The Bakersfield Breakfast Lions Club presented their fourth annual Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament on March 27 at the Elks Lodge to raise money for multiple charities.
As of late, the Lions have “purchased up to four to five K-9 companions, which assist people with special needs,” as Randy Raymond Jr., the operations supervisor of Raymond’s Trophy’s and Awards and member of the Lions stated in an email.
With around 100 Lions members and card players in attendance, the dance floor at the Elks Lodge quickly transformed into a small casino, finished with card tables, poker chips and dealers set to let the cards fly at 6:30 p.m. Seats for the tournament cost $100 each, including a steak dinner and an open bar.
One of the dealers had professional experience. David Hulsey spent six years working at the Golden West Casino in east Bakersfield. Hulsey commented on his education: “I went to Bakersfield College for two years and transferred and graduated Foothill High in 1966, and then my son graduated [at Foothill] in ’88.”
Hulsey dealt the final table, with another 9 players, including the entire Raymond family: mom Sherry, dad Randy Sr., older brother Randy Jr. and younger Joe, and other Lions members, unidentified, at the final table. At this time, blinds were at $5,000 small and $10,000 big. Sherry Raymond dominated coming into the final table with an estimated $100,000 in chips. One by one all of the other players fell, and Sherry Raymond beat out Sean Minor with a king of spades.