Father-and-son bonding in the Pacific Northwest mostly features hiking, fishing or camping under the shadows of beautiful Mt. Rainer and Mt. Baker. However, Dave Johnson and his son, Matt, have discovered a new way to bond. For the past three years, they have traveled to Las Vegas to play in the World Series of Poker. They room together at the Bellagio and drive to the Rio together. Both are excellent poker players from north of Seattle, and both tried their luck and skill against the thousands of players from more than 100 countries, all competing for more than $222 million.
This year, Dave, a major home builder and developer and, Matt, a real estate agent, played Event 5 (pot-limit hold’em), and both were out on Day 1. They commiserated with each other and shared their bad-beat stories; undaunted they played in separate hold’em cash games.
They usually stay in Las Vegas for about five days, having a great time enjoying fine dining, great shows and exciting poker.
“Matt and I have a great time at the WSOP every year, win or lose,” Dave said. “I enjoy the time together with my son.”
— Dr. Barton Gratt is the Ante Up Ambassador for the Pacific Northwest. Email him at anteupbarton@gmail.com and you can read more from him at pokerstoriesandmore.com.
