There is no denying that Chris Moneymaker is one of the most renowned names in the world of poker. In 2003, poker enthusiasts watched Moneymaker, who paid the $10,000 entry fee by winning a $40 online game, win the World Series of Poker’s Main Event on ESPN2. The cash prize of the No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament: $2.5 million dollars.
“And the guy is such a chump, but he brought a lot of people into the game,” said University student Drew Connor, who runs Willamette Valley Poker Tour (WVPT). Moneymaker, an amateur when he won the Main Event, has yet to prove himself again in a big poker tournament, but his story proved that anybody can play and win big in poker.
“I read an article in The New York Times a couple months ago that said 1 out of 3 people in America play poker,” he said. “It’s crazy how it’s blown up.”
Texas Hold’em tournaments, which now inhabit bars, homes and residence halls across the United States, are easy to find around the campus area.
Club Tsunami, at 2222 Martin Luther King Blvd., hosts tournaments run by Connor’s WVPT. The games are Monday through Thursday at 7 p.m. (sign-up starts at 6 p.m.) and are a $25 buy-in, with $25 re-buys and add-ons.
“It’s been pretty interesting to see how the game has evolved from what it was before Moneymaker just a few years ago,” Connor said. “It’s fun to see all the new people that play now. It brings a lot of different styles to the table.”
Connor, who is sponsored by a local restaurant to play in $250 and $500 tournaments at the Wildhorse Casino in Pendleton next week, was a player in many WVPT tournaments before being asked to help run the business about eight months ago. He said the company also oversees tournaments at the Brew-N-Cue, 2222 Hwy. 99. Friday games are a $100 buy-in, while Saturday and Sunday games are $30 buy-ins.
“With all the poker on TV these days, I thought it would be a good idea to start a business,” said Shawn Cambell, who started setting up tournaments around Eugene about a year ago. Taylor’s Bar, across from the University bookstore, hosts a Sunday night tournament ($35 buy-in), and The Cooler, at 20 Centennial Loop, hosts tournaments on Monday ($50 buy-in) and Tuesday ($25 buy-in).
Cambell, who has played poker for about six years, said the poker games attract 40-50 people each night, and about half of them are students. More information can be found on his Web site, www.eugenepoker.com.
Bars are not the only place to find a game. Weekly Hold’em tournaments are played in dining rooms and dorm lounges. All that’s required is a pack of cards (two packs make the game faster), a set of chips and good company.
“A lot of times, people still want to play after the tournaments, so we’ll go to someone’s house,” Connor said. “The best part of the game is meeting guys and having a good time. It’s usually more of a social event than about winning money.”
Freshman Mike Lindquist also said the best part of poker is getting to play with friends. He was drawn into poker when he watched Moneymaker take the Main Event.
“I was watching poker on TV and found out another friend was watching it too. More and more kids started getting into it, and eventually we were playing all the time,” he said. “People saw how easy it can be for a nobody to win.”
Lindquist and his friends were soon playing every weekend . He said they took to the game quickly because it was easy to learn, but also mentally challenging.
“You have to know how to guess right, how to push people out of the pot and make the right calls,” he said. “At the same time, it depends a lot about getting the right cards.”
Lindquist finished in the middle of the pack at a 64-person tournament at The Break, on the bottom floor of the EMU, earlier this year. The Break holds one tournament for students every quarter.