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| Texas Hold'em tournament a big deal to many |
Dutler's Bowl and bar went from a raucous packed house to quiet as a church Saturday afternoon after one phrase: "Deal the cards."
The first state Texas Hold'em team poker tournament drew 70 four-person teams from across Minnesota.
Dutler's Bowl, off Highway 169 in North Mankato, has become one of the biggest venues in the state for its free Texas Hold'em games drawing, 80 to 100 people each of the five nights they're held.
"It's very popular," said owner Ruth Dutler. "People like it because it's free and it's not intimidating. You have people come in who've never played and they might be sitting next to the top-ranked player in the state. People help each other learn. It's pretty friendly."
Saturday's tournament, which featured teams rather than the individual play usually associated with the game, was more serious. At stake was a few hundred dollars in prize money, trophies and bragging rights.
Eighty-year-old Tom Edwards of Mankato said luck comes into play, but skill usually wins out. "You have to know what you're doing. The biggest mistake players make is betting too much."
During the regular weekly games, each player starts with $7,000 in chips. "You can go through it pretty quick if you're not careful," Edwards said.
In Saturday's tournament, the first player was out of the game five minutes into play.
Alex Parker, an 18-year-old who recently moved to Mankato from Chicago, said he likes to play in the free games for practice. He often plays at the Canterbury Downs card club and other pay-to-play venues. He said it's sometimes hard to read other players in the free games because of their inexperience.
"When they're starting out they don't know the odds and they're bidding a lot."
Troy Grunmdhoffer, of Owatonna, said people are getting into the Texas Hold'em leagues around the state because of the game's national publicity.
"A lot of people have watched it on TV. They want to get into tournaments where they can win a seat in the World Poker Tour."
The Hold'em craze, was set off by Chris Moneymaker, a 27-year-old Tennessee native who won the Las Vegas 2003 World Poker Tour's $2.5 million jackpot.
The game is played by dealing each player two cards down and three community cards are turned face up on the table. Eventually, after rounds of betting, five community cards are turned up and players combine their cards and the community cards to create the best five-card poker hand.
Holding the games in bars and other businesses only became legal after the state Legislature passed a bill last session. Since then, leagues and free games have spread across the state, including at other locations in Mankato.
Dutler's is part of The Fantasy Poker League, a 27-city league that operates much like a bowling or dart league. Players gain points each week and compare their local and state rankings via an Internet Web site.
Businesses aren't allowed to charge a fee for people to play, but they can give out prizes.
Dutler said the Hold'em games have been good for business, but she has no plans of becoming a famed player herself.
"The first tournament we ever had here, I was the first player out. I don't play much."
By Tim Krohn |
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