Music Boosters Host Poker Tournament

A room of hushed, cautious voices, and 35 pairs of expressionless, down-turned eyes. The flop, the turn, the river; and the mildly metallic sound of chips as they spin headlong into the pot.

The Bolingbrook High School Music Boosters hosted it's fourth Texas Hold 'Em Tournament of the year Friday at . And while the players held their concentration in the game room, just outside the booster volunteers checked registration records for their own ace-in-the-hole.

"At the last tournament we made about $1,300," Jerry Slagle, boosters volunteer and Texas Hold 'Em chair.

Slagle, whose son plays saxophone for the BHS band, said Friday's event drew two more players than the last poker tournament in August, which had 33.

Diane Parro, music boosters president, said all of the money raised at the tournament would go into the music programs' general fund, which provides students with scholarships for lessons, awards, professional accompanists and marching band fees.

"The Music Boosters provide the 'extras,'" Parro said.

Buy in was $50 for the first $2,000 in chips, and $25 for each $2,000 in chips thereafter. The first place winner went home with $500 and the second and third place winners received $250 and $150. Free entry into the next tournament was the award for fourth.

Parro said the next tournament will be for scheduled sometime early next year.

"This is a lucrative (fundraiser) for us because it doesn't require a lot of volunteers," she said. "The state of Illinois requires that you buy a license, and you can hold up to four tournaments a year."

For the next fundraiser, the Boosters will take orders for plants in January and February; to be delivered and picked up at the school in the spring.

But there were no high schoolers present at Friday's event. While the Boosters' poker tournaments are open to the public, all participants must be 21 years of age or older.

For the unfortunate few who lost it all early, the Music Boosters extended hope in the form of a 50-50 split raffle.

Joe Foster was the first player knocked out of the tournament on Friday.

"I ran into a bigger full house," the Lockport man said. "I had an ace in the hole eight out of ten times. Nothing materialized."

Nick Wade, an English teacher at BHS, was also one of the early players to walk away from the table.

"It's just never your night. But it's going for a good cause, so that's really all that matters," he said.