A student sits with his elbows perched atop the green felt poker table. He wears a black fedora and mirrored sunglasses, which obscure his eyes.
With all of his chips in the center pot, Joe Marchica, a freshman mechanical engineering major, watches the game that eventually falls out of his favor. He stands, gracefully shakes the hand of his prevailing competitor, and walks away from the table.
Painful losses like these, as well as glorious triumphs, decorated the Flag Room of the Student Union last Friday night during the fourth installment of the Texas Hold 'Em Tournament.
Late Night UB sponsors the tournament as part of their weekend programming, inviting students to socialize, enjoy free pizza and soda and partake in an evening of fun.
'Late Night UB provides programs on a weekly basis so that students can get involved in safe, on-campus activities,' said George Eldayrie, a junior biomedical sciences major, who also acts as the program manager for the poker tournaments. 'There is poker, which we hold every week, but there are also [other] events which are held on the bottom floor of the Student Union.'
According to Eldayrie, the poker tournaments are bringing out a bigger crowd than ever before this year.
'We have enough room for 120 people at the tables,' said Eldayrie. 'Last week we had to turn people away at the door. It's nice to see that less people are going out drinking and more are coming to these events.'
The students who came to play last weekend ranged from first-time players to veterans, all competing for Campus Cash prizes. The first place winner received $50 in campus cash, while the second and third place winners won $35 and $25, respectively.
Charles Arnold, a junior physics major who considers himself a somewhat experienced poker player, gave his competitors a bit of insight into the game.
'Sometimes, you make the right move at the right time, and that's poker,' Arnold said.
Friday night's event was only one part of the all-encompassing semester-long tournament. The players' overall performance was recorded, based on when they bankrupted their chip count, and placed into the weekly standings, according to Eldayrie. These standings are posted at the front of the room, and at the semester's conclusion the top three overall players will receive Campus Cash prizes.
The beginning of the evening was punctuated with laughter and light-hearted small talk at the tables, but became progressively more serious throughout the night as the blinds, the mandatory bet made before any cards are dealt, rose and the competition grew fiercer. Slowly, as people were eliminated and certain chip counts rose exponentially, the room grew quieter.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
