Area residents play with the big dogs in Vegas during World Series

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“I had a really bad hand, but he had on his glasses and hewas just staring me down. I kind of took my time and acted like Iwas thinking about it. I ended up folding, but it was pretty coolsitting at the same table with him,” Hartl said.

Hartl, an accounting major at Black Hills State University, won anend of season 150 person tournament sponsored by the Black HillsPoker Tour to earn a seat in event No. 2 at the World Series, a$1,500 buy in, no-limit Texas Hold’em tournament that had4,300 people entered.

Though he finished roughly 800 spots from first, Hartl said heprobably played the best poker he has ever played.

“I was so patient. The blinds were an hour long so you couldjust sit there and look at a lot of hands for free. I played reallytight,” he said. “Obviously, you kind of get a feel ofthe table and how everybody’s playing and you can pick yourspots to be aggressive.”

Hartl said it is nerve-wracking when you sit down in a tournamentfield of 4,300, but after awhile you settle down and begin to play.

“It’s just poker. It really is,” he said.

Along with Hartl, Rapid City residents Keith Brink and Stan andKelly Scheurer also participated in World Series events. All fourplay in local tournaments sponsored by the Black Hills Poker Tour.Kelly Scheurer won a seat in event No. 52, a $1,500 no-limitHold‘em tournament, by winning a tournament sponsored by FullHouse Party, a poker tour that traveled through Rapid City. Theprize package also included round-trip air fare for two to LasVegas, an eight-night hotel stay and $600 spending money. Herhusband, Stan, played in a $125 buy-in satellite tournament in LasVegas and earned a seat in the same event Kelly was entered in.

Kelly was knocked out after nearly six hours of play and finished872nd out of 2,700. Stan finished in about 1,300.

“I was really upset when I lost,” Kelly said with alaugh. “I had Ace-Jack suited. The antes were $300, and theblinds were getting quite expensive and I was going to be in thebig blind next. The player who called me had Kings and theyheld.”

Kelly started playing poker about three years ago. It was her firsttime to go to the World Series and she definitely wants to do itagain next year.

“A lot of people think it’s luck, and to an extent itis, but there’s also skill involved. Even if you havenothing, sometimes you have to represent you have something ifyou’ve got quite a bit of money invested in the pot,”she said.

Another big hand for Scheurer came when she held King-Queen suited.Another player made a big bet, she went all in, and he called herwith pocket Aces. An Ace on the flop gave the man three of a kindbut a Jack and a 10 on the turn and river gave her the suck-outstraight.

“He was a little upset about that. But that’spoker,” she said.

Kelly Scheurer said she saw quite a few poker professionals such asJennifer Tilly and boyfriend Phil “The Unabomber” Laak,Chris Ferguson and Umberto Brenes.

After getting sent to the rail, Stan Scheurer ran into two-timemain event winner Johnny Chan, fresh from winning $1.9 million inthe HORSE tourney.

“What a nice guy. We got to visit a little bit,” StanScheurer said.

Scheurer was eliminated when his full house ran up against a biggerfull house, but he said he enjoyed the experience. He said seeing270 tables in two rooms and poker players as far as he could seewas quite a sight.

“Everybody played pretty tight. There was very littlebluffing going on, at least at my table. The people who wereplaying a little loose, they didn’t last very long,” hesaid.

Hartl said at one point he was at the same table with both GregRaymer and another professional, Hoyt Corkins, and outlasted themboth. He said he busted out with pocket fives after going all inagainst a woman who limped into the pot holding pocket Aces.

Like many people, Hartl began playing penny-ante type poker withfriends when he was a kid. He started playing more seriously inhigh school and only in the past year started playing in localpoker tour events.

Heading into the World Series, Hartl even had thoughts of turningpro himself one day. But that idea changed after spending 10 hoursstraight at the table.

“I realized that’s just something I can’t do.It’s gruesome,” he said. “I can do it once, maybetwice, but I could never do it for a living, that’s for sure.It kind of takes out the fun if you do it all the time, andyou’re not really enjoying it.”