Tournament offers poker players a chance to show their hands

Kentucky -- Students who want to watch the semi-final of the campus Texas Hold'em tournament can see the action at the Cats Den tonight at 7.

The tournament started Monday, and tonight's winners will advance to the final round tomorrow.

"It's no limit and there'll be 8 players at each table. The number of tables will be directly proportional to those who sign up," said Cats Den Coordinator Rob Theakston. "The tournament at UK has been running for several years now."

Hold'em is a community card game where each player may use any combination of the five community cards and their own two cards to make a poker hand, in contrast to poker games like stud or draw where each player holds a separate individual hand. The game's popularity has grown since 2000, due to televised tournaments on ESPN and celebrity tournaments featuring the game, Theakston said.

There will be free food and drinks, and everyone is welcome to attend.

"Traditionally the event brings in anywhere from 200-300 students participating over the course of the four day event," Theakston said.

There is no entry fee and the tournament is open to all students, faculty and staff. There will be prizes given to students and students will be able to win a trip to the regional tournament in February of next year.

Theakston hopes that this event will not only be positive and helpful, but also bring students together.

"It would be coarse and presumptive for me to outright predict that it will (be positive and helpful), but every event the student coordinators plan for the Cats Den has that direct design in mind," Theakston said.

KYKernel

News Added: 07 November, 2007

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