Texas shows the United States the way
Lonestar Tournaments offer hope
The Lonestar Poker Tour gives players the chance to compete over an entire season to win $10,000 in prizes and compete at the WSOP in Las Vegas
In the wake of the April 14th clampdown on online gaming by law makers in the United States online poker players have had real problems finding a way to carry on playing. This means that for those who really love poker and want to carry on playing a casino is the only way forward for the foreseeable future. For players in Texas that means real problems as there aren’t casinos to play at anywhere nearby. But to prove the point when there’s a will there’s a way a special Texan poker tour has crept up to give local players the chance to hone their skills and make big money at the same time.
Every week the tour offers seven multi table tournaments for Texans to get in on. The founder of the Lonestar Poker Tour, Casey Billingsley said that "We've had several players come out that were playing money stuff online…We're getting a lot more players that haven't played a live game before. They've only played online. People who play in our tour learn how to play Vegas style."
The tournaments aren’t hard to find with Woofers & Tweeters Bar & Grill playing host to the tournaments that are held on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. The players all meet at 7 p.m. with Monday's game being played in a shootout form. The Velvet Room hosts a non-smoking game on Saturday and Sundays at 1 p.m which has attracted several different players according to Casey. Finally at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Hog Pit Pub & Grub plays host to the Lonestar tour ensuring that there is action on offer almost all of the time.
This is a league with a difference for there is no money changing hands until right at the end of the season. Players in the Lonestar tour are playing for points which translate to seats at the final tournament at the end of the season. The winner of the tournament receives a $10,000 prize with which to travel to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and take on the big boys. It is entirely possible that many more of these types of tournaments will spring up around the USA now that the online market has been edged out of the country. There are still thousands of Americans who want to play poker and where there’s a will there’s a way.
