'Let it ride!'

Eric Smith believes you can't be afraid to bet on a good hand.

That simple philosophy won the 34-year-old Hesperia man a $10,000 ticket to compete in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas this July, where he'll compete against at least 4,000 other players for a grand prize of up to $10 million, according to Brent Burkhardt, spokesman for the owner of the World Series of Poker, Harrah's Entertainment.

Smith won a trip to Laughlin, Nev., last weekend after coming out on top in a charity poker tournament sponsored by the Spring Valley Lake Lions Club, chapter President Al Andrews said.

The Laughlin tournament had a $10,000 buy-in, Smith said. He was down to $5,500 before coming back to win that event.

Smith, who works near the furnace at AFG Glass, is used to the heat. And he likes his chances at Las Vegas. He said he isn't too nervous about sidling up to a table of professionals.

"Those guys, they weren't always professionals; they were in my shoes at one point," he said. "It's about pushing your chips: If you think you have the best hand, you can't be afraid to bet it."

Smith had five minutes after winning the Laughlin tournament to decide whether to walk away with the $10,000. But his wife, Barbara, told him he'd regret never having tried to realize his dream if he turned his back on the World Series of Poker.

"He looked at me and I told him to let it ride," Barbara Smith said. "This is a real opportunity. I'd hate for him to say 'what if?' "

The game at the World Series of Poker will be no-limit Texas HoldEm. The game uses seven cards out of the deck, two dealt face down to each player, three face up for all to use, to form a five-card poker hand. Bets are placed in between each round of cards dealt.

Around 400 of the 4,000 players who will play in the World Series of Poker figure to win some money, Burkhardt said.

The Smiths have been playing in the Lions Club charity event for months, Barbara Smith said. They've enjoyed playing for charity, she added.

The $10,000 he forfeited in Laughlin to go to Las Vegas would have gone to pay a few bills, anyway, Barbara Smith said. Now Eric can think about his chances at playing some hands that really count.

"There really isn't any studying. It's about experience," Eric Smith said. "You learn from the hands you lose."