Poker For a Cause
Charity Poker is a lot like a charity golf tournament scramble - it sounds fun in theory, the main goal is to raise money, and if you happen to get with some people that actually know how to play, then you’ll probably enjoy a little golf, too. If you happen to not be with people that know how to play…well, at least you got to drink a little.
That’s essentially what happened to me this past Friday night. I was lucky enough to represent #teamfade at the Michael Finley Charity Poker Tournament. The tournament featured a who’s who of local NBA celebrities - Dirk, Luka, Cubes, Jason Terry, Spud Webb, and of course, Finley - but the poker was…well, we raised money.
The event started out with a welcome reception, and that was by far the most interesting part of the night (see the picture with the GOAT). There were other casino games happening around the room (for more donations of course), a spread of food and an open bar, and of course, a lot of picture taking. There were only about 150 people or so in attendance, so it was actually more intimate than you might expect.
Once it was time to get down to business, the actual poker was structured like something I might have put together when I was twelve sitting around my living room playing five card draw with my buddies using golf balls we had scavenged from the golf course as our betting chips. The blinds started at 25/50, and we started with 1,000 in chips. So essentially, it was all-in or fold. Which - ok, fine - the whole point is to get people to rebuy to raise more money. Since I had only had a limited amount to donate though, that made it a little tough for me from a poker standpoint.
At my table, there were at least six players that had clearly never played before. We were seeing hands at the rate of approximately 10 hands an hour (the average at a poker table is anywhere from 25-30 hands an hour), so I just waited for a semi decent hand to get them all in the middle with. Finally, I saw AK of spades, got it all in against 4-5 offsuit (yes, seriously), and the guy ran out a straight on me. Good game.
The best part of the event though was sitting next to the head trainer of the Mavs and hearing about all the poker that gets played on plane rides to/from games around the country. For anyone curious (I definitely was), Jason Terry and JJ Barea definitely run those games. They don’t play for a lot of money, according to the trainer, but they gamble a ton. They even play Omaha apparently, which, I can only imagine how wild that would be.
I did get a chance to exchange numbers with a gentleman that runs a home game in Dallas - so hopefully I can build a few new relationships over on the Dallas side of the metroplex this summer. All in all though, it was a fantastic night for a great cause. If you want to know more about this charity, check it out here.
Speaking of charity - let me take an opportunity to plug a great event that’s led by one of my good friends and avid Fade The Spades supporter, Mark Cloud. He’s holding what he calls the “Blue Collar Olympics” - it’s an all day event filled with bowling, darts, golf, food, beer, and other things, and it benefits the Phased In project. Check that out at here. If you want more information, e-mail him at markcloud0303@yahoo.com, and mention that you got the information from Fade The Spades.
If you know anything about us, playing poker is a blessing many of us take for granted sometimes. Having fun with our friends for a few extra Benjamins is something we obviously highly encourage around here. But, do yourself a favor at least once a year and find something like this to go attend. The poker will most likely stink, but you’ll feel great and hopefully make a difference in the process. You’re probably going to lose that buy-in at some point anyway - might as well go to help someone.
The next time I’ll be playing for actual money is in May in Choctaw at their upcoming series, and I’ll also be following Mario and Yvette Barrerra on their adventures at the WSOP in May. See you around at the tables!
- Colton