A ticket to Vegas for the World Series

PELHAM, N.H. -- Paul Mannetta parlayed a pair of sevens in a recent Internet poker game into an $11,000 jackpot. Then he rolled the winnings over to buy a seat at the ?main event? in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, beginning Thursday.

?It was down to me and one other person and my two hole cars were two sevens and I called him and he had two twos in his hand, which was a good call by me,? Mannetta said. ?I was just hoping he didn't have a higher pair than that.?

Mannetta is an assistant manager who works the overnight shift at the Marshall's Mega Store in Salem, N.H.

He learned
how to play poker on-line about 18 months ago, eventually started playing computer tournaments for money and has played a little in face-to-face games.

?I played some at Foxwoods,? he said. ?I do pretty good. I finish in the top 10.?

During one trip to Foxwoods he joined a small-stakes table with $40 and walked away with $550. His skill with cards didn't extend to the other gambling tables.

?I ended up spending it on slot machines and blackjack,? Mannetta said.

Mannetta used his trips to Foxwoods to learn how to read people's expressions, ticks and nuances while playing cards. He doesn't like to talk about his strategies.

?You start playing the people more than the cards,? he said. ?You get a tell on them by reading them -- how they are playing the cards and what their composure is.?

Mannetta's Internet experience can't be sloughed off. Chris Moneymaker qualified for the World Series on-line and won in 2003.

Mannetta joined the qualifying tournament for the World Series of Poker on Ultimatebet.com for $100 with 109 players for an $11,000 payout.

When he won the tournament the money rolled over for the $10,000 entrance fee to the World Series of Poker and the extra $1,000 goes toward traveling expenses, Mannetta said.

He said he isn't just happy to have a seat at the table. He wants to win.

?It's going to be tough because it's against professionals from around the world,? Mannetta said. ?I'm hoping for some good hands and good reads.?

He will be playing no-limit Texas hold'em with about 6,600 other people for $62 million in prize money, including a grand prize that could reach $10 million.

The computer version of poker doesn't have the steely-eyed stares of players facing each other across the table but it has its own challenges.

?It not just luck, there's a lot of skill,? Mannetta said. ?You've got to know when to fold your cards and the right time to bluff. On the Internet you get more hands dealt than you do in real life.?

The Internet deals about 100 hands an hour but face-to-face games are slower because shuffling takes time and there's no time limit for placing bets.

Despite the pressure of playing poker at a breakneck speed, it offers comforts you can't find at a casino.

?You can play in the convenience of your home and you can watch TV while you play,? he said. ?It makes you more patient.?

There will be plenty of TV cameras at the World Series, so maybe that will make Mannetta more comfortable.

By JACK MINCH

News Added: 03 July, 2005

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