Tournaments and More Tournaments
By Debbie Burkhead

Between the Commerce Casino and the Reno Hilton I have played a lot of tournament poker over the last few weeks and I must say, even though I only placed at the Commerce's "Ladies Poker Dream Weekend" and only got, so close I could taste it, at the Reno Hilton's "Pot of Gold," I had a great time at both tournaments. Actually, in the ladies tournament I barely squeaked into the money. I had not yet gotten comfortable in my seat when I had kings-up cracked on the river by a flush. Oh well, there's always next year and win or lose, they treat the ladies so nicely that it's hard not to enjoy yourself. For you ladies who have never been to the Commerce for their annual Ladies Poker Dream Weekend, do yourself a favor and put it on your calendar for next year. I promise you, you won't be sorry. In fact, you'll thank me!

One exciting aspect of playing lady's tournaments is that anything can happen to any given lady on any given day, as was the case of Anna Kazarian, from Hollywood, California. Interestingly enough, Anna knocked me out of the first tournament and at break time she approached me and apologized for doing so. I thanked her and told her it was just poker and no hard feelings. During that conversation I found out that it was her first tournament ever -- you would have never known by the way she played. Anna proceeded to tell me she played live poker but had never ventured into the tournament arena. I kept an eye on Anna and sure enough she placed fifth that night in the hold'em event. The following evening she was back to play the seven-card stud tournament (against the advice of her dad, who said she would just be wasting her money since she was not a stud player.) Anna peaked my interest so I followed her through the tournament and my instincts were right. Anna not only placed fifth in hold'em, she won the seven-card stud event! I guest dads don't know everything. With this victory she also won the best all-around player package. And that's how history is made and dreams come true!

Needless to say, Anna was a little shocked by all that she accomplished in such a short time on the tournament circuit. Although she was a novice player, I think that she played like a pro, and I congratulate her on her win. I feel strongly that we will be seeing more of Anna Kazarian. She did tell me, at one point, that she would be playing a lot more tournaments. Personally, I hope she does. She was a pleasure to play with and will be an asset to the tournament world. So if you ever find yourself seated next to a girl named Anna and she tells you that it is only the second tournament she has ever played -- LOOK OUT!

Next stop, Reno Hilton for their fall Pot of Gold Poker Tournament. The buzz around the tournament circuit is that Reno is rapidly becoming the tournament capitol of Nevada and in my opinion the reason for that is simple -- because they have them! All kidding aside, Reno is one of my favorite tournament destinations. It's relatively close to Las Vegas, the players are friendly, the tournament staffs are friendly, and there is plenty to do outside the casino's, not to mention how well the tournaments are run. Which brings me to another reason I think Reno will be successful in the tournament world, simply put, "Tex's TEARS" (Tournament Evaluation And Rating System.) If you are not familiar with, or have not had the opportunity to play a tournament with this new structure that Tex Morgan developed and has instituted in several tournaments to date, do yourself a favor and give it a try. In short, the system gradually goes up on the blinds and antes (never more than 50 percent) rather than the 100 percent increases. This new system of Tex's is meant to give the more skilled players a better opportunity of making the money while eliminating some of the luck factor. What a concept! Thank you, Tex!

Again, I did not get lucky enough to place in the money while in Reno, but I had a wonderful time. At the least, I feel I had a better chance with the Tex's TEARS structure. The Reno Hilton is planning to host one of the biggest major tournaments in Reno in January of 2001, the first annual "World Poker Challenge" will offer the Tex's TEARS system.

I will be writing the final table synopsis for the main events of the entire tournament. This tournament has all the makings of a great one. If you have any desire to be part of this history-making event be sure to book your room early because they are receiving a lot of response for this one. Also, in case you're not aware, the Reno Hilton is famous for their $25 room rates.

Another great big positive that makes the Pot of Gold tournaments so attractive are their very affordable buy-ins. Along with their main event beginning at noon every day, the Pot of Gold offers "Twilight Tournaments" beginning at 6 PM every evening, giving you two opportunities a day to make that score. Tournament seating is limited in the evening tournaments and is filled on a first come, first serve basis. Due to the overwhelming popularity of these evening tournaments, Mike Gainey, cardroom manager and all-around nice guy, decided after the second night, to add two more tables so more players were able to participate. Thanks Mike!

Next month you will be hearing about my return trip to Costa Rica for their second "Celebrity Poker Challenge" tournament, which I am delighted to be a part of. I will also be reporting on Ocean's Eleven's "Ladies California State Poker Championship".

Now go out there and show'em you can play poker!