Goonies Never Say Die: Former Marine Tim Adkison Makes Astoria Proud in Big 50
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On Thursday afternoon, the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #3: Big 50 $500 No-Limit Hold��em �C the largest tournament in poker history with 28,371 entries �C went on its second 20-minute break of the day.
Just 50 players remained with 27-year-old Tim Adkison among them. For the first time in four days he was on the shorter side of things with a 14-big-blind stack, still plenty to work with. He was also to the direct left of poker pro Kevin Calenzo, so position was in his favor.
Adkison grabbed a burger from the food stand outside the famed Amazon Room and reflected on the experience.
"There��s no more fish in this entire tournament, so every chip is important.��
��Because of the tournament itself, it��s awesome,�� he says referring to the record-breaking tournament. ��I��ve played pretty deep in other tournaments but this is obviously the deepest. It��s pretty tough. There��s no more fish in this entire tournament, so every chip is important.��
It actually marked Adkison��s second attempt at the Big 50 after busting an early bullet.
��I pre-regged the first time and made it to Level 10,�� he explains. ��I busted and got back in line for the next day. It wasn��t that bad of a line as it was after midnight.��
He continues: ��It��s actually been pretty smooth sailing. I��ve been at 30 big blinds pretty much the entire tournament. I��m the lowest I��ve ever been right now at 14 big blinds. I��ve been a bigger stack pretty much the entire tournament.��
The Hollywood of Oregon
Adkison first learned to play poker around 12 years old, which is when his older brothers, who were swept up in the ��Poker Boom,�� invited him to a game.
��They invited me to play as they needed someone to play with,�� Adkison says. ��That��s how I learned to play originally.��
Adkison grew up in Astoria, Oregon, which might ring a bell to many Gen Xers and Millennial poker players.
��If you��ve ever seen The Goonies you��ve seen Astoria,�� says Adkison referring to the 1985 adventure flick that gave pop culture such memorable characters as Sloth, Chunk, Brand, Mouth, Data, and Mama Fratelli. It may be the most well-known movie to have filmed in Astoria but certainly wasn��t the last.
��It��s like the Hollywood of Oregon,�� Adkison adds. ��The Ring 2 filmed there, Kindergarten Cop and some other films.��
Finding His Way to Vegas
Adkison��s journey has taken him away from Astoria, the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, and to the bright lights of Las Vegas - though not without some service in between.
��I joined ROTC at Oregon State University in 2010 and I commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps,�� he explains. ��After I was commissioned I had a small wait before I went to what��s called The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. That was six months at TBS where you learn basic infantry and things like that.��
From there, Adkison relocated to Twentynine Palms, California where he became a communications officer for the Marines.
��I dealt with military networks, computers, phones, anything basically that shoots communications."
��I dealt with military networks, computers, phones, anything basically that shoots communications,�� he shares. ��I was stationed at Camp Pendleton for three years. I stayed there. I never went overseas or anything.��
When he got out, Adkison traveled the 290 miles Northeast to set up shop in Las Vegas in order to attend UNLV. He��s currently a student there majoring in accounting while playing poker on the side. Right now, the side gig is certainly paying off.
The top 50 players were guaranteed $22,383 in prize money, already a new career-best for Adkison. His previous best was $13,125 for finishing 28th in a 2016 Socal Poker championship $350 NLH event. All told he had $33,829 in live tournament earnings before entering the Big 50.
��I��ll be playing the Millionaire Maker, the Monster Stack obviously, and a few other events,�� he says when asked about his summer plans. But what about the WSOP Main Event? ��If I win enough I��ll play it. Actually, I guess I��ll play it because I just won enough to enter. I��m kind of freerolling.��
Unfortunately, Adkison's run came to an end shortly after returning from the break when he was eliminated in 40th place for $27,620. For now, it's on to the next one.
The Big 50 is still rolling along and you can follow along via the PokerNews Live Updates here.
