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David Hamlin, an OSU employee in the agricultural and resource economics department, watches as the cards come out during ASOSU's Texas Hold'Em poker tournament in the MU Ballroom Sunday night. Proceeds from the tournament will be directed toward ts [Click to enlarge]

Hank Hirsch The Daily Barometer Robert Weston, left, a junior in math, and Bryan Ing, a pharmacy major, try their luck at Texas Hold'Em at Sunday's charity poker tournament sponsored by ASOSU. [Click to enlarge]

More than 120 students packed the Memorial Union Ballroom on Sunday night for an evening of Texas Hold'Em poker -- with a charitable twist.

The event -- an ASOSU fund-raiser for tsunami relief -- featured prizes for the top players. Donations totaling $1,200 are going to the Red Cross in order to rebuild tsunami-ravaged regions.

"A big part of ASOSU is to prepare students for the real world when they graduate," said event coordinator Meghan Bafigo, a senior in English.

"This event should help to raise students' awareness of the outside world," she said.

The focus for most students, however, was on the cards.

"Give me a four! A four!" exclaimed Dominic Bertram, a junior in mechanical engineering.

But things were looking grim for Bertram, who was all-in on the hand.

The four came -- and the pot was his.

"That was the first hand I've played all night," Bertram said. "It's been really fun, but the cards are really slow."

Eventually, Bertram and all the other players lost their chips to Chris Rosin and Brian Crosswhite, the first- and second-place winners.

Ryan Hammett, a senior in industrial and manufacturing engineering, finished third.

Casey Tamblyn, a post-baccalaureate student in English, was not so lucky.

"I went all-in on pocket kings," he said. "It was tough to resist."

Unfortunately, the other player filled out a straight.

Tamblyn wasn't too disappointed, as the tournament was a warm-up for a spring break trip to Las Vegas.

The event took a lot of planning and support from other ASOSU staff.

"When I saw the ballroom set up for the first time this morning, I almost started crying," Bafigo said. "It's the culmination of nearly two months' work."

Other support came from members of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, who served "mocktails" and dealt cards.

Kristi Culley, a sophomore in exercise and sports science, was one of the dealers. Culley didn't let the experienced players at her table intimidate her.

"I have a little bit of poker experience; my dad plays occasionally," she said.

Everyone's collective effort paid off, and the Red Cross reacted with enthusiasm.

"They were flabbergasted that we were doing this," Bafigo said.

The event asked for a $10 donation, but no fee was charged officially.

ASOSU legal advocate Patricia Lacey made sure attendees knew the donation was voluntary.

"Most people knew it was voluntary, but those who didn't would have donated anyways," Lacey said.

Eric Dodson, staff writer

campus@dailybarometer.com, 737-2232

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