Full house of horrors: Poker Club hosts Halloween-themed tournament

The Poker club hosted a Halloween-themed poker tournament on October 25th, in the Student Resource Building where 65 students played poker with a spooky twist. 

The Poker Club hosts tournaments periodically throughout the year, and this quarter’s tournament is uniquely Halloween themed. 

To enter the raffle to win T-shirts, stickers and other prizes, players were asked to wear Halloween costumes. Although not many players dressed up, the club leaders had strategic tactics regarding their costume choices. 

Poker Club Vice President and fourth-year physics major Gregory Wade said that he thought his costume was definitely going to help his poker game. Wade wore a “Swedish guy” costume and shared the strategic reasoning behind each aspect of his look.

“The hat is going to keep me focused because it will restrict my peripheral vision and keep me locked in on the game,” Wade said.

He also explained that the costume would help with his poker face and throw the other players off. 

Poker Club President and third-year computer engineering major Kaden Warner went to the tournament in costume as well, thinking that his costume would help him win. 

“People often take [poker] way too seriously, and when they play too seriously they end up making mistakes,” Warner said. “Being a little lighthearted, and understanding that anything can happen makes it a little better.” 

Because the Poker Club is relatively low stakes as it does not involve gambling money, it is hosted to connect people and have a good time. Many of the club members shared that they keep coming back because they love the game, the social aspect and the friendships that it brings. 

Club member and fourth-year computer science major Sterling Hsu shared that he started playing poker during a summer internship. 

“All of the interns would get together in one of the hotel rooms to play, and I got bit by the poker bug ever since,” Hsu said. 

Eric Stori, a third-year philosophy major and a Poker Club first-timer, said that he usually plays pretty casually and was excited to start playing there because of how welcoming and fun it seemed. 

“I want to get better at poker and really hone my skills, but I also really enjoy playing the game,” Stori said. “It’s really fun and can get pretty tense sometimes, but I like that.” 

As a science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M.) major, Warner shared that the game has helped him get better at data analysis and statistics. In addition, Warner also described how poker has changed his outlook on life in a productive way. 

“It helps you not overvalue what you have. Just in daily life, you can feel like you’re in a better position than you are, so being able to let go of your losses and go forward is a really good skill to have,” Warner said. 

Many attendees at the tournament had a connection to how they started playing poker. Whether they were taught by family members when they were young, a friend in high school or a group of coworkers, the common denominator was community. 

“I don’t think there’s any game as social. It gives people an excuse to sit down and play together,” Warner said.

A version of this article appeared on p. 3 of the Oct. 29 print edition of the Daily Nexus.