TEXAS HOLDEM ONLINE POKER

In a tournament with some of the biggest names in Texas Holdem poker, Harrison resident Jim Powell tried his hand at the 2006 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas last week.

"I lasted about 11 hours into the first day," Powell said. "Maybe 400 were gone before I was. I had the pleasure of knocking out two."

Powell has played in smaller casino tournaments and local charity events, but nothing on the magnitude of the high-stakes Texas Holdem tournament at Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel.

The event concluded Friday with Australian Joseph Hachem defeating Steven Dannenmann of Maryland and walking away with $7.5 million.

In his last hand, Powell had an ace and queen of diamonds in pocket and was facing off with an opponent known for bluffing.

"He was the type of player who liked to bluff a lot, so, when he raised, I called it. The flop came: ace, queen, deuce. I had the top two pair. I thought that this guy probably has something -- he might have an ace or pair of jacks, some high pocket pair.

"He made a pretty big bet, almost like he was trying to buy the pot. I thought, it's my style, I'm going to push my chips in and either push him out or have good hand going in."

As it turned out, Powell's Texas Holdem opponent had three aces on the flop.

Powell said he plays aggressively.

"I didn't want to sit there two days and not have a lot of chips," Powell said. He took his shot early and took the opportunity to enjoy Vegas with his fiancee, Kelly McKnight, who went to cheer him on.

Powell won his seat through an $11 online tournament at Pokerstars.com. The Web site paid Powell's $10,000 buy-in and provided a hotel room for a week.

"At first you're sitting there and a little nervous, but I won my first hand and I was fine," Powell said. "I was just excited about being there. I was there with the mentality that it cost me 11 bucks to be there."

Powell said initially he was amazed at the size of the playing area.

"It was the size of a football field," Powell said. "The day I was playing, there were over 2,000 people playing. It was overwhelming at first, just to see table after table, but once I sat down to play, it was a lot of fun. I was at an outside table where you have people watching you."

Powell said he hopes to return again, perhaps by winning another Texas Holdem seat online.

"It was an awesome experience to get out there and meet a lot of professionals," Powell said. At a pre-party, he said he got to mingle with past winners, Chris Moneymaker and Phil Hellmuth Jr.

Powell and McKnight returned from Vegas on Wednesday. Since then, Powell said he has played a couple of online games but plans on taking a break as the couple prepares for their wedding in October.

"Probably afterward I'll do more Texas Holdem online."