Emerald Greene Parsons
emerald@greenepublishing.com
A very large crowd turned out for the Madison County Chamber of Commerce's Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 1. All proceeds from the poker tournament benefited the Chamber of Commerce.
The tournament, which was held at the Madison County RV and Golf Resort, started at 6 p.m., with 63 poker players seated and anxiously vying for one of the top eight winning spots. For an entrance fee of $50, players were given $5,500 worth of chips to begin their night with an option to purchase a $1,000 chip for an additional $10. Anyone who busted-out before 7 p.m. had the option to rebuy back into the game, for another $50.
As the participants began their night of poker playing, bystanders enjoyed standing by and watching the fun. There was a table of enormous heavy hors d'oeuvres for the players and non-players to enjoy throughout the night, as well as a cash bar.
Approximately three hours later, the final eight players gathered around the final table to vie for the championship title.
When the smoke cleared and the night ended, James Bryan was the grand overall Madison County Texas Hold'Em Poker Champion. He walked away with an $800 value prize package consisting of: a two-night Stay at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi, Miss. (donated by the Golden Nugget), two $100 playing chips at Golden Nugget (donated by The Madison County Chamber of Commerce) and a $200 grill/smoker (donated by Walt's Ford).
Coming in second place was: Todd Richardson. Todd won an $800 value prize package consisting of a Ruger .44 Magnum New Vaquero revolver (donated by Firebase Robert, Inc.)
Winning third place was Kelli Desante. Her $490 prize package contained: a two-night stay at the Madison RV & Golf Resort with one (1) round of golf and golf cart fee (donated by the Madison RV & Golf Resort), a $30 gift card to Madison Liquors (donated by Madison Liquors), 20-minute chair massage (donated by Madison Chiropractic) and a hat and Swig cup (donated by Daisy & Dukes Boutique).
Fourth place was won by Dennis McClamma. His prize package was valued at $400 and consisted of: a 50" LG 2160p Smart 4K TV (donated by AOK Electric), a $15 gift card (donated by Hungry Howie's), a $10 gift card (donated by Grumpy's Diner), a $25 gift card (donated by O'Reilly's Auto Parts) and a $50 gift card (donated by Badcock Home Furnishings).
Winning fifth place was Kevin Bass. Kevin won a $339 prize package consisting of: (4) 1-day passes to Wild Adventures (donated by Wild Adventures), two tickets to the Artist Series Concerts (donated by North Florida College), a $10 gift card (donated by Hungry Howie's), a Younique gift card (donated by Elizabeth Schmidt) and a 20-minute chair massage (donated by Madison Chiropractic).
Coming in sixth place and winning a $113 gift package was John Lovette. John won two tickets to the Artist Series Concerts (donated by North Florida College), two Monticello Opera House show tickets (donated by Monticello Opera House), a $15 gift card (donated by Hungry Howie's), a $10 gift card (donated by Grumpy's Diner) and a $8 gift card (donated by Rancho Grande).
The seventh-place $108 gift package was awarded to Kevin Cline. He won two Monticello Opera House show tickets (donated by Monticello Opera House), two 1-day play passes to Ragan's Family Campground (donated by Ragan's Family Campground), a $15 gift card (donated by Hungry Howie's) and a $8 gift card (donated by Rancho Grande).
The eighth-place winner was Matt Hames. Matt's $75 prize package consisted of two tickets to the Artist Series Concerts (donated by North Florida College), a $10 gift card (donated by Hungry Howie's), a $10 gift card (donated by Grumpy's Diner) and a $25 gift card (donated by O'Reilly's Auto Parts).
A special thank you goes out to the sponsors of this year's tournament: Duke Energy, J&J Strong, La Piazza Bella Restaurant, A Main Street Realty and the Madison County Community Bank.
The delicious hors d'oeuvres were prepared by Chamber of Commerce board members, Tri-County Electric and donated by some of Madison's finest food establishments: Pizza Hut, C & D Bistro, O'Neal's Buffet, Cucinella's Brick Oven Pizzeria, Nestle Waters, Inc., Winn Dixie and Pic N Sav.
The Madison County Chamber of Commerce plans to hold another Texas Hold'Em Tournament within a few months. Be on the look-out for the date and time and plan to attend for good fun, good food, good fellowship, good prizes and lots of fun!