Addamo Vineyard Texas Hold ’em
Hold ’em or fold ’em? That was the big question at a Texas Hold ’em Poker Tournament held on May 23 at the Addamo Estates Vineyards Grand Ballroom.
With its marble floors, sweeping staircases, and crystal chandelier, the Grand Ballroom is the most elegant of settings for any event, let alone a casual Saturday afternoon card game.
Between 50 and 60 people were on hand for the fun and frolic. Even though the stakes were high—there were poker-playing reputations to be upheld—this was not the tense, emotionally-charged kind of game you see on television. The atmosphere was very relaxed.
Beginning at 3:30 p.m., tournament participants had their pick of several Addamo wines, as well as beer and soft drinks, and access to the snack buffet, which featured a wonderful artichoke cheese dip and brie en croute with honey and walnuts. Participants congregated on the patio and socialized while enjoying great views of vineyards and foothills.
Sgt. Clyde George of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department collaborated with Liz Addamo of Addamo Vineyards, and Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS) to set up the tournament. Their goals were to raise both awareness of DVS and a few bucks for the coffers. Proceeds were somewhere in the $2,000-range.
Liz credited her Clark Avenue wine tasting room manager, Ariane Reynolds, for her work in making the tournament happen.
“Ariane did a lot,” Liz said.
Buy-ins were $100 for members of Addamo’s Red Carpet Wine Club and $125 for non-members. The tournament began at 4 p.m. and went on for hours. (I heard they were still at it at 8:30 p.m.)
When George isn’t chasing bad guys, he’s helping the good guys with fundraisers. An organization for which he has a soft spot in his heart is DVS. Having investigated more than 5,000 domestic violence incidents during his career, he is well aware of the benefits that DVS provides.
“Clyde has been a real friend and staunch supporter of our organization,” commented Melinda Johansson, DVS director of development, who came up from Santa Barbara to help with details.
Among those invited to be dealers were Jim Talbott, executive director of SMOOTH, Faith White, Chalea Jennings, and Pamela Relyea, public information assistant with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Laurie Tamura, one of Santa Maria’s most consistent nonprofit supporters, was there with her parents, Jack and Pat Heybl. Hey, poker can be a family thing!
I was at a table of non-participating lookey-loos and novices. Teresa Menchaca, executive director of Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley and her husband, Peter, sat alongside Barbara Armstrong while Elaine Furst gave those of us at the table an introductory poker lesson. Elaine and husband, Jeff, own Aces & Eights Casino Rentals and are poker tournament specialists.
Bursting with enthusiasm, Teresa told me about an exciting event coming up. Through the efforts of Santa Maria City Council member Alice Patino, who is on the boards of both the Austin Val Verde Foundation in Montecito and Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley, Fighting Back and St. Joseph High School will benefit from an auction of very high-end items at Val Verde in Montecito on June 6 and June 7.
And, oh yes, the auctioneer will be none other than Clyde George. For more information, call 346-1774.
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Jun 4-11, 2009.
