Robins airman sees life lessons in poker

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE --The way Staff Sgt. Tim Montjoy sees it, poker is really a metaphor for life

His philosophy is the same at the gaming table or anyplace else: Winning has more to do with relating to other people and controlling the moment than it does with the quality of cards you're dealt.

"Anybody can learn to play poker," the Robins Air Force Base information manager said. "But I'm controlled enough to pick my spots and pick up the bigger pots."

So far it's working pretty well for the Jonesboro native. During the last 18 months, he's won more than $50,000 in seven major tournaments from Mississippi to New York.

His latest success came at Heartland Poker Tour's mid-June Texas Hold 'Em contest at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. Montjoy finished fifth out of 150 players and pocketed about $15,000.

The single parent of a 9-year-old daughter claims poker emphasizes individual responsibility with no excuses, no alibis, no easy way out - another life lesson, he insists.

"Everything that happens is a result of what you do," he said. "Either you let your opponents dictate how you play, or you dictate the pace of the game and make things happen yourself."

Montjoy's fascination with poker began after his assignment to Robins in June 2003. He was introduced to Texas Hold 'Em at "for fun" tournaments at the enlisted club.

The popular card game is a form of seven-card stud in which all players are dealt two cards with five "community cards" turned up, one bet at a time, on the table.

He liked the give and take, the tactics and strategies. He later became more serious about the game and attended a seminar given by Joe Navarro, a poker player and former FBI counterintelligence agent.

Montjoy said he learned two things: the importance of playing in a later position and picking up "tells" from opponents.

Late position lets you assess the bidding, he contends, without wasting chips. The early bidders - particularly players trying to bluff or steal the pot - are in greater jeopardy.

"If you have a good hand and you're in a late position, you can raise them and they have to fold unless they actually have a good hand," the Mount Zion High School graduate pointed out.

Equally important is reading the opponents - picking up on "tells" such as facial expressions, mannerisms, voice tones.

"You have to figure out what their deal is," he insisted. "Get into their head so they react how you want them to."

That process begins shortly after he arrives at a tournament, where the first order of business is to mingle with his opponents.

"Even before we sit down and play the first hand, I'm meeting people, getting their energy," Montjoy said. "I want to see where they will be going with their game."

He also works to control his own emotions, even spending time in front of a mirror to gauge his reactions.

"You have to be robotic. It's like a pitcher in baseball," the airman said. "Your arm speed has to be the same whether you're throwing a fastball or a curve. That way, it's very deceptive to the batter. If you act the same at a poker table whether you have a good hand or a bad hand, it's also very deceptive."

Montjoy, 31, has no plans to leave the Air Force. He said he loves the military and would never give it up. His poker forays are weekend jaunts - arriving at some casino late Friday and departing Sunday.

He has two more major events this year - one at Northern Lights Casino in Minnesota in September and a December main event in Gary, Ind. The latter is the Heartland Poker Tour's annual championship for this year's winners and final table participants.

"It's an open tournament," the sergeant pointed out. "The (entry fee) is $2,750 and they're expecting about 800 people. The top prize will be right at a half million."

His mother, Jane, who takes care of his daughter on tournament weekends, was a little skeptical of his avocation at first.

"She asked me why I was putting money into a situation I didn't control," Montjoy said. "But then I started making a little money and showing her I was responsible. Over the last eight months, I've saved 50 percent of my (Air Force) paycheck and used my winnings to pay the bills."

The huge, megabucks tourneys in Las Vegas could be in his future, although the almost 11-year Air Force veteran is not straining to meet that goal. If it happens, the up to $50,000 entry fees must come from winnings rather than savings, he said.

"I'm not going to save and save, then go play and potentially get knocked out in one hand," he said. "People who play in Vegas either have more money and they're able to spare it or they have a longer track record and a lot more experience."

In the meantime, Montjoy is using his poker lessons to good effect, both on and off the job. It's made him a better person and a better airman, he believes.

"I have more patience now, more control when dealing with certain situations," he said. "You can't treat everybody the same. You have to figure out what their niche is and how to approach them. Just like at the poker table."

courtesy of Gene Rector

News Added: 23 August, 2007

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