What If, in the Middle of a War, a Poker Game Broke Out?

HMC James Bailey

I like getting mail from readers, especially from those who are far away doing noble things to help ensure my continued American way of life. I also enjoy the new "Where in the World?" feature in Card Player that has photos of readers with the magazine in unusual places. Here is a daily double for you, so please enjoy.



Recently I began corresponding with HMC James Bailey, who is on active duty as a United States Naval Hospital Corpsman at a medical clinic providing health care, well-being, and administration of required immunizations to our troops. Bailey is located at one of the Northern Coalition Camps in Kuwait, where armies from around the world that support Operation Iraqi Freedom train for two to three weeks prior to entering Iraq. Bailey loves poker and says that it's a popular distraction for the troops in Kuwait. What follows is an excerpt from one of his emails to me:



Our camp recently had our own version of a World Poker Tour event. In the military, we have a great program called MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation). It is run on monies from the sale of items from the AAFES store sponsor. We had participation from 81 soldiers and sailors from eight different countries at nine tables. We all started with $1,000 worth of assorted plastic chips, mostly red, white, and blue. It was kind of like the Old West, with everyone sitting around poker tables with weapons strapped on their sides, drinking nonalcoholic beer (Kuwait is a dry country), and playing in a tent in the desert. One glaring difference was that there were Humvees parked outside instead of horses.



The structure of the tournament was no-limit hold'em with blinds starting at $5-$10 and doubling every 20 minutes to make it end quickly. On one of the first hands of the tournament, I was on the button and the whole table called (no-fold'em hold'em). I looked down to see the 7 5 and limped in. The flop was a good one for me: 10 6 4. Wow, I had a feeling of being Daniel Negreanu! I started thinking about what to do, how much to bet, whether to call or raise, and so on. A soldier from Korea, in middle position, bet the pot, and everyone folded to me. I decided to just call, hoping the blinds also would call. Unfortunately, they folded. The turn was the beautiful 8. My opponent went all in. Yahoo! We turned the cards over and he saw that his ace-high flush was no good. I took the pot and doubled up. Nothing else happened of significance until the final table. There were lots of all ins, just like at a 10-cent Internet game. In two hours, the final table was determined. There were seven players from the Army, one from the Navy (me), and one Coalition Army soldier. There were lots of short stacks and we were soon down to five players. With the prize pool paying only the top three places, everyone was trying to make the other side of the bubble. The next thing we knew, we were at three. Wow, I made the money! On my final hand, I picked up 5-2 and my opponent had 6-2. With a board of K-K-2-J-J, his 6 kicker played, and I ended up in third place. The payout was as follows:



1. Sgt. Brown … $60 AAFES gift card

2. Sgt. Abraham … $40 AAFES gift card

3. HMC Bailey (me) … $20 AAFES gift card



I know it's not the $1 million first prize of a WPT or World Series of Poker tournament, but it is just as important to these guys, just for the bragging rights alone. It is something to take their minds off what they're going to do and where they are headed – into harm's way.



It is "just peace of mind for a moment."



V/R HMC B

As I read James' story the first time, tears streamed down my face. As I looked at the photos he sent, they continued. I don't care to use this platform for a social commentary, and this may sound cheesy, as I am quoting a song, but, "I am proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free." I only wish that all of the guys who played in that event on that day in the Kuwaiti desert could have won, as they all won my heart. Please be safe, guys, and come home to us very, very soon. With a standing ovation, class dismissed.

As always, please write to me at [email protected] with your poker-related questions, comments, or column suggestions.