Card Player Poker Tour Local Heroes: Georgia FelgerRetired Attorney Georgia Felger Has Always Enjoyed Card Games |
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The Card Player Poker Tour will be focusing on the familiar faces at card rooms and casinos during Season II stops in a new web series. CPPT Local Heroes will highlight the regular, everyday average Joe, who may not be known world wide but is certainly known to anyone who frequents their local poker room.
Georgia Felger has always enjoyed playing games, namely Canasta and Gin Rummy, so it only made sense the retired attorney originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin would take up poker as it grew in popularity. About eleven years ago Felger was playing on PartyPoker and continued to play online up until Black Friday. Fortunately for Felger when the government shut down internet poker she was already a regular at Palm Beach Kennel Club, finding success in smaller, live tournaments.
Name: Georgia Felger
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Resides: Lantana, Florida
Occupation: Attorney – Retired
Favorite Game: No-Limit Hold’em
Favorite Hand: Pocket Aces – “Lets face it, that’s the best starting hand.”
When did you first discover poker?
Poker came into my life about 11 years ago. I started playing on the internet and I’ve always been a game player. I played Canasta and Gin Rummy, a lot of Gin Rummy, all my life. I started playing poker on the internet and then about eight years ago I stared coming here to the Kennel Club and playing in little games. I played $45 sit’n gos and tournaments were actually $45 at that time. So that’s when I really got my start and I mainly stick to tournament play. I’m not much of a cash player, I like tournaments.
You said your got your start playing on PartyPoker, how did that come about?
Well, it’s actually hard for me to even remember how I discovered it, but I knew there was something called PartyPoker. There was a hurricane about to come to the east coast of Florida and my husband found a home to rent in Marco Island – we have children that were living in Coconut Grove at the time with our grandchildren – and we all went to this home because the hurricane was coming up the east coast and we wanted to evacuate. So we went there and the home had internet. I was able to sign up and that is really where I started just playing and trying to figure out the game. I had read some books and then when we came back home I continued on my own computer and then started playing live, which I really enjoy. I played consistently on the internet until Black Friday but not for big stakes and it was always tournaments.
Now that internet poker is slowly making its way back in the U.S., do you think that you will go back to playing online?
Absolutely.
Will you still play live as well?
Oh sure, because I really find it stimulating. There aren’t a lot of women and I enjoy being with the people that come here. There is such a variety of backgrounds and ages and it is stimulating for me to come to this venue as opposed to playing online. My Internet play was sitting around if my husband and I were watching TV at night and I would perhaps play for a little bit, but I was not one of these people that got up and made my living playing Internet poker. It was really recreational.
Do you still consider yourself a recreational player?
I’m a recreational player but I play almost every day. I have had some success as well. I have frequently been in the top five Player of the Month here and I have also played bigger tournaments in other venues and have won some. I couldn’t tell you exactly how much, but I’ve done well. It’s certainly not my business as I’m retired, it is recreation but I enjoy winning and I enjoy being in the money.
What keeps you here at Palm Beach Kennel Club as opposed to other card rooms?
Well, the proximity number one, but I think even more important for me is the feeling. The atmosphere in this poker room fits my personality. It’s friendly and certainly aggressive when players need to be but not overly aggressive and I find that the management is very good and the staff is very friendly. The tournaments are handled in a very professional way and that is why I enjoy being here.
Is there a certain poker accomplishment you would like to achieve? Such as winning a certain amount of money, a certain title or going to a particular venue to play?
I would say that I would like to go the World Series of Poker and I think that will happen within the next couple of years. My husband also plays and while he goes to the office everyday and doesn’t play as much as I do, I think that that will happen.
If you could play against any one person in the world, who would you chose?
Well since I have been against him and he beat me, I would say Michael Mizrachi. I was in a tournament with him and down to two tables. I cashed in the tournament but I was put out when I had pocket queens and he had an ace-queen and he called my all in and caught the ace. So I need to get retribution from him.
Palm Beach Kennel Club’s poker room features 64-tables and is the only licensed card room in the city of West Palm Beach. The complex is also home to live greyhound racing, hosts simulcast horse racing and jai alai and multiple fine dining options.