An unemployed man from San Jose is living his dream after he won a seat at a prestigious poker tournament. Blandine Gines took part in an online poker satellite tournament last week, and survived three rounds, beating out 590,000 players, to win a seat at the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas. A stark contrast to the way his idle, Doyle Brunson, started his career several decades ago.
The NBC National Heads-UP tournament ordinarily has a $20,000 entry fee. The prize is half a million dollars, and the tournament, which features a field of 64 players, will be televised.
Gines has not had much financial luck in his life. He emigrated from Manila in 1975, and since then he has worked several different jobs, including Salmon canning in Alaska, grape picking in Modesto, and construction work when it was available.
If he wins the tournament he plans to buy a new house, and a car for his wife.
His wife said “I never paid attention to what he was doing on that computer. I just wanted him to get a job and help me out.” She has now almost converted to the chance that her husband could make a career out of playing poker online.
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