Never before had a bar of 50 people fallen so silent as when the dealer began speaking.
Onlookers gave their attention, but, really, the crowd wanted him to get to the point. They came to play free poker. The prepared, 2-minute speech introducing the game? Merely a formality.
The crowd spanned the poker palette. Old hands, casual players and newbies (easy money, as they’re often called), and over the next three hours they would slip away, one by one, until one winner remained.
Certain characters arrive at Metro Kitchen and Bar wearing hats, sunglasses or earphones to remain inscrutable. Jess Loyd of Denver donned a green cap, bill pulled low, as she often does when she plays.
Other players adopt different table personalities. Stephen Price chitchats, unafraid that other players can read him. “Show me a two,” he’ll say before a flop falls, almost certainly joking.
The Denver Poker Tour attracts personalities like these to its dozens of games across Colorado – from 20 to 25 on any given night. The Denver tour is the largest free game in the country. “We have 152 accounts as of this morning,” said Brian Masters, president of the DPT.
Games are played from Fort Collins to Glenwood Springs to Colorado Springs. Recently, Masters opened games in Kansas City, Mo., which now hosts the second highest number of poker games in the country.
Each game opens with an introduction from the main dealer, who then calls names in order of sign-up. If there are more people than seats, they start a wait list.
“People love this game,” Masters says. “It’s just not going away.”
The champion of each bar’s tournament wins a $25 bar tab. Second place takes a $15 tab, and third place wins a $10 tab, but the compensation means little. Generally, dealers set up a consolation table each night, with no prize, which still attracts players who just love to play.
The tour’s size allows someone to play as many as 11 times a week – once each night, as well as Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday afternoon games. As a result, most hone their games.
Because the games are free, any gambling violations are sidestepped, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue. Three prongs determine whether a game constitutes gambling. One, the game must cost money to play. Two, it must qualify as a game of chance. (Texas Hold’em does.) And three, the game must offer a monetary reward.
The game proves addictive. One woman declined to give her name because she skipped a family function to play, hoping to score a seat at the monthly tournament.
Winners’ circle
Laura Mollett of Aurora learned the game as a 6-year-old and played at Table Steaks East on a recent Saturday afternoon. She brought her 12-year-old son, who also plays.
Mollett constitutes one group of players at these games – namely, the winners. Despite playing so irregularly, she has won twice in the past month. A win at Table Steaks East would give her a third victory, and secure her more chips at the monthly tournaments. (Each victory awards a player $1,000 in chips at the monthlies.)
She faced another winner, Brian Deavenport of Aurora, who also has won twice in the past 30 days. Mollett just moved all-in with an ace-jack, and Deavenport, after some thought, called with a king-four of clubs.
The king fell on the turn (the fourth of five community cards), and Deavenport won his third game of the month.
“You know who the good players are when you play,” Deavenport says. “I’ve been playing since 2003. With as many bars as there are that have these games, people get to play a lot.”
Sometimes, winners drop out early. This is a game of luck, after all. Oftentimes, they sit along the side, order food and beer, converse and make new friends.
Chilo Barron of Centennial and Jay Rader of Aurora met through the poker tour. If they exit a game early – as they did this day at Table Steaks East – they set up shop on the expansive porch, order food, drink beers and catch up with each other and more players.
“Saturday is probably the best game to play,” Rader says, “because a lot of the people I know and enjoy hanging out with play here.”
Bar owners appreciate those who stick around and spend money, though they don’t require it of the players. (Doing so would violate the gambling codes.) With poker games attracting up to 150 players on some of the busiest nights, that means big money for bars.
“Poker brings a lot of people,” says Dave Clark, manager of Table Steaks. “It’s free entertainment, so people can stay here four or five hours and just play.
“Most of the other forms of entertainment we have – trivia nights, concerts – people come with the idea of drinking and eating. Poker is getting to that point. But we still have a higher percentage of poker players who don’t spend money than any other activity.”
Growing community
Communities emerge at Table Steaks East and other bars such as Cadillac Jack’s, Rack’em Billiards, Grenade and Metro Kitchen and Bar.
Masters predicts the poker craze will carry his company for another two years, at least. In the meantime, the tour continues to thrive. And the community keeps playing.
“It’s definitely more successful than I ever thought,” Masters says. “We thought we might run two games a night. But one of the reasons people play is whether you’re young, old, in shape, out of shape, have a college degree or a GED, you’re all at a competitive level. You only get better the more you play. And people love playing this game.”
Holding your own at Texas Hold’em
1. Each player is dealt two cards face down, and a round of betting ensues. Players can bet or fold, and players must match the top bet.
2. Three community cards are shown face up, called “the flop.” These cards are a part of everyone’s hand. Whoever is still playing can check (no bet), bet or fold.
3. Another community card is dealt face up, often called “the turn” or “fourth street.” Another round of betting ensues.
4. The final community card is dealt face up, often called “the river” or “fifth street.” A final round of betting ensues, and players show their hands.
5. The player with the best five-card hand – any combination of the five community cards and your two down cards – wins the pot.
