Alpha Gams host first No Limit Texas Hold'em tourney

[TSteven]

(Alpha Gamma Delta - Murray State University)

Alpha Gams host first No Limit Texas Hold'em tourney
Group raises $1,000
By Phil Dishon
Published: Friday, April 22, 2005
The Murray State News

The shuffling of cards and the clamor of poker chips filled Beshear Gym Saturday as Alpha Gamma Delta hosted its first Alpha "Gam"-bling No Limit Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament.

Rachael Jaenichen, sophomore from Baltimore and Alpha Gam philanthropy chairperson, organized the event.

Jaenichen said the sorority chose to host a poker tournament because of the game's popularity.

"(Students) are playing the game with their friends so why not let them play to help others?" Jaenichen said. "(Participants) can enjoy playing and know they are helping someone else."

Registration for the tournament began April 4 and required a $20 entry fee. Competitors began the tournament with an equal amount of chips, and they were eliminated from the competition when their chips ran out.

All proceeds from the tournament went to the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation, which helps support diabetes research and juvenile diabetes education programs.

"For a first-time event like this, people were really (responsive) to it," Jaenichen said. "(The tournament) had 38 people who actually played. We were really happy with the turnout."

Local retailers and restaurants donated prizes, which included everything from gift certificates to car care products, for the tournament.

Kevin Farrel, senior from Benton, Ill., provided poker chips to help Alpha Gam with the event. He also moderated the "blind structure" game play, which he said is essential in tournament play because it helps with the elimination process.

Farrel, who works at Harrah's Casino in Metropolis, Ill., said he has become familiar with the game of Texas Hold'em during the past year.

"(Poker) has been popular since the World Series of Poker in 2003," he said. "It is a really thrilling game once you get involved with it."

Farrel said playing poker requires risk-taking and skill to master the game.

"Poker is kind of rough because it is based on luck," he said.

Matt Brandon, junior from Clarksville, Tenn., is no stranger to the challenge of the game.

"It is all about survival," Brandon said. "It is all about getting the right cards."

Brandon, who just started playing in 2004, made it to the final table in the competition and finished in fourth place.

However, Brandon said he wasn't playing for glory or prizes.

"There was no money prize," Brandon said. "The main reason why I was playing (Saturday) was to help out Alpha Gamma Delta and their philanthropy."

Sara Swiney, senior from Poplar Bluff, Mo. and president of the Murray chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta, said the tournament roster was not limited to Murray State students.

She said professors and members of the Murray community also participated in the tournament.

She said the event raised nearly $1,000, and its success gives the tournament a good chance of becoming a bigger event in the future.

"It makes me feel very good just to give any amount of money (to our philanthropy)," Swiney said.

Rachael Jaenichen said she hopes the event will continue to grow and spread to other groups and organizations on campus.

"I want everyone to get involved because diabetes affects everyone," she said. "It may not affect you or me (directly), but it affects someone we know. We'd like for the whole campus to get involved."

[squirrely girl]

great news - thanks for posting!

- marissa

[alphagamgirlie]

wow, that's awesome! Yay!
Onto the Hold'em tourney related biz...TriDelta here held their 1st Delta Hold'em 3 days ago earlier this week on Tuesday night and raised over $3,000 for their St. Jude's Children Hospital philanthropy...but hey TriDelta's entry fee was like $35 per person or something like that, I think it was $30 maybe, and even spectators had to pay like a $5 at the door...coz everyone was served food buffet style from the TriDelta kitchen plus everyone got a shirt too...
ATOs won big prizes like cruises and stuff I remember...
Ok back to AGD biz, our Jr Circle raised $40 shy of $8,000 for our recent philanthophy event for Juvenille Diabetes ! =) Yay..we rock, coz this was totally unbelievable at first coz our last event wasn't even half of $8,000...