Winning in the Cards for a Washington Fire Fighter

July 21, 2008 – After winning a charity poker tournament, Lacey, WA Local 2903 fire fighter Eric Bamer earned a seat in the World Series of Poker held in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 3-14. Bamer placed 56th out of 6,844 players, taking home $115,800.

The World Series of Poker is strictly a Texas hold ‘em tournament, a game in which each player is dealt two cards face down, called hole cards. Then, five community cards are dealt face up on the board. Each player makes the best five-card hand using any combination of the seven cards.

Bamer, who started playing tournament poker two years ago, survived the series of poker heats for nine days before losing on July 13. “I really enjoyed having the opportunity to meet other poker players from around the world,” he says. “I hope to be back next year to do as well or better.”

Meanwhile, the Local 2903 fire fighter plans to use some of his winnings to start a college fund for his newborn baby boy.