Pot Luck

Six years ago, Cleveland Magazine contributor Lane Strauss dove into the world of online Texas Hold 'em for a January 2005 feature and walked away with, well, not a whole lot. He fared significantly better in June when he played in a Seniors No-Limit Hold 'em Championship event at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Playing in his first World Series of Poker event, he placed 335th out of a record turnout of 4,128 players, winning $2,118 to more than double his $1,000 entry fee. "I have a very small bucket list, more like a thimble list, and playing at this event was on it," says Strauss, a resident of Twinsburg and a vice president and creative director at Wyse Advertising. "It exceeded all my expectations and was such an unbelievable experience. It was a great environment. ... All the dealers said it was their favorite event to work. I am definitely coming back to play in it next year." After picking up his winnings at the Rio hotel, Strauss stopped at a video poker machine at The Cosmopolitan and invested $20. Three hands later, he had won $200. "I knew then that I had to get out of there, and came back [home] a day early."