Man goes all in for poker hobby

Just over a month ago, the North Lebanon Township man found himself sitting at a poker table in Las Vegas. But this wasnt an average poker tournament. The 40-year-old father of two had just had his first taste of the World Series of Poker, the biggest poker tournament on the planet.

Like many amateur poker players, Boehler, got hooked on the game after watching Chris Moneymaker wins the World Series of Poker three years ago. Moneymaker, who found his way into the tournament by playing poker on the Internet, became an instant celebrity when his win was televised on ESPN. I thought, If he can do it, anybody can do it, Boehler said.

So, Boehler began playing on various poker Web sites. As he learned, he started entering online tournaments, occasionally placing high enough to earn seats at bigger online tournaments, where players could qualify for the World Series.

His journey to the World Series started just like any other of the many tournaments in which Boehler played. After some hours in front of his computer, Boehler realized a trip to the WSOP could be a reality. Boehler made the cut, and on Saturday, July 29, he found himself sitting in the middle of 2,200 hopeful poker players in a Las Vegas casino on that first day.

It was amazing, he said. Everyone Ive ever watched play on TV I met in person. Boehler finished about 1,700th of 8,800 players. Despite the loss, which he said he still thinks about every day, Boehler loved the experience. He said he is continuing to play poker online in hopes of winning seats to future tournaments.