Over One Hundred People Show To Challenge World Poker Champ Moneymaker

08.02.2004, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Over One Hundred People Show To Challenge World Poker Champ Moneymaker».

Except for a diamond bracelet of linked horseshoes, there were no signs the man signing autographs at Boomtown Casino and Hotel was a millionaire. Dressed in a blue shirt, khakis and cream vest, Chris Moneymaker, 28, looked more like an office manager than a poker celebrity.

The accountant from Spring Hill, Tenn., surprised many when he beat professional Ihsan Farha with a full house and won $2.5 million and the bracelet at last year's World Series of Poker Champions in Las Vegas.

Moneymaker started playing poker three years ago on the Internet. He had to borrow money from his father and a friend so he could get comfortable playing on a table. “It was the greatest 'Cinderella' story of the decade,” said Joseph Bennett, poker manager for eight years at Boomtown.

Moneymaker was at the Texas Hold'em Tournament on Friday night. It continues today at the Boomtown Casino and Hotel and gives poker players a chance to play against the champion. Dozens of fans who had watched him play patiently lined up Friday afternoon at the Cancan Theatre to take photos with Moneymaker and get his autograph. Felix Martinez brought four hand-rolled cigars he'd made for his “hero.”

Sandy Barnes, 32, of Reno brought a poker chip, two photos and a T-shirt she'd made with a photo of Moneymaker so he could sign it. “This is so awesome. I can't believe it,” repeated Barnes, shaking from meeting the man she calls her idol. She was so nervous about meeting Moneymaker, she made her mother, Andrea Brothwell, drive her to Boomtown. “I'm here just in case she passes out,” Brothwell joked.

A total of 120 people put their names in a drawing for a chance to play against Moneymaker. They paid $20 for the entry fee and $100 for $500 in tournament chips. “I gotta beat you,” Dwaine “Lucky” Lehr said to the 2003 champion as he shook his hand. Lehr's wife, Judy, said her husband had spent hours watching him on television to learn Moneymaker's style. “I'm better than he is,” Dwaine Lehr said.

Sixty players were chosen. Each table had 10 players, and Moneymaker played at each table.Bruce Peck's name was the first name drawn. The Reno resident wanted to win first place, which would make him $3,500 richer. But it was not all about the money for the 63-year-old grandfather of eight. “If I make the top five, it'll be all right,” Peck said. “And if I don't, I guess I'll just go home and call it an enjoyable evening.”

Dave Osborne, whose name also was drawn, said an amateur game was going to be tougher than a professional game for Moneymaker. “The amateurs want to kill the giant,” said the Carson City resident. “We're willing to go all out.” Moneymaker shrugged off the friendly threats he received from fans who promised to beat him and offered a genuine “good luck” to each one. But he said it will take more than luck for anyone to win. At every table, he tries to figure out who is willing to bluff, who is capable of bluffing, who is willing to pay off a bluff and who is calling a big bet with a bad hand.

The winnings have not changed his lifestyle much. He still works as an accountant for Pan Asia, a restaurant group. Other than a new house that is closer to work, a BMW for himself, a Land Cruiser for wife, Kelly, and a college fund for their 1-year-old daughter, Ashley, Moneymaker said he still takes out the trash, changes diapers and helps clean up after the dog.

Über Glücksspiele Las Vegas - Gambling in Las Vegas:

Las Vegas liegt im Westen der USA im Bundesstaat Nevada und ist das Glücksspiel-Paradies von Amerika.

Las Vegas hat rund 100 Spielcasinos. Im Bundesstaat Nevada sind sogar über 300 Spielcasinos registriert. Die grössten Casinos sind das Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Venetian / Palazzo, Wynn / Encore, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay.

Weitere bekannte Casinos sind das Mirage, frühere Heimat von Siegfried und Roy, das Luxor in Form einer Pyramide oder das Casino Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, in welchem jährlich die Pokerweltmeisterschaft (World Series of Poker WSOP) durchgeführt wird.

Die bekanntesten zwei Strassen sind der Las Vegas Boulevard, welcher auch als Las Vegas Strip bezeichnet wird. Daneben ist die Fremont Street eine gut besuchte Casino-Meile, wo beispielsweise das legendäre Casino Binion's (vormals Binion's Horseshoe) seine Spiele anbietet.

Las Vegas erstreckt sich über eine Fläche von 340 km2 und hat rund 650'000 Einwohner.

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