Las Vegas game comes to The Landing

Yolanda Romero

Tonight players will have the opportunity to take their chances at a $300 prize in a Texas Hold’em Tournament at The Landing. Tickets go on sale at 6 p.m. and the tournament starts at 7 p.m. A disc jockey will perform at 9 p.m. in the Pit.

The basics of the game are simple but can take a lifetime to master according to Chief Master Sgt. Gary Ashmore, 27th Mission Support Group, who has been involved in assisting The Landing with the past four Texas Hold’em events.

Events at The Landing are modeled after tournaments played in Las Vegas. Chief Ashmore has a great love for the game, evident by his dedication to ensure that everyone has a good time at the club.

The game is open to the first 100 players. Players get $1,500 in funny money plus dinner, which consists of several choices such as barbeque beef sandwich, turkey legs, meatball hoagies, roasted new potatoes and more for $20. Players may also purchase additional chips to stay in the game.

A Texas Hold’em poker game goes as follows:

— The betting structure can vary. Sometimes antes are used, but most games start with two players to the left of the dealer placing out a predetermined amount of chips so there is an initial amount to get things started. This is called posting the blinds.

— The dealer shuffles a complete deck of 52 playing cards.

— Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are called hole or pocket cards.

— Then there is a round of betting. This starts with the person to the left of the two who posted the blinds. This round is usually referred to by the term pre-flop.

— The amount a player can bet depends on what kind of game it is.

— Like most games of poker, players can check, raise or fold.

— After the betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called a burn card and is done to prevent cheating.

— The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the flop and are communal cards that anyone can use in combination with their two pocket cards to form a poker hand.

— There is another round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.

— After the betting concludes, the dealer burns another card and flips one more onto the table. This is called the turn card. Players can use this sixth card to form a five-card poker hand.

— The player to the left of the dealer begins another round of betting. In many types of games, this is where the bet size doubles.

— Finally, the dealer burns a card and places a final card face up on the table. This is called the river. Players can now use any of the five cards on the table or the two cards in their pocket to form a five-card poker hand.

— There is one final round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.

— After that, all of the players remaining in the game begin to reveal their hands. This begins with the player to the left of the last player to call. It’s called the showdown. Players use a combination of their pocket cards and the community cards to form a poker hand.

— The player who shows the best hand wins.

Volunteers are needed to work as dealers each month. All that is needed is to know the fundamentals of the game and working knowledge of procedures. Contact Chief Ashmore at 784-6599 to volunteer.