two to Veradero Cuba courtesy of
Breezes Resorts and Air Canada Vacations! Pretty good luck for a
non-playing audience member. The pressure commences the first time you are dealt your two hole cards. After taking a peek and raising your eyes you’re met with nine other sets of eyes trying to guess what you and the other players have. All the pros are estimating the odds of winning with their own cards and when each new card is revealed the odds change just like the style of play of each hand. Don’t flinch or you may give some hint of a clue to what your hand strength is. When the dealer button moves to the next player the stress and fun starts all over again. One of the many reasons the tournament was such a success was due
to the skill and friendly staff of Monte Carlo Nights plus the Shark
Club and they all know who they are! Unbelievable good group a class
act. Keep doing what you’re doing as it is obviously working.
The poker players that I talked with enjoyed the dealer’s attitudes
and their professional style. It was hard not to get on a first
name basis with all of them all. “We’ve got the best dealers
in town and that makes for an enjoyable experience for the players
at tournaments of this nature. We also help companies and charities
with fund raising by ensuring the quality of the gaming tables and
operators at their functions. We try to make it easy for our clients
to put on successful events.” explains Craig Cowie General
Manager of Monte Carlo Nights Entertainment. Paul Carson of TEAM 1040 explained, “Everyone involved benefits from sponsoring events of this nature.” The exposure for TruePoker.com, one of the worlds’ finest Poker websites and the title sponsor of this Poker series gain enormously through the venues promotion and internet marketing. The best part about the TruePoker.com/TEAM 1040 Summer Poker Series is beginners play right alongside veterans. Hats off to all the venues - Pemberton Station pub, The Shark Club downtown Vancouver, the Buck n’ Ear Pub in Steveston and The Golden Spike Pub in Pt. Moody. I look forward to playing in the next Texas Hold’em Poker
Series this fall. See you at the table. |
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