De Guzman wins Presidents' Day Poker

Saipan -- A total of 23 individuals participated in Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino's third installment of “Island Style” Texas Hold'Em Poker last Presidents Day weekend.

The players hailed from different places, including Guam, Saipan, Japan, and Korea.

Besting the rest of the participants was Renato de Guzman of Guam. De Guzman earned for himself a total of $ 4,500.

Second and third place winners, who wished to remain anonymous, took home $ 2,250 and $ 750, respectively.

The winners were also awarded glass trophies.

Tournament director Tony Jackson said that they were expecting about 30 to 40 participants for the tournament. He said that it was a low turnout in spite of the weekend festivities on Tinian, but added that the nonappearance of their regular patrons from Guam might be attributed to the canceled flights of Freedom Air.

Jackson also added that the gaming concessions in Guam affect them somehow. “But we have Guam patrons who still come here to play on a regular basis.”

Introduced in February 2005, the Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament has since become one of three annual events at the TDHC, and “Island Style” is one of its themes. The two other events are the Baccarat Challenge and the Blackjack Championship.

Poker enthusiasts can look forward to two other Texas Hold'Em Poker tournaments: the Asia Pacific Poker Championship (APPC) scheduled on Memorial Day weekend (May 24 and 25) and the “Can You Weather the Storm?” No-Limit Hold'Em slated for Labor Day weekend (Sept. 1 and 2).

Entry fee for the “Island Style” Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament was at $350, including commission. The prize pool was at $ 7,500.(Clarissa David)

News Added: 23 February, 2008

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