Poker nights offered at Lakota
Feb. 29, 2008
Junior Ellis Atchison deals a hand of poker at the Lakota Coffee Co. on Tuesday night. The coffee house hosts open poker nights every week for people of all experience levels.
It’s hardly a Las Vegas casino, but the Lakota Coffee Co. in downtown Columbia has become a formidable poker spot. Lattes and espressos are sipped instead of cocktails and martinis, and dozens of locals have their poker fixes filled on Tuesday nights.
In conjunction with the coffee house’s owners, poker enthusiast and Columbia resident Brian Morrin came up with the idea to bring a poker night to the coffee house about five weeks ago.
“We’re trying to create a friendly atmosphere for people to come out and play,” Morrin said.
The games are open to anyone, regardless of skill level or experience. Buy-ins for the no-limit Texas Hold’em games consist of a beverage or food item purchased from Lakota.
Weekly winners and runners-up are awarded Lakota gift certificates in amounts ranging from $5 to $20. Prize values are based on how many players sign up each night. Because of the buy-ins, Lakota makes a small profit despite giving out the prizes.
Depending on the number of players present, two or three tables are set aside in the back of the coffee house for poker play. Morrin said between nine and 15 people have come on any given Tuesday, but he said he can handle 21 players at three full tables of seven.
After several rounds of hands played to relatively small bets, the top three finishers at each table move on to the final table. The top three are determined when all other players at the tables run out of chips or after two hours of hands, whichever comes first. Blinds, or minimum bets, are further increased at the final table, which is often made up of more experienced players.
MU junior Ellis Atchison said he has come to Lakota to participate in poker night for three weeks. He said he found out about the competitions from a friend. An experienced player, Atchison built a large chip lead against the competition this past Tuesday. Senior Terrill Enyard also has attended Lakota’s poker nights for several weeks. Although he didn’t make it to the winner’s table on Tuesday, he said he’s an experienced player who participates in other poker tournaments around Columbia.
He admitted he wasn’t sure if his concept would catch on, but Morrin said he is pleased by the turnout so far. He is looking for additional sponsors and hopes to start offering additional prizes such as poker chip sets. Touting Lakota’s unique, laid-back atmosphere, Morrin said he hopes word of the poker nights will continue to spread, especially among college students.
“We’re definitely offering something other coffee shops aren’t,” Morrin said.
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