Kirk's Texas Turkey Hold 'em Tournament

HEROLD CLEANS 'EM OUT AT TURKEY TEXAS HOLD 'EM

After five hours of big poker action, Paul Herold finished leaning on Josh Hagel, breaking down the well-traveled player and earning the title of 2003 Turkey Texas Hold 'Em champion. "Quite a battle to go from that tough first table, through the high-rolling second table, and then knockin' 'em out on that final table." Herold experienced the full swing of chips over the evening, as he was all in at one point during the final table. "To go from all in to having all $1,000 in front of you...that's good poker," runner-up Hagel said after DP took down the final pot.

Lots of good action throughout the evening, with lots of all ins, bad beats, and Big Slicks. The Post-Valentines tourney is coming up soon!

Order of finish and time of elimination- start time was 7:32pm.

Place Player Time Eliminated
1 Paul Herold ($575) Champion

2 Josh Hagel ($275) 12:35am

3 Dan Hinrichs ($150) 12:25am

4 Ben Peterson 11:50pm

5 MJ McMullen 11:39pm

6 Justin Robinson 11:30pm

7 Mike Tubman 11:22pm

8 Ryan Thomas 11:02pm

9 Mike Kennedy 10:56pm

10 Mike Biebl 10:51pm

11 Steve Berquist 10:46pm

12 Jason Zellmer 10:15pm

13 Chris Baxter 10:00pm

13 Andy Johnson 10:00pm

15 Andy Lozier 9:59pm

16 Joe Neuenfeldt 9:55pm

17 Jeff Rosner 9:46pm

18 Bip Roberts 9:04pm

19 Kirk Walton 9:03pm

20 Dan Dow 7:58pm

Place	Player	Time Eliminated
1	Paul Herold ($575)	Champion
2	Josh Hagel ($275)	12:35am
3	Dan Hinrichs ($150)	12:25am
4	Ben Peterson	11:50pm
5	MJ McMullen	11:39pm
6	Justin Robinson	11:30pm
7	Mike Tubman	11:22pm
8	Ryan Thomas	11:02pm
9	Mike Kennedy	10:56pm
10	Mike Biebl	10:51pm
11	Steve Berquist	10:46pm
12	Jason Zellmer	10:15pm
13	Chris Baxter	10:00pm
13	Andy Johnson	10:00pm
15	Andy Lozier	9:59pm
16	Joe Neuenfeldt	9:55pm
17	Jeff Rosner	9:46pm
18	Bip Roberts	9:04pm
19	Kirk Walton	9:03pm
20	Dan Dow	7:58pm

Players in the tournament:

Entry Player Bio/Accolades
1 Kirk Walton 2002 Post-Valentines Poker Championships (PVPC) Champion, 2001 PVPC runner-up. The host is a seasoned pro at the game of Texas Hold 'em, knowing the intricacies of tournament format to keep him around until the end. He'll undoubtedly be wearing the XFL classic He Hate Me jersey in an attempt to keep the cards hot.

2 Dan Hinrichs A seasoned gambler once said "A poker player never remembers all the hands he's won, but can recall with remarkable accuracy the amazing tough beats of his career." Hinrichs is coming off a lot of tough beats lately, including being on the wrong end of a four-digit pot. The woods of Wisconsin might not be Teddy KGB's place, but they aren't exactly the Ivy Leagues either.

3 Chris Baxter 3rd place, 2002 PVPC. Baxter, a veteran of many online poker games, has put together a strategy that's amazingly tough to beat. One may question his liberal mixing of Miller Lite and Texas Hold 'em, but usually those that challenge him are left shaking their heads as he rakes in all their chips.

4 Justin Robinson Robinson's also a savvy vet of onlike poker games and is often the host of many Richfield, MN poker nights. This time, he's playing with more motivation than ever, as his dog Bailey's got dual ACL surgery coming up, an injury sustained while chasing ducks out of the Robinson back yard back in 2002.

5 Andy Johnson 2002 Burnett County Poker Championships (BCPC) Champion. Andy, the first Ph.D to be entered in a Walton tournament, looks to make a splash in the big city. As he's got extensive experience playing in cold hunting shacks for many hours at a time, he'll be as sharp at 1:00am as he is at the first deal.

6 Paul Herold Paul is a veteran of many card games, including the 2001 PVPC. Still a strong contender for the 2003 Loser Pool title, Herold will be attempting to flip the switch from expertly picking losers to picking out winning hands of poker.

7 Dan Roberts Roberts looks to get his feet wet as well as make a big splash in his initial foray into the world of competitive tournament poker. A streaky player, he can get a hot run of cards and clean you out, or could be playing X-Box by 7:45. Whatever you do, don't play him in X-Box for money! The kid's tough.

8 Mike Tubman A veteran of the 2002 PVPC, Tubman spends his days perfecting fantasy sports at Fanball.com and his nights studying the words of Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim. He hit a snag after earning a seat at the winner's table at last year's PVPC, and is looking to take it to the next level here at the Turkey Tourney.

9 Ben Peterson Another northwoods rounder, Peterson's been around to all the hunting shacks where the games are played. Right now he's in Russia, using the guise of "checking out dairy farms" as code for meeting up with the Russian mob for pointers on how to bump us all off.

10 Andy Lozier 2002 PVPC Runner-Up. Lozier's met with a lot of success in this poker circuit, always seeming to be around at the end. He's thinking this is going to be the tournament where he breaks through and takes home the gold.

11 Steve Berquist Here's a guy with a ton of upside on the poker table. He'll try to get you off guard by talking about his killer fantasy draft pick of Jay Fiedler, and while you're sitting there contemplating that, he'll get all your chips away from you.

12 Josh Hagel 2001 PVPC Champion. Hagel's a polished Hold 'Em player, as evidenced by his '01 PVPC championship and his '02 loser table win. If you get behind him in chip count, you better have a strong leg, 'cause he's gonna lean on you until you snap. Hagel's also known to be maddingly good at cards when he's extremely intoxicated, so don't let the fact he's got 17 empty cans of Miller Lite in front of him fool you.

13 Dan Dow Iowa born and raised. He has just come back from a winning weekend at Vegas and is always looking to pull in a huge pot or too. That silly grin on his face is not from his excellent cards but from the fact he still has no clue how he married someone 5 years younger and 100 time better looking then he is.

14 Joe Neuenfeldt

15 Mike Biebl 3rd place, 2001 PVPC. Biebl, a veteran of both PVPCs, has been rounding from Ohio to northern Minnesota in an effort to make the leap from bronze medalist to the winner's circle. Look out for this guy when he's got a few drinks in him.

16 Jeff Rosner Rosner made the winner's table at the 2002 PVPC before getting bumped off. The 2002 NFL Loser Pool champion, he will likely be looking to get some Low Chicago or high/low games going in side game action.

17 Mike Kennedy Kennedy's been getting warmed up for this tournament by keeping the back office open at his Sherwin-Williams store late at night for some seedy poker action. The Gary Payton of the tournament, he can get inside your head with a lot of trash talk and con you into playing 3-9 unsuited one hand and then fold pocket queens the next.

18 Ryan Thomas One of the stars of Joe Senser's softball and Golden Tee Golf, Thomas knows how to win. Look for Thomas and Kennedy to engage in a lively trash talk battle should they ever be at the same table.

19 Jason Zellmer A late entry to the tournament, Zellmer brings poker savvy, fantasy football expertise, and right-wing rhetoric to the table. It will only be a matter of time before he butts heads with Baxter about the value of 49er running backs and the constitutionality of the Patriot Act. Oh yeah, the guy placed 4th at the PVPC last year as well.

20 MJ McMullen A good Irishman, MJ is well-versed in the fine Celtic traditions of drinking and card-playing. If you knock him out of the tournament early, don't lip off or the requisite Irish brawl may commence. Just raise your Guinness to him and carry on.

Entry	Player	Bio/Accolades
1	Kirk Walton	2002 Post-Valentines Poker Championships (PVPC) Champion, 2001 PVPC runner-up. The host is a seasoned pro at the game of Texas Hold 'em, knowing the intricacies of tournament format to keep him around until the end. He'll undoubtedly be wearing the XFL classic He Hate Me jersey in an attempt to keep the cards hot.
2	Dan Hinrichs	A seasoned gambler once said "A poker player never remembers all the hands he's won, but can recall with remarkable accuracy the amazing tough beats of his career." Hinrichs is coming off a lot of tough beats lately, including being on the wrong end of a four-digit pot. The woods of Wisconsin might not be Teddy KGB's place, but they aren't exactly the Ivy Leagues either.
3	Chris Baxter	3rd place, 2002 PVPC. Baxter, a veteran of many online poker games, has put together a strategy that's amazingly tough to beat. One may question his liberal mixing of Miller Lite and Texas Hold 'em, but usually those that challenge him are left shaking their heads as he rakes in all their chips.
4	Justin Robinson	Robinson's also a savvy vet of onlike poker games and is often the host of many Richfield, MN poker nights. This time, he's playing with more motivation than ever, as his dog Bailey's got dual ACL surgery coming up, an injury sustained while chasing ducks out of the Robinson back yard back in 2002.
5	Andy Johnson	2002 Burnett County Poker Championships (BCPC) Champion. Andy, the first Ph.D to be entered in a Walton tournament, looks to make a splash in the big city. As he's got extensive experience playing in cold hunting shacks for many hours at a time, he'll be as sharp at 1:00am as he is at the first deal.
6	Paul Herold	Paul is a veteran of many card games, including the 2001 PVPC. Still a strong contender for the 2003 Loser Pool title, Herold will be attempting to flip the switch from expertly picking losers to picking out winning hands of poker.
7	Dan Roberts	Roberts looks to get his feet wet as well as make a big splash in his initial foray into the world of competitive tournament poker. A streaky player, he can get a hot run of cards and clean you out, or could be playing X-Box by 7:45. Whatever you do, don't play him in X-Box for money! The kid's tough.
8	Mike Tubman	A veteran of the 2002 PVPC, Tubman spends his days perfecting fantasy sports at Fanball.com and his nights studying the words of Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim. He hit a snag after earning a seat at the winner's table at last year's PVPC, and is looking to take it to the next level here at the Turkey Tourney.
9	Ben Peterson	Another northwoods rounder, Peterson's been around to all the hunting shacks where the games are played. Right now he's in Russia, using the guise of "checking out dairy farms" as code for meeting up with the Russian mob for pointers on how to bump us all off.
10	Andy Lozier	2002 PVPC Runner-Up. Lozier's met with a lot of success in this poker circuit, always seeming to be around at the end. He's thinking this is going to be the tournament where he breaks through and takes home the gold.
11	Steve Berquist	Here's a guy with a ton of upside on the poker table. He'll try to get you off guard by talking about his killer fantasy draft pick of Jay Fiedler, and while you're sitting there contemplating that, he'll get all your chips away from you.
12	Josh Hagel	2001 PVPC Champion. Hagel's a polished Hold 'Em player, as evidenced by his '01 PVPC championship and his '02 loser table win. If you get behind him in chip count, you better have a strong leg, 'cause he's gonna lean on you until you snap. Hagel's also known to be maddingly good at cards when he's extremely intoxicated, so don't let the fact he's got 17 empty cans of Miller Lite in front of him fool you.
13	Dan Dow	Iowa born and raised. He has just come back from a winning weekend at Vegas and is always looking to pull in a huge pot or too. That silly grin on his face is not from his excellent cards but from the fact he still has no clue how he married someone 5 years younger and 100 time better looking then he is.
14	Joe Neuenfeldt
15	Mike Biebl	3rd place, 2001 PVPC. Biebl, a veteran of both PVPCs, has been rounding from Ohio to northern Minnesota in an effort to make the leap from bronze medalist to the winner's circle. Look out for this guy when he's got a few drinks in him.
16	Jeff Rosner	Rosner made the winner's table at the 2002 PVPC before getting bumped off. The 2002 NFL Loser Pool champion, he will likely be looking to get some Low Chicago or high/low games going in side game action.
17	Mike Kennedy	Kennedy's been getting warmed up for this tournament by keeping the back office open at his Sherwin-Williams store late at night for some seedy poker action. The Gary Payton of the tournament, he can get inside your head with a lot of trash talk and con you into playing 3-9 unsuited one hand and then fold pocket queens the next.
18	Ryan Thomas	One of the stars of Joe Senser's softball and Golden Tee Golf, Thomas knows how to win. Look for Thomas and Kennedy to engage in a lively trash talk battle should they ever be at the same table.
19	Jason Zellmer	A late entry to the tournament, Zellmer brings poker savvy, fantasy football expertise, and right-wing rhetoric to the table. It will only be a matter of time before he butts heads with Baxter about the value of 49er running backs and the constitutionality of the Patriot Act. Oh yeah, the guy placed 4th at the PVPC last year as well.
20	MJ McMullen	A good Irishman, MJ is well-versed in the fine Celtic traditions of drinking and card-playing. If you knock him out of the tournament early, don't lip off or the requisite Irish brawl may commence. Just raise your Guinness to him and carry on.

The Button Method

Here's how the button works. The dealer for the hand has the "button", and the two players in front of the dealer take care of the ante. The player two in front of the dealer pays the big blind, while the player right in front of the dealer pays the small blind. Paying the blind is like opening the betting- anyone who wishes to play the hand must pay the amount of the big blind to be in. Players who have put up the blinds can use that money toward seeing the bet for the hand. For example, say the blinds are $5 and $10, and someone's opened the betting with the minimum $10 bet. Everyone else decides not to pay the $10 and folds. The player who put up the small blind of $5 can choose to be in by putting in an additional $5, making his total in the pot $10. Likewise, the player who put up the big blind can stay in without putting in any additional chips. At the end of the hand, the button moves to the left, just like the deal normally would.