While the competition may be informal right now, the stakes are about to get a lot higher in Hilltop Lounge.

Today marks the beginning of the UW-Eau Claire Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament preliminaries. Students that signed up by Friday will play elimination games in hopes of becoming one of the finalists to participate in the Association of College Unions International (ACU-I) Recreation Tournament for Region 8, which will be hosted on Feb. 10 and 11 at Eau Claire.

The tournament will be a good opportunity for students to have a good time and relax, Andy Jepsen of University Recreation said. Jepsen works as the coordinator of sports clubs and special events. This is his first year organizing the Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament, and he is also the coordinator for Region 8 of ACU-I.

While this version of poker is not played for a cash prize because of ACU-I rules, Jepsen said the students still have a significant incentive to win – pride.

Dan Stalker and Ajay Pickett, two sophomores who will participate in the tournament, said they are just in it for the fun. Stalker sees the poker tournament as a “new way to socialize.”

Senior Mike Brownlow plays Texas Hold ‘Em every week with his friends. He considers the game to be 80 percent skill and 20 percent luck.

“There’s a reason that the best people in the world keep winning,” he said. “You’ll notice the more you play, the more skill is involved.”

Stalker also said the game depends on skill.
“You have to know how to play well and get lucky sometimes,” he said.

Texas Hold ‘Em is different than other versions of poker, Brownlow said, because anyone can go all in at any time, which makes this game more dynamic and more volatile. He also said it is easy to get hooked on playing Texas Hold ‘Em.

Pickett signed up for the tournament after seeing it advertised on a table tent.

He said it would be cool if students decide to watch the tournament as the competitors play since that is what he sees on television.

Stalker doesn’t think it matters if students decide to watch the players since the game is on the table.

Jepsen said the number of finalists who will represent Eau Claire for the regional tournament depends on the interest other Region 8 schools express.

Two to four Eau Claire students will advance to the later round.

Preliminary games will probably be held in the Hilltop Lounge, Jensen said. He or a student intern will supervise these more informal games, but five coordinators will run the ACU-I tournament. Spectators are encouraged to attend.

The tournament finals in February will highlight a poker competition with table soccer, table tennis, bowling and billiards being featured as well.

Region 8 of ACU-I includes colleges and universities in Wisconsin, the Chicago area and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, according to the ACU-I Web site. The region includes 13 schools from the UW System.