Tournament Poker Club

Those who would like to play a fun and friendly game of Texas Hold ‘Em for a $5 buy-in can play with the Tournament Poker Club on Sept. 7. Regular tournaments are on the first three Saturdays of every month in the lobby of Clubhouse 6. Regular tournaments start with coffee, treats and registration at 10 a.m. with cards in the air at 10:30. There is no late seating.

Lesson opportunities with the club are coming to an end for 2024. Reservations for the next round of lessons, which will begin on Jan. 4, 2025, are being taken now. Those who are rusty, just learning, or have never played Texas Hold ‘Em are invited for a series of three to four small group lessons. For more information or to register, call Debbie Barner at 325-721-0687.

The club had an exciting time during play on Aug. 17. High hand winners were Erika Greenwood (A-A-A-7-7) and Marvin Rolnick (K-K-K-9-9). By playing and winning with the promo hand of 7-3, Lem Hall won the prize. As the winners of their original table, the final table players were: Glenn Evenson, first place; John Burns, second; Brent Covington, third; Dick Jones, fourth; Lem Hall, fifth; and Tony Canfora, sixth.

In contrast to last week’s final table of mostly women, this week’s table was all guys. There were a lot of big bets right from the beginning and players were knocked out in short order until Evenson and Burns were head’s up. In the final hand, holding 4-4, Evenson saw a flop of 4-5-7 and went all in. Holding A-J of hearts, Burns called. There were few cards that could help Burns and unfortunately, a queen on the turn was not one of them. The river card was no help for Burns, which gave Evenson the winning hand of 4-4-4-Q-7.

Evenson has lived in Leisure World—and has been a member of the poker club—for six years. This was his first final table win at a regular tournament. In addition to tournament poker, Evenson plays billiards and pickleball here in Leisure World. He also enjoys playing chess, travel and biking.

—Deborah Barner