Browse through a list of the names and hometowns of money winners at this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event, and one name and place is sure to jump out at you.
Daniel Snowden, a dentist from Arkansas City, placed 405th at this year’s event at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He returned home Friday with more than $34,000 in winnings and plenty of stories to tell.
“I got some really good cards but I played well, too,” Snowden, who spoke by phone from his home Sunday afternoon, said. “I think for anyone who plays poker, the World Series is something you have to experience at least once.”
Snowden ? who says he has played poker for more than 30 years ? won his $10,000 buy-in to the main event and travel expenses through a tournament on the Internet gaming site PokerStars. The return on his investment ? he spent $54 on buy-ins for the online tournament and a bit more on tournaments where he didn’t succeed ? was substantial.
“Unless I won a seat there is no way I’d pony up the money to play,” he said. “It’s so hard to make it to the money in the main event, it wouldn’t be worth it.”
Snowden speaks from experience. More than 6,000 players entered this year’s no-limit Texas hold’em main event and roughly ten percent receive money. The main event is still going on with the final table of nine players finishing up Tuesday.
A sister in Vegas provides free room and board for Snowden, who makes it out West a few times a year to play. He keeps his skills sharp playing online and through regular trips to casinos in Oklahoma. He played in a smaller World Series event last year but did not finish in the money.
Making the money this year required some help back home from colleagues and staff who helped cover for Snowden. He played day 1A of the series on July 6 and then had to wait three days to play again. He lost out late Thursday, his third full day of play, after nearly a week in Vegas.
Despite his years of card playing, Snowden found the main event both intimidating and exciting. He played alongside several professional players ? including J.C. Tran, Gabe Thaler and Eric Molina ? and met 1998 main event winner Scotty Nguyen.
Snowden even spent 90 minutes at ESPN’s featured table, so he’s curious to see if he will make the television broadcasts of the event. He also got caught up in poker fashion and grabbed a pair of his sister’s sunglasses that he wore upside down on day one.
“I was trying to build my image,” he said.
There was also a taste of the big money involved in poker. PokerStars paid Snowden $1,000 to wear its gear at the tables and $1,000 for making it to day three. He entered a couple small tournaments at the Bellagio with the money he made and continued his winning ways.
“It was a good trip for me,” he said and laughed.
