TUNICA, MISS. — Sometimes I don’t ask the right question.
After Mary Ann Matthews of Missouri, the first woman to make a final table at this year’s World Poker Open, was eliminated from the $500 seven-card stud tournament on Monday, I asked if she was intimidated by playing against a tablefull and roomfull of men.
As soon as I saw the look on her face, I knew I should have asked: “Why weren’t you intimidated by all of those tough guys?”
“You have to understand,” she said. “I spent 22 years in the Air Force, always around a bunch of guys and having to deal with them. I served in Southeast Asia, and in England when they bombed Libya. So, no, I’m not intimated by men playing poker.”
She could have added that she and her husband Gerald, also a military veteran whom she met while serving in Thailand, have what it takes to run a successful hardware store in the oddly-named town of Knob Noster, MO. (I had to ask Gerald to repeat the town’s name three times to make sure I was hearing him correctly! Then I made him spell it!).
On top of that, they live in the shadow of Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the Stealth bomber, which exudes power and supremacy, which is what every poker player would love to have in a tournament.
Such poker power comes from accumulating chips, and Matthews started the final table Monday at a big disadvantage. In fact, she was dead last in chips of the eight finalists when the day began.
Her chip count was $12,200 compared to the leaders Thomas Witherspoon and Barry Mullinax, who wound up battling each other heads-up for the title and bracelet several hours later. (Mullinax won; see earlier post for details.)
“I didn’t really have much of a chance,” Matthews said, considering her chip position.
Nevertheless, she wasn’t about to give up. She doubled-up early with a two-pair hand, then won another nice pot, also with two pair. Quickly, she had moved into position to possibly contend, if she could just win a couple more pots.
Meanwhile, two players were eliminated ahead of her. She was moving up the payout ladder, despite her last-place start in chips.
Before long, though, her stack had dwindled to about $15,000 and she was looking for a hand to play to get back into the hunt. It came in the form of pocket sixes. Unfortunately, her opponent held pocket nines and she never could catch him.
“I’m bummed out,” she said a few minutes after being eliminated and receiving $2,823. “This was the biggest money tournament I’ve ever played in.”
Husband Gerald, who is more of slot-machine player than a poker player and had been cheering her on, offered some well-deserved congratulations. They’ll have a few stories to tell their two grown children when they get home.
But this wasn’t her only success in a short two-year tournament poker experience.
A year ago, at the Oklahoma State Poker Championships, she finished 2nd, 4th and 7th in three of the four qualifying tournaments and earned second-place overall in points in the ladies tournament division.
Not too shabby for a virtual poker tournament rookie.
She’s hardly a poker beginner, though. “Dad had home games all the time and I used to watch a lot as a young kid,” Matthews said.
Interestingly, the five tough guys left at the table after Matthews busted out quickly agreed to an equal-share chop of the remaining prize money, or about $6,600 each.
One might say that either they were just tired of playing, or they were so happy to eliminate the dangerous Knob Noster Rocket that they decided to cut and run while the gettin’ was good.
Uncategorized | No Comments »
