Steve Moriarty, Tippecanoe Valley assistant football coach, is a $1,500 buy-in to the World Series of Poker 2007.
Moriarty is scheduled in event number 15, a series of poker games played over three days, starting June 9 at the Rio, in Las Vegas, Nev.
Poker is the "rush of going all in ... the unknown ... the reading of what others have," Moriarty said.
The first-place winner will win approximately $650,000 and the World Series poker bracelet.
Professional poker players come to the World Series of Poker from all over, Moriarty said. It's a worldwide event.
Moriarty is both excited and nervous. Nervous because Paul Wasicka, famous poker player and recent first-place winner of the NBC National Heads Up Championship, also will be present.
"It will be different playing around pros because here, people aren't playing as decent hands and don't know strategy as well," Moriarty said.
Three other locals, Carl Weaver, Thad Mellot and Tim Robinson, will join Moriarty in the $1,500 buy-in.
Moriarty started playing poker in college at Purdue around eight years ago, and then played small intermediate games at home.
Eventually, Moriarty and friends heard about the World Series and started playing bigger events at casinos, building up their poker skills until they thought they were pretty good, he said.
"I feel confident," Moriarty said.
Moriarty has been playing in online tournaments, not for money, but to focus on staying in the game for as long as possible. And soon he will play in the largest poker tournament in the world.
The best thing about poker is "the adrenaline rush when you don't know if you got it, and your heartbeat when you go all in," he said.
