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Rowlett poker player ready to win
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Rowlett resident Steve Justice will participate in the World Series of Poker in event four on Saturday. Justice is competing in the tournament for the second straight year. The competition will be broadcast on ESPN.
By Ann Marie Shambaugh, Staff Writer
Cameras, celebrities, and huge amounts of money at stake would be daunting for most people, but not Steve Justice.
The Rowlett resident is a professional poker player, and he is leaving this week for the World Series of Poker tournament, the Superbowl of his game.
This will be Justice’s second year in the tournament, and he is prepared to finish better than he did last year, when he didn’t cash, with more experience under his belt. Justice said it was a bit distracting playing poker with celebrities, but a year later he doesn’t expect it to phase him at all.
Justice said about 7,000 people are expected to participate in the World Series of Poker this year, but only 700 will walk away with cash. The competition is continuing to grow and become more diverse, from preachers to boxers playing. Justice said he is also seeing more women enter the tournaments.
With millions of dollars at stake for the winners, poker is appealing to almost anyone.
“This tournament has a higher payout than any other sports event in the world,” Justice said. “You cannot win any more money playing tennis or golf. First place last year was $9 million for six days.”
Justice said it’s hard too predict how he will fare at the tournament, but the poker player has been fine-tuning his skills and developing patience over the past year.
Much to contrary belief, Justice said poker is mostly a game of skill, and it does not fit the many stereotypes ascribed to it. He said there is no such thing as a poker face, and it’s not a game reserved for cowboys in the Wild West.
“We were told [growing up] people were smoking at the table and giving up titles to their cars,” Justice said. “All that nonsense doesn’t happen.”
Justice and his family reside in Rowlett, but he is on the road playing in poker tournaments about three months of the year. He most often travels to Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Mississippi.
When he’s not playing poker, Justice spends time with his two children and operates a fireworks business in July and during the Christmas season.
Justice said he loves being a Rowlett resident, and he hopes to bring the city some recognition through his success.
“I’d like to win and put Rowlett on the map,” he said.
Justice will participate in event four on Saturday. The competition will be broadcast on ESPN.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
John K. wrote on May 31, 2009 9:37 PM:
" This guy is a joke; he was knocked out early in the tournament. He is not worth reading about. "
Landry Thomas wrote on Jun 1, 2009 10:31 AM:
" Wow...John K must of had a bad day... Best of Luck Mr. Justice!!!! "
Lee Evans wrote on Jun 1, 2009 10:41 AM:
" I hope you do well. I played with Steve at Winstar Casino before...very nice. "
James McGree wrote on Jun 1, 2009 10:51 AM:
" It is refreshing to have one of our Rowlett citizens take Pride in Rowlett. I hope you go far. I play Poker at the local Bowling Alley and it is quite fun. "
Travis Latham wrote on Jun 1, 2009 11:12 AM:
" Steve I played with you in Tulsa last year. I hope you win it all. "
Tammy Williams wrote on Jun 1, 2009 6:43 PM:
" I had the pleasure of playing with Steve in Tunica at Harrah's in January. He is a class act. I wish him the best. "
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