Boulder restaurants offer specials, prizes
The players shook hands, took each other’s names and sat down quietly to prepare their assault. Five players were at each table; there are two tables and one prize: a $20 bar tab at The Sink.
Every Wednesday night at The Sink restaurant on the Hill, people from all over the University come to compete at the free Boulder Poker Tournament.
This particular competition, run by a company also called Boulder Poker Tournament, is held at the The Sink.
Although the tournament at The Sink is very recent, many other Boulder area restaurants are involved. Thunderbird Burgers, on the Hill, has one of the biggest competitions in Boulder.
Boulder Poker Tournaments, founded by Jim Mills, also has tournaments all over Boulder, including the Walrus, Catacombs and Conor O’Neill’s. These restaurants usually offer drink specials during the competition and many are offering better and better prizes.
Zane Kelly, an employee of Boulder Poker Tournaments, directed the tournament at The Sink on Wednesday. Kelly played with the tour a couple of months before Mills asked Kelly to join the company as a helper.
Aimee Kelly, a player at the tournament, likes to encourage women to play.
Kelly, who graduated from CU with a masters in geography, said “I think this is mostly just a way to interact with people I haven’t met before.”
Kelly likes when women come to show off their talent and usually sees five or six at the beginning, with at least one woman at the finals table. Kelly said most men don’t think woman know how to play poker and can be very surprised when they are beaten by a girl with some talent.
“There is no reason that women can’t come play,” Kelly said, “even though it seems like a man’s game.”
Most players are a “good mix,” said Zane Kelly. People of all experiences come to play and this is a great environment to learn in.
Boulder Poker Tournaments sponsors the tournament at The Sink every Wednesday night.