This is a recap of a poker tournament I played in at Soaring Eagle Casino on 4/26/08 (Part 1 of 2).
Well, here's a little story about a poker tournament. It's a tournament that I didn't plan on playing in, but I'm glad I did.
I don't usually call up radio stations when they're giving things away. And when I do, I always get a busy signal. But, I couldn't help myself...they were doing poker trivia.
A little background: I listen to Rich Micheals and Deb Hart almost every morning at work. They're on 94.9 FM here in
Anyway, I thought that they might ask some poker hand odds or something like that. I figured I've played enough cards to be able to answer some questions.
Well, they were looking for callers 9,10 and 11. When I called, I actually got through and they said "Caller 6" and I hung up. I was more in shock about actually getting through. But I figured at that point, there was reason to call back because they would have already gotten the callers they needed. So, I reserved myself to just listening to the trivia question.
About 5 minutes later (after the commercials), they got around to asking the trivia question. So, they asked the first contestant a the question "Who is the professional poker player who's nickname is 'Jesus'?". I thought Oh My Gosh, how easy. If you watch as much poker as I do, you would know that the answer is Chris Ferguson. I know that for a couple reasons, mainly because I'm a poker addict, but the other is that he's one of my favorites. Because he, like me, has his degree in Computer Science. Of course, he's got a Ph.D. and I have a mere Bachelors...but it's fun to compare myself to professionals and think "See...I really can do that".
Sorry, I'm digressing. The first contestant couldn't think of the answer, so the second contestant got a chance. And she only knew the last name. But apparently that was enough, Rich said that was good enough and gave her the prize. Needless to say, I was a little bummed because I knew the answer and was only a few callers away from being getting a chance.
But, obviously that couldn't be the end of the story or else I couldn't have won. After the first question was answered, Rich mentioned having a 2nd entry to give away. And there was still the 3rd contestant on the phone. He asked the 3rd person the next question "Who did Chris Moneymaker (the pro who was going to be at the tournament) beat in 2003 to win the World Series of Poker Main Event?".
Again, let me remind you, I watch a lot of poker. I knew the answer, it was Sam Farha, I've seen the replay a bunch of times. Anyway, I listened to the third contestant laugh and say he had no clue. Then Rich Michaels asked "Does anyone else have a guess?". Well, I didn't think about being part of the competition, but I thought I'd call up and tell them the answer. So, I picked up my cell phone and hit redial. I don't know what I expected, but I dont' think I expected to actually get through.
The next thing I know Rich picks up the phone and asks "What's your guess?". I could tell that I was live on the radio. So, I answered him and he said "You're a winner, what's your name?".
That's was it, he put me on hold and continued on until the commercial. I just sat their listening and in shock. Holy Cow, I just won an entry into a $280 poker tournament. Holy Cow, I need to clear up my schedule on Saturday (today was Thursday, there wasn't much time). Holy Cow, I'm going to play in a big poker tournament...how cool!!
The amazing thing about it is that I was planning on being away from the family that weekend anyway. That weekend was opening fishing weekend up north in Gaylord, so my wife didn't expect me home. And, I could sneak away for a few hours from fishing to drive down to the casino.
So, as I'm sitting on the phone, I'm re-planning my weekend around this opportunity. I'm glad it all worked out. I did make it work so I was able to play. Check out Part 2 of this blog to see how I did.
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