Most Hullabalooers don’t know when to fold ‘em

Beaten, bruised and broke, 17 of the area’s finest poker players walked out of the CETC building in Colfax with lighter pockets and sullen faces Saturday.

“You can always rebuy,” one player exclaimed after watching a cohort stand up from his seat

Not since the days the height of railroad construction had Colfax seen such a collection of card players assembled in one place.

“Be careful with that camera. You know a lot of people in here are wanted by the law,” joked one player who played using a John Deere pseudonym.

Demeanor of the Hullabaloo poker stars was exceedingly jovial, though the mood stiffened as players got closer to the money seats.

The free-wheeling, high-rolling flashes of hundred dollar bills eased considerably as the tournament rolled along, coming back only when Moscow player Dan Carter flipped over the game-ending nine-high straight.

The four players who took home cash were slowly picked off in the tournament’s final hour as dealer and tournament organizer Brandon Johnson flung cards onto the felt.

Scott Ackerman was the first of the money winners to bust out from the tense final four.

After Johnson flipped an ace, an eight and a two on the table, the speed boat racer declared “All-in” and pushed every last one of his chips into the center pot.

Jeremiah Roberts wiped his brow, announced he was calling and showed his diamond flush draw.

Ackerman was leading with a pair of bullets.

His lead strengthened with a harmless fourth card, but before he could even crack a smile, the King of diamonds showed up, completing Roberts’ flush and sending Ackerman packing up his $246 for the karaoke contest up the street.

Pressure mounted as a string of Hullbalooers filtered in for the final action, making a fortress around the final table.

Roberts was next to exit, when he and Mike Wolfe both held queens in their hands. Roberts’ companion card was a king, no match for Wolfe’s ace, and the city councilman was ejected from his game seat with a $531 take.

Wolfe and Carter went head-to-head for quite some time, exchanging glancing blows but not meeting up with a pair of all-ins, until Carter struck a blow and hit a nine high straight to claim the $1,062 top prize and take the first ever title of Hullabaloo Poker King.

Wolfe left the table with a $797 second place take.