Students go all in for Game Night

The Student Union Programming Board provides high stakes for those who win poker games.

By David Conway

Published Oct. 19, 2010

On Thursdays, 30 people trickle into the Walt Disney room inside Memorial Union. Each person grabs a handful of poker chips — 10 white, 10 red and three blue — before drawing cards to determine the table where they will eventually sit. Conversations begin, but voices are kept low. After a few minutes, Tim Meyers, the event’s organizer, lets the group know they’re free to begin, and the cards are dealt.

The lack of fanfare is not a sign of a disinterested crowd, but rather an indication of the familiarity this group has developed. This poker game — the centerpiece of the Student Union Programming Board's weekly game nights — has attracted a loyal following, as a majority of the people who show up to the game are regulars, Meyers said.

The players compete not only for prizes awarded to the winner of the day's game — a $25 Wal-Mart gift card this week — but also for a spot at the year's last table, reserved for the 10 players who accumulated the most winnings over the course of the semester. Those elite few square off in one final game, and the stakes are high.

"In the past, we've given away stuff like a Wii or an Xbox or a $300 gift card to Wal-Mart," Meyers said. "It's a pretty decent prize."

Blake Borron is one of the regulars with his eyes on that top prize. After making it to the final table last year, Borron won the semester's first two tournaments and currently holds the top spot on the overall leaderboard.

"It's definitely more exciting than the regular events," Borron said. "A lot of people come out to watch, people who have been playing over the year and want to cheer someone else on."

Although the intensity ramps up at the end of the year, Borron said the environment is generally relaxed during semester. This gives him an opportunity to bond with his competitors.

“It’s fun because I get to play with a lot of people I know,” Borron said. “I’ve made a lot of friends here.”

The event will soon find a permanent home in The Shack, a section in the MU Student Center that features pool tables, dartboards and shuffleboard. The Shack Committee Director Kristen Bagby said students who come to Game Night but do not wish to play poker will see their options expanded.

"I think the change will add a fun atmosphere to an already successful event," Bagby said.

To the poker game’s dedicated group of regulars, though, no change in the atmosphere is required. Whether in the brand-new space in the MU Student Center or the relatively drab confines of the Walt Disney Room, the only things they need are a deck of cards and some chips.