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Wednesday, August 9, 2006 Los Lunas native wins big at World Series of PokerJoey Padilla places 149th out of 8,773 card players Los Lunas They say that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but that's not necessarily true. What happened to Joey Padilla in Las Vegas last week was that he won $47,006 at the World Series of Poker — and he took every penny of it home.
Padilla, who now lives in Austin, Texas, was one in a record field of 8,773 players in the no limit Texas Hold 'em tournament, which is being held at the Rio Hotel-Casino. He finished 149th overall, which placed him in the top two percent of all entries. "It was a hell of a ride," he said while relaxing at the home of a friend, Jason Baca, on Monday. "I went way further than I ever thought I would make it." Padilla said he's been playing cards for 10 years now, but didn't become a serious player until about three years ago. Like many of the participants, he honed his poker-playing skills on-line. "When you play as much as I do on-line, you tend to see a lot of hands and you learn a lot of things," he said. Padilla earned his place in the World Series of Poker by winning a series of on-line tournaments on the Web site Bodog.com. While some players paid a $10,000 buy-in fee to play in the tournament, Padilla only paid $67.50 out of pocket. The rest was picked up by Bodog in exchange for him wearing a Bodog hat and shirt while he was competing. Padilla said using a real deck of cards and sitting at a table with opponents you can look in the eye is different from on-line poker. "With some guys, there are markers you can tell if they're holding a strong or weak hand. That's why some guys wear sunglasses," he said. "Or another thing you might see is a player who raises and then leans in closer to the table. That might indicate he's aggressive and has a strong hand. If they raise and back off (from the table), that reads as a bluff." Padilla doesn't wear sunglasses while he plays — "I don't think I need them," he said — but he does keep headphones plugged in one ear to help drown out distractions. Padilla described the event as grueling. Players spend 13 hours a day at the table and are given only 15 minute breaks every two hours. The tournament resumes each day at noon and lasts into the wee hours of the morning. Padilla lasted four days, but almost got knocked out early. During the second day of play, he was dealt a pivotal hand of pocket 4s. "I was up against a gentleman who had8-10 off suit. He raised and I called and the flop came out with a 4, 7 and 9," he recalled. On the turn a Jack came up, giving his opponent a straight. Padilla went all-in at that point. He knew he was in trouble when his opponent immediately called. "All I could do was hope to pair the board," he said. "I stood up and told the dealer to pair the board for me and walked away. I didn't look at the card. I was looking at my opponent to see his reaction." The reaction was favorable for Padilla. The river card was a 7, giving him the full house he needed to stay in the game. Padilla was among the chip leaders headed into the fourth day, but the cards stopped coming up for him. "It was smooth sailing until the final day, then my chip count dropped and I tried to make it up," he said. Still, it was a hell of a run. Padilla said the most he previously won was about $1,200 at a cash table in Las Vegas a year ago. His success has him thinking about giving up his job as a captain for a security company that contracts with the Department of Homeland Security. "It's been talked about," he said. "I could probably make a living around here at the cash tables at the casinos." There are no immediate plans for that, but Padilla is certain he wants to go back to Las Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker again. "I'm hoping Bodog sponsors me again next year," he said. "If not, I've got the money to pay my own way."
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