| "Back in the Saddle Again"
by
"Oklahoma Johnny" Hale, The Elder Statesman of Poker
On May 20-22, 2003 at The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada a no limit poker tournament was held.
The event was sponsored and approved by "The Seniors"--(WCOP)-- World Championship of Poker but because it was a fund raiser for 'The Seniors" Charities all poker players of legal age were welcomed to play.
The poker tournament was arranged by my wife Carol who is the president of "The Seniors" Charities and myself and it was timed to give the players who had been playing in the WSOP No Limit World Championship of Poker and had who had lost all of their chips in that poker tournament a second chance to win some additional money.
There were 839 players in the WSOP who paid $10,000 to enter and play in the championship event at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas.
On Monday approx. 400 of those players were knocked out of the WSOP and then on Tuesday another 328 had lost all there chips and
only 111 came back on Wednesday to continue to play.
On Wednesday at 6 P.M.
Only 70 players remained in the WSOP $10,000 championship no limit poker game.
I was still one of the 70 players--just as I had planned to be--
246 of these players had planned to stay the week in Las Vegas and had hotel rooms and return air tickets for use after Friday the 23 when the WSOP championship event would have ended.
These No Limit World Class poker players needed a tournament to play in--
The only thing worse than losing out in a no limit poker tournament is to not have another tournament to go to, so my wife Carol and I arranged the Second Chance no limit poker tournament at The Orleans to fill that void.
Of course I, along with others had planned to win the WSOP championship event this year, I personally wanted to become the oldest man to ever win the championship.
I wanted to add to the skins that I had won at the WSOP --
One of those skins was the winning of the first and only gold bracelet ever awarded for being the best all around player of the WSOP (1980).
Another was being the only player in the WSOP to ever have an event in the WSOP named for them -----(The Seniors "@ the Series)----Inaugural 2001.
I was now going to add, The oldest player to ever win the WSOP championship.
So I had asked my wife Carol to host the event for "The Seniors" WCOP
The Second Chance No Limit poker tournament was scheduled to start at 6:30PM on Wednesday, May 21 to give those players who had been eliminated from the big event of the WSOP, a second chance to win some money.
The game was the same, No Limit Hold'em,
The buy in was not $10,000 but was reduced to $1,000 +fee + charity add on The chips were the same $10,000.
The guarantee was to be not a million --but it was $100,000 (a nice little number)
The schedule was changed from 2 hour limit changes to 30 minutes the first day but the second day the limits were to each be one full hour long.
However, the players were given an option to start with 5,000 in chips or 10,000 in chips.
It was a second chance tournament and this was just one of the second chances.
But the player must take the 5,000 that was held in reserve for each player -- on or before the end of the second limit had been reached.
The players were asked to contribute $50 to "The Seniors" Charities
if they wish to have a second chance by adding 5,000 chips to their playing stacks.
Last year the event was held at The Palace Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and 177 players paid and entry fee of $1,000 to play.
"The Seniors" Charities has been approved by the IRS for
tax deduction of all gift and contributions.
The Orleans hotel its owners--card room manager Mr. Mike Vento and his staff or to be thanked for hosting the event and for giving a part of each players entry fee to "The Seniors" Charities.
Many players from around the world played in "The Seniors" sponsored and approved ---Second Chance poker tournament and
many of those players wore gold bracelets won at The WSOP Championship event.
WSOP World Champions----Puggy Pearson--Tom Mc Evoy---Brad Daugherty-
"The Seniors" WCOP Hall of Fame members who played were:
Puggy Pearson--Tom McEvoy--Carol Hale--Dr. Max and Marie Stern-
Dave Crunkleton--"Oklahoma Johnny" Hale--T.J. Cloutier---Marsha Waggoner
Howard "Tahoe" Andrews--Ron McMillan-- Dan Alspach--Kenny Flaton--Vince Burgio
Until Next time STAY LUCKY !!!!!
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