Win one big hand per hour is Brandon Cass’s poker philosophy, inspired, he said, by one of his favorite movies, the 1998 film Rounders, starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton.
Cass won his biggest hand May 19 going heads up during the U.S. Army MWR 2011 Texas Hold’Em Poker Tournament at the Kelley Hill Recreation Center.
The cards were far from the best, a two and nine of clubs, but Cass said he doesn’t just play the cards in his hand. “You’re really playing the person,” Cass said. “I don’t really bluff, I just play my hand.”
Cass said his hand came down to catching the winning card on the river, which happened because his opponent never forced him out of the hand.
“Since he never bet me off, I won,” Cass said. “In my eyes, I should not have won.
“I was speechless. Some of these people looked like they played poker and they talked about poker games. Here I am, 22, and just started playing poker and beat all of them.”
For winning the local tournament, which was a series that began in March and ended May 19, Cass received $500 and a seat for an Armywide online poker tournament July 23, in which one Soldier from every Army installation in the world will participate.
Cass said he picked up poker last year while stationed in Iraq and it has quickly become his favorite hobby. “I play poker all the time,” he said. “It’s calming. It gives me something to do.
“I could sit down and play poker for hours. Even when I lose, I still just relax because you win hands and you lose hands.”
Cass said he nearly missed his opportunity to play in the final Fort Benning MWR tournament because he had broken his phone and had no way of contacting tournament manager Aubrie Hughes to confirm he would be there. Hughes gave his seat to another player, but Cass gained entry into the tournament after another player gave up his seat.
“Somebody called and told her he wasn’t going to make it,” he said. “Then she gave me his seat.”
Cass said he isn’t sure about his chances to win the online tournament because “you can’t bluff online.”
“It’s just entirely way too hard,” he said. “You can’t look at the other person to tell. As far as strategy goes, you just have to play the top 10 hands.”
Cass also remembers the “bad beats” online poker has dealt to him.
“I don’t remember all the ones I win, but I remember all the ones I lose,” he said. “I don’t know why it’s like that.”
The Armywide tournament will pay out prizes to the top eight finishers. First place will receive a home entertainment system valued at $6,000.
For more information about the tournament, visit mwrpromotions.com.
