Poker News

To be an ace at poker, you've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em - or just know when to tune in.

Televised tournaments have stoked poker's popularity in the last couple years, teaching the game to countless new players, young and old.

Now, felt tables, cards and casino-quality chip sets are featured in many retail stores and look to be popular holiday gifts this season.

Locally, the increase in people wanting to learn the sport has led to Dealer's Choice owner Phil Hawkins looking for a new location to expand his card room on Bowman Road.

It's just another sign that the poker craze sweeping the nation has come to Auburn.

The city boasts many top-notch players. Just last weekend, Hawkins won Five-Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. He took home over $100,000 in the Omaha Hi/Lo Split event, beating out one of the world's highest-ranked players, "Miami" John Cernuto.

The card room on Bowman Road holds games and the occasional tournaments Wednesday through Sunday.

They usually play Texas Hold'em, Hawkins said, because it's the easiest to learn and most requested game.

Many newcomers to the table approach him, and Hawkins doesn't mind passing on his expertise - he learned the game from his grandmother as a 6-year-old playing for jellybeans.

"That was a lot more precious than money back then," he said.

Players for Wednesday night's hold 'em game are regulars. They sit with stone poker faces and talk little, no doubt mired in thoughts of strategy and reads on their opponents.

Hawkins' wife, Linda, who is also a player and deals many nights, tosses out two hole cards to each player. They peel back the corners to take a peek at their prospects. Many play one to two times a week.

"It's really an American pastime. It's always been there, but TV has really brought it out," said Jeff Sardella, a regular player who is looking to partner with Hawkins on a new card room.

Players say The Travel Channel show "World Poker Tour," along with ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker have brought a lot of new people to the sport.

"A lot of people were afraid to come in and say I don't know how (to play). But Texas Hold'em is the easiest poker game and now you can learn on TV," said Geno Davis of Auburn, who has played in some 20 tourneys.

Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown" and other celebrity poker players have upped the ante for poker's "it" factor. Notorious poker-faced celebs include Ben Affleck, who pulled down $356,400 in a state championship this summer in Commerce, Calif. Affleck is even set to star next year in an untitled comedy set against a backdrop of the World Series of Poker.

But before poker was Hollywood, it was seedy.

Poker was first played in this country on Mississippi River boats where it was a popular "cheating game" that used only aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens.

It then moved westward. With the influx of people and money brought in with the California Gold Rush, it was not uncommon for several saloons in one mining town to be offering the game.

Today, poker has evolved into dozens of variations, from Pass the Trash, where players give their discards to the person on the left, to Acey Deucey, where aces and twos are wild.

The pros in this sport are now like other athletes, with sponsors who pay for their buy-ins to tournaments and hotel stays.

And with the money to be won, they are paid like other athletes, too. This year's World Series of Poker winner was Greg Raymer, who beat out 2,576 players to claim a $5 million prize. Last year, Chris Moneymaker edged out only 839 players for a measly $2.5 million.

John Bingham of Hobby Monkey in Rocklin said he's noticed sales of his store's poker products surge since ESPN aired the 2004 World Series of Poker this summer. Now that other large retailers such as CostCo, Wal-Mart and Target have begun selling them, sales have dropped off but the interest is still there, especially with younger players.

"More so than adults, the biggest thing I've seen is kids are far more aware of it and far more likely to play at home," he said.

Zack Hoyer, 26, of Auburn, said he's known the game since he was 8 and took $30 in winnings from a family poker night. He started playing at Feather Falls Casino at age 18 while going to school at Chico State. Now, old college roommates are jumping on the bandwagon, asking if he wants to get together for a poker night.

He even knows of families who had Texas Hold'em tournaments after Thanksgiving dinner this year.

"So many people who haven't ever been in a card room before are playing now," Hoyer said.

One place that cuts the card room out of playing poker is the Internet, where by simply logging on, players can transfer money and lay down their chips with a click of a mouse.

It's a good place to learn the basics, but nothing can replace the thrill of spotting a tell for Hawkins.

"On the Internet you can learn the basics," Hawkins said. "But the whole thing in poker with high limits - when someone puts $30,000 out on the table - you're going to have to be able to look them in the eye and know they're lying."

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