By Austin Arceo
TERRE HAUTE — At 94, Jack Ury still proves he knows when to hold ’em, and when to fold ’em.
That ability also runs in the family.
Terre Haute residents Ury and his grandson Seth Harrold survived the first day of the World Series of Poker’s Main Event at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The Texas Hold ’em tournament drew more than 6,300 entrants from around the globe and took four sessions for everyone to play the first round.
The event’s prize pool is more than $59 million, with the winner receiving $8.25 million.
Harrold and Ury, 30, survived the session played Monday, which started at noon and ended about 4 a.m. Tuesday. It wasn’t easy for them.
In one hand, Ury misread his hand and went “all-in,” or bet all his chips at once, when he thought he had a straight. But the seasoned poker veteran had a pair of sixes.
An opponent called Ury’s bet, leaving the two head-to-head … Ury’s sixes against his opponent’s pair of fives.
“ … And luckily the pair held up,” Harrold said of his grandfather’s hand, “and the place went wild.”
The World Series of Poker Web site lists Ury (who is identified as Jack Wry) with $35,000 in chips; Harrold has $18,100 in chips.
Heading into Day 2, players should be at about $45,000 in chips, Harrold said.
Although this is the first time Harrold or Ury have played in the World Series of Poker event, they are no strangers to the game. Ury first learned to play poker when he was 10, Harrold said, while the duo’s younger participant has been playing for 15 years.
A few of the players are good, while most are “real loose,” which requires luck to play against them, Ury said.
“Poker is a very treacherous game,” the veteran added. “You can win with anything or lose with anything.”
Ury’s age has made him a fan favorite at the World Series of Poker. He has fielded 10 to 15 media interviews, Harrold said, and had camera crews following while Harrold was pushing his wheelchair after their opening day of competition.
Harrold said his grandfather suffers from a complete lack of vision in one eye and has only 20 percent vision in the other, and can hear out of only one ear. Harrold relayed questions to Ury during a telephone interview Monday evening.
Attending the event didn’t come easy for the pair. A company helped them with some of the costs associated with the $10,000 buy-in to participate in the event.
Although they’ve had success, the pair is not guaranteed to win any prize money. Only 621 players will receive any money. Harrold said that about 2,000 players survived the first round.
The duo will play their second round today.
All the poker hasn’t been too much for Ury. After their 16-hour opening round day at the Rio, Ury actually wanted to go play poker at the Mirage Hotel and Casino, where the duo are staying.
Harrold wants to win money, but said that it’s been a long week with little sleep while playing poker 16 hours in a day.
“He can do it a lot better than I can,” Harrold said of his grandfather.
Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.
