Gamblin' for a Great Cause!

So our Texas Hold 'em Tourney for Gilda's Club was very entertaining to say the least. We had a good crowd and it was something of a melting pot with friends coming to have a good time and poker players looking to prey on what they call "dead money." I've always laughed at the people who took poker so seriously. Those that believe skill somehow trumped luck. They must have been the same people who couldn't hack it in a skill game like darts, pool or golden tee and decided to try their LUCK in poker. I admit that poker involves some skill, but never does it take the place of good 'ol fashioned luck. And that, my friends, brings us to the inspirational story of a guy from Battle Creek who decided to play Texas Hold 'em for the first time and never looked back. Allow me to introduce you to my friend, the 2008 Gilda's Texas Hold 'em Champion, Bob Herrera.

Bob: I'm still overwhelmed. To all the haters, keep hatin'. And to all my fans, one love.

Corey: Thanks Bob

Let me fill the audience in on how this came to be...

Bob had never played the game before but did, to his credit, read up on the rules prior to coming. He was apprehensive about playing and actually asked me if he could just come and watch. I told him just to play and have fun and that he'd learn along the way. And that's exactly what he did. He kept playing...and kept learning...playing and learning. All the way to the final table. The so called hold 'em pros were getting frustrated at Bob's sporadic play and occasional question about the rules. One guy went as far as to say Bob was "hustling" and that his inexperience was just an act. That was the funniest thing I'd heard all night and actually made me double over in laughter multiple times throughout the night as I thought of Bob methodically planning his "act" weeks in advance for a $50 buy-in charity poker tournament where he only wins half the pot. Who needs sitcoms when you have real life.

What interrupted me from my laughter was when Bob finished that guy off by taking all of his chips with pocket 3's and a 3 on the river. I love this game.

After Bob finished him off, he continued his dominance and won the entire tournament. It was the greatest upset since Giants vs. Pats or project runway season 3 (that was for the ladies in the audience). I was very proud of my boy. He managed to win the tournament on his first ever go at Texas Hold'em.

Bob: I want to thank the little people who got me here. Danny Devito from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and that Dwarf from Willow.

Corey: Thanks again Bob.

Oh, by the way, we raised close to $1000 for Gilda's Club and spread the word about this wonderful organization.

All in a good night!