Students go ‘all in’ for community poker

Lawrence-based entertainment company, Poker Pub Inc., plays host to no limit Texas Hold’Em tournaments at local bars, including The Pool Room, 925 Iowa St.

By Rebekah Scaperlanda

Friday, July 4th, 2008

It may not be Las Vegas, but Texas Hold’em fans can be high rollers right here in Lawrence every Wednesday and Sunday nights at The Pool Room, 925 Iowa St.

Lawrence-based entertainment company, Poker Pub Inc., hosts no limit Texas Hold’Em tournaments at local bars around the region for anyone to play. With no entry fee and no pre-registration, anyone from those as experienced as two-time World Series of Poker Champion Doyle Brunson to someone who doesn’t know their “pocket rockets” can sit down to play at the same table.

“I think Poker Pub works because of the diverse group of people that come,” said Alex Saunders, Poker Pub official. “You have some people come in who have never played a hand in their life and others who have played in Vegas. It’s a wide, wide range.”

Once poker players sign up for a tournament, they are given $4,000 worth of chips to play with for the next three hours. Since commercial gambling is illegal in the state of Kansas, tournaments are played for prizes. Normally prizes range from $15 to a new poker set. Some nights, Saunders said, are played for points that players can add up for larger prizes. He said the grand prize, which can be won through points, was qualifying for a larger tournament at Conroy’s Pub in Lawrence where the winner received a trip to Las Vegas. Players qualify for the tournament by adding up their points.

Saunders said that although the tournaments were free, it was a winning situation for both Poker Pub and The Pool Room.

“The bar pays the poker company per table,” Saunders said. “There is an understanding that everyone who comes to play poker will in turn buy something from the bar.”

In addition to revenue from alcohol sold, Dustin McDonald, The Pool Room manager, said Poker Pub attracts a variety of new customers.

“The poker tournaments gets people that might not be pool players to be more familiar with our location and what we have to offer,” McDonald said. “We’re kind of tucked away behind the Merc and don’t always get noticed.”

McDonald said that The Pool Room is well known in the local community, but it isn’t the first thing that comes to mind to students. He said if more heard about the poker games, he thinks more students would participate.

Abel Martens, Lawrence senior, heard about the poker tournaments through a friend and decided it would be worthwhile to check out.

“I’d never even been to The Pool Room before,” Martens said. “I really like poker, so the concept is nothing new, but this provides another way for me to do the activity. It’s a very chill atmosphere.”

Kerri Emel, Hutchinson junior and a waitress at The Pool Room, said the bar didn’t seem like a typical college town bar when you first walked into it, but she said the people were friendly and everyone treated each other like family. She said the Poker Pub was a great way for students to branch out and meet new people.

“You may be doing the same thing you do with your friends, playing poker,” Emel said. “But at Poker Pub it’s a different group of people you can play against with your friends. Some people will be more serious and others will just want to play and drink. I think everyone comes just to have a bit of fun.”

— Edited by Rustin Dodd

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