May 2007

ALUMNI NEWS

Runner-up Peter M. O'Donnell, CAS/BS '01 (left) and tournament winner Phil Shea, SIS/BA '00.    photo by Tara Sherwin

Young Alums Go ‘All In’ at Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament

“I’m all in!” were the words of the night at the Young Alumni Chapter’s No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament on April 11. More than 50 AU young alumni and friends gathered at the Uptown Tavern in Cleveland Park for a night of Hold ‘Em, a game of poker made hugely popular through television shows like Bravo’s "Celebrity Poker Showdown," the World Series of Poker, and World Poker Tour. With no entry fee and the grand prize of a brand new Nintendo Wii, the event pulled in the largest number of attendees at a YAC event in two years.

While most of the attendees were familiar with the game of Hold ‘Em, players of all levels enjoyed the event. The company running the game, Red, White, and Blue Poker, also held an instructional session prior to the actual game so players unfamiliar with Hold ‘Em could learn the basics. Because there was no buy in, the spirit of the evening was friendly and, with the exception of the last few hands at the winner’s table, noncompetitive. “Maybe it’s because everyone at my table told me I had the best poker face they had ever seen, let alone for someone that had never played before, but I have definitely found a new hobby after attending the Texas Hold ‘Em tournament,” says Katie Walker, SOC-CAS/BA ’05. “I walked away not only learning a new game, but meeting new friends as well.”

Of course, the grand prize of the Wii, a hot and hard-to-find commodity since its debut in January, didn’t hurt the event’s appeal. Phil Shea, SIS/BA ’00, the big winner of the night, was thrilled to take home his new toy: “I hadn’t planned on buying a Wii until later, since they’re so hard to come by, and I figured I only had a small chance of winning it. But it’s a great prize – an incredible device, really a lot of fun.” The tournament’s second place winner, Peter O’Donnell, CAS/BS ’01, walked away with a nice “consolation” prize: a one-night stay at the Grand Hyatt in downtown D.C. There were some other winners throughout the evening as well. Members of the YAC Executive Board donated raffle prizes, including Starbucks gift baskets, Smith Cassius sunglasses, D.C. United tickets, and gift certificates to Borders and Bed Bath & Beyond, just to name a few. The prizes were raffled off throughout the evening.

Joshua Heit, SPA/BA '05, goes "all in" while Eric Buesing, KSB/BSBA '00, watches.    photo by Tara Sherwin

While poker certainly seems to be a draw for many of AU’s young alums, YAC offers many different events throughout the year. Catering to a crowd of approximately 5,000 local alumni, all of whom graduated from AU in the last 10 years, can be a difficult task, and the YAC Board tries to provide options for a wide variety of interests. Past events have included a holiday happy hour in December, a brunch with AU’s men’s and women’s basketball coaches in January, and a service event with Hands on D.C. at the end of April. More events are in the queue, including a happy hour in May, an ice skating event at the new Ballston skating rink in June, and a sports field day on campus with AU seniors in September.

Another poker tournament could be in the works as well. This event had such a positive response, many of the attendees said they would love to do it again. Eric Buesing, KSB/BSBA ’00, vice president of YAC and coordinator of the event, says, “With more than 50 players, the tournament was even more of a success than we anticipated. We’re already thinking of doing another one, possibly turning this into a biannual event for the chapter.” Walker adds, “The evening was a great mix of socializing and networking with fellow AU young alumni – a really fun event!”

-Tara Sherwin

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