Dreams Do Come True, it Can Happen to You

by Warren Karp | Published: Nov 22, 2002

Recently I was reading RGP (rec.gambling.poker), an Internet poker newsgroup, when I came upon a post about a tournament in Ohio that is sponsored by the American Heart Association. I clicked on the link and found a website dedicated to poker in Ohio, and it contained all the info on the tourney. There was even a web page dedicated to Ohio's own poker son, Jim Lester.

I sent the fellow making the post, George Rabe, an e-mail, asking him about the tournament, and it turns out he is a nut - a poker nut, that is. With his permission, I am paraphrasing some of our e-mail correspondence here:

Warren Karp: I found on your site (listed below) that this tournament was held in multiple cities with a multiple satellite format, and that there was a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000 and $50,000 for first place. Were there live games at these sites, as well?

George Rabe: While I was there, they had a $10-$20 hold'em game and a $2-$4 seven-card stud game that my fiancée and I played.

WK: I saw that you have a page on your site about Jim Lester (also listed below). Did he play?

GR: "I had never met Jim Lester and wanted to, as he lives about an eighth of a mile from me. So, I called him to see if he knew anything about the tournament. He didn't, but said that he would check it out the next day.

I have been playing poker for only four months, $1-$3 and $1-$5 seven-card stud. I had never played hold'em before I sat down at the tournament table with Jim. Just before we sat down to play, I told him that I had never played hold'em, and asked him to tell me later how I did in the game. I won the first hand I played with pocket kings, and later won a one-on-one hand with Jim. I was the chip leader for the first hour and a half, and my downfall was when I had a 7-2 in the hole with a flop of 7-2-2. The guy I ended up squaring off with obviously had two pair, and thought I did, too. The turn card was a 6 and the river was a queen. I put in my last $400 to call his raise, and when we showed our hands, I was shocked that he had pocket queens, giving him queens full of deuces. I was third out, and Jim was sixth out.

WK: Sounds like a great showing for your first time playing hold'em. Did you make it as a finalist in the big event?

GR: I went back the next afternoon and came away as a finalist, but the big thrills were, first, sitting at the same table with Jim, and most of all, beating him in one heads-up hand. That's small potatoes in the world that you guys circulate in, but it's a real biggie to a beginner.

WK: So, what did you think of playing with a world champion, and how did the web site come about?

GR: I really liked Jim; he's just a down-home type of guy. I decided that he deserves a little local recognition, so I put the web site up for him.

WK: Now that you're in the world of poker, what is your next step and what are your plans?

GR: I am a disabled veteran on a pension, so I can't play high-stakes poker, but the tournaments might be a good way to get a little extra money into my life - at least I hope so. You have to start somewhere. Two months ago I told my fiancée that all I wanted out of poker was to sit at a tournament table with Jim Lester and beat him, one-on-one, for a sizable pot. When I did that, I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Some dreams really do come true," and he smiled like he had been there. Next is Johnny Chan (laughing). A VA shrink once told me that I was "grandiose," and I told him that his problem was that he wasn't.

WK: George, may I paraphrase your e-mail in my column?

GR: That's like asking a peacock if you can show off his plumes to the world. I would love it. I have been skydiving for 40 years, and have often said that I don't really know if I like to jump out of airplanes, but I like to be around people who do because it's the only way I can.

WK: How does that relate to poker for you?

GR: Poker is analogous to skydiving, and I hope to expound on that in an article someday. No matter how many jumps you make, you still remember that first one most, and try to get other people to try it so that you can share their thrill. Watching someone right after that first jump actually brings joy to your heart, because you remember how thrilled you were after your first one.

I think poker players are the same; they remember that first plunge, that first win, and with each escalating accomplishment, they get more hungry to better themselves. It isn't so much that the world knows you won - it's that you know you won.

WK: Your ideas and thoughts are indeed grandiose, but I suspect they're not much different than some of the thoughts we all have had at the beginning of our poker-playing lives.

GR: As you can see, I fantasize a lot. For example, I have thought, what if I stayed with it and someday did beat Jim, one-on-one, for a World Series of Poker bracelet. Then, I could write a book about it called "Poker - Patron and Protégé."

As you can see, the top players in our industry are more than just that - they are ambassadors of the game. George Rabe will never forget that smile from Jim Lester. It is small moments like this one that get more people into the game we love and enable poker to grow. Keep it up, George, and don't forget to tell everyone you know to come and join us.

Do you remember your beginnings, who your heroes were or are, and what you are doing about making your dreams come true?