Everyone loves a good game of cards from time to time – Euchre, Blackjack and of course, Texas Hold’em. On February 9th, Recreation Services Intramurals hosted a Texas Hold’em tournament consisting of 84 participants! Even more amazing, only two of these participants were women. After multiple rounds of advancing, junior Skylar Bloom, took the cake and walked home the first ever female Texas Hold’em Intramural champion. 

We wanted to know more about this girl boss so we sat down and asked her a few questions:

What year in school are you?

• I’m a Junior, but it’s my 2nd year. 

Where are you from?

• I’m from DeWitt, Iowa.

What other card games do you know?

• I know too many card games… Black Jack, Euchre, Pitch, Hand and Foot, King’s Corner, Rummy, ERS (Egyptian Rat Slap)… the list goes on and continues to grow. 

How long have you played Texas Hold’em for and how did you learn?

• My uncle taught me to play poker when I was about 10 years old. I played at home with my dad until I was in high school and old enough to play at my uncle’s poker tournaments. I didn’t entirely understand the game, but enjoyed playing. When I got to college, I took Math 104 Introduction to Probability with Dr. Hunacek and he explained probability through card games including Texas Hold’em. He taught us how to determine the likelihood that a card may appear on the table and that the opposing player has a better hand and it helped me understand the game better.

How does it feel to be the Texas Hold’em champion in competition of 82 male participants and 2 female participants?

• Pretty cool. I was intimidated by all of the guys at first, but wanted to prove that girls can play cards too. I played last year too and was thrilled to have made it to the final three tables, but this year I was determined to make it all the way to the final table. When I actually made it to the final table, I had to contain my excitement so I could keep my head in the game. 

Any other important information you’d like us to include?

• I’ve also played a lot of other intramurals and think they’re awesome. There’s so many different options – card games, traditional sports, unique competitions like battleship H2O – there’s really no excuse not to get involved. It’s a great way to make new friends, try new things and stay active. 

Congratulations, Skylar! Wear your champion t-shirt with pride! 

If you are interested in joining an intramural, you can find the list here.