Poker: Never too Old to Play
Written by playerpress.com, Monday March 23 2009
Poker continues to conquer new territory in terms of players. Having already established players that cross international boundaries and gender lines the game had nowhere to go but up. Up the age bracket that is. Poker has become so popular among senior plays that the World Series of Poker has established a senior tournament. The age requirement is 50 years and older and available tournaments are filling their brackets with folks who know that age brings wisdom, understanding, patience and a desire for additional income.
Last weekend while many were sweating out their NCAA brackets 192 entrants put up the $200 entrance fee to participate in the WSOP senior’s tournament in Rincon, California. The event was held in the Harrah’s at Rincon and featured $37,248.00 in total prizes for those who were willing to follow the wisdom of the ages and play out the best hand.
Scott Aurich from nearby Coronado, CA captured first place and won $9,312. Aurich is a 52 year old real estate broker who probably found it is easier to handle poker competition than it is to sell luxury property in SoCal in the middle of a recession.
One of the more interesting entrants was B. Wilkes from Poway, CA. Wilkes took 7th place in the tournament after heading directly to Harrah’s straight from capturing 6th place at a tournament held two days earlier. Reflecting on his fortune Wilkes debated on trying to find another tournament for Monday assuming he stood a good chance of finishing 8th at that event.
Another character was 4th place finisher Ray “Mac the Knife” McCabe from Anaheim, CA. He is the president of a company entitled Egg Whites International and also claims to be a trick shot at pool.
A third notable was 2nd place finisher David Linden Brent from Las Vegas, NV. Brent is a District Attorney in Sin City, so he knows the ins and outs of poker from numerous angles. His payday was $5,906 for the weekend.
The seniors tournament was ruled a success and will become a standard on the WSOP schedule. As the number of senior citizens increases the WSOP believes they have the patience and understanding to compete long and deep into tournaments. With more senior communities encouraging residents to remain active and sociable games like poker are a natural attraction and the time they spend perfecting their card skills with friends will serve them well when they enter the tournament circuit.
Additionally, as the circuit grows it will attract more players which will lead to an increase in the payouts making it even more attractive for entrants. Harrah’s Rincon has held five WSOP events this year and drawn 1,906 entrants. That translates to the senior players comprising close to 10% of the total entrants, so a measure of success can be seen thus far. So, the next time you are at the table remember to respect your elders. They may be preparing for an upcoming tournament on the WSOP circuit.
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Senior poker tour, huh? I guess it was coming. I got turned off by poker though with how big and "eccentric" it's become. I learned to play poker in the 3rd grade with pennies, matchsticks, and Odoul's non-alcoholic beers. But we learned to play 'proper-like'. Now you see guys playing with hoodies, sunglasses, and costumes. It's a sideshow that's lost it's art. It's not hard to bluff if you hide your face. Hopefully these old-timers are doing it straight-up like it should be played. I might actually watch one of their tourneys if they televised it.