Posted at 3:39 p.m., Monday, February 12, 2007
Wahiawa's Leroy Chincio wins slot on World Poker Tour
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Chincio, 39, won the two-day tournament held in conjunction with the Hawaii Big Boys Expo. The Hawaiian Electric Co. construction manager has only been playing the game since 2004, but he's a huge fan.
"It has always been my dream to play in the World Poker Tour," he said. "I watch it religiously on TV and, of course, I daydream about it. But I would never cough up $10,000 to enter a tournament. I knew this was the only way I could get in."
About 400 people played in the Honolulu tournament, held Friday and Saturday at the Blaisdell Center.
Chincio calls poker a "thinking man's game" and confesses that a little luck never hurt anybody. But it takes more than that to win, he said.
"You have to take risks," he said.
Chincio will play March 3-5 in the WPT Celebrity Invitational.
Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.
