Wanda Phillips
March 27, 2012
Cajun-focused center going up
March 28, 2012
Seven years ago, Cut Off native Clyde Duet had no idea when to hold ‘em or fold ‘em – he didn’t even know the rules of poker.
He sure learned fast.
Now, he’s a Texas Hold’em Champion.
Duet earned that distinction in February when he won the Louisiana Poker Tour’s Championship Tournament.
The local took home the title after beating seven other players (including his wife Gayle who finished third place) in the elite, eight-player field, which is comprised of the top point scorers from that charitable organization’s 2011 poker season, which spanned close to 30 tournaments.
“It’s a pretty cool feeling,” Duet said. “This is pretty awesome. The only sad thing about it was that my wife was also in the championship table – this is two years in a row that she makes it as the only female – but I ended up knocking her out of the tournament. That wasn’t a good feeling. But everything else was awesome. It almost felt surreal.”
Perhaps the reason why Duet had that surreal feeling was the way the final hand of the tournament played out.
With just two players left in the tournament, Duet trailed his good friend – Thibodaux native and eventual runner-up Randy Landry.
But the Cut Off native fought back and eventually took a sizeable chip lead.
It was then that Landry pushed all of his chips in after being dealt a spade-suited Ace, seven.
Duet called Landry’s bet holding Ace, King of clubs. That sent the balance of the championship to the dealer’s next five cards.
“Once I called him, that sort of was like the moment of truth,” Duet said.
First the flop: the four of spades, the 10 of spades and the three of clubs – Landry was one card away from a flush. But Duet still had the lead.
Then the turn – a seven. Landry hit a pair and now held a commanding mathematical lead. Anything but a king on the river meant Duet was beat.
Then it happened.
“The dealer turned over the last card and I caught my king,” Duet said. “I was the champion. I couldn’t believe it for a second. No one in the building could believe it. There was a lot of drama with the way it happened on the last card like that. But it was like a great sense of relief. It really was a pretty neat thing. I caught my card and that time, I got lucky.”
Duet’s trek to the top marked an improbable comeback in the event for the local hold’em enthusiast, who got his start in the sport in Feb. 2005 when he took part in a local charity event.
That’s because midway through the championships, it looked like Duet would be one-upped – by someone in his own household.
Clyde went heads-up with Gayle for a critical pot with “a whole lot of chips” on the line.
With both players continuing to bet to keep the pot growing, Gayle’s cards outdid the eventual champion’s, adding to her stack.
The dent was enough to have Clyde Duet wondering if he had enough muster to rally back and become a threat for the title.
“We had worked a full year to get to that point,” Gayle said. “I told him before the tournament started, ‘Play your hand. Play your way.’ So that’s what I did. I played my hand. And that time, I got him.’”
“We were both playing to win,” Clyde added. “And at that point, she crippled me. She really did. I said at that point, ‘OK, it’s time to go to work.’ That’s what I did. One hand at a time.”
Clyde did just that, slowly mustering momentum before running into Gayle again with only three players left in the game.
This time, he knocked her out, which set up his showdown with Landry in the finals.
“It’s not easy to play against her,” Clyde said. “I don’t take any pleasure in knocking her out. That’s not fun to me.”
While beating Gayle in the finals may not be fun, both Duets say the Louisiana Poker Tour is full of good times for all.
Both husband and wife touted the expansion in the tour for the 2012 season, which will feature more than 20 tournaments all across Louisiana.
This year, the championship at the end of the tournament schedule will expand from eight to 16. The tournaments also are more “player-friendly,” as well.
“There are door prizes at the events,” Clyde said. “And some of the tournaments offer free soft drinks and door prizes. It’s really just a fun atmosphere – it’s something that we’d like to see more people get involved in.”
The Duets stressed that they are not interested in profit, nor personal gain when playing LPT Texas hold’em.
They instead have two basic goals for playing – of which they believe everyone in the community shares.
The first is philanthropy.
The Louisiana Poker Tour donates revenues from their events to several worthy charities throughout the area, including local Lion’s Clubs and American Legions.
“To be able to do something I enjoy doing and also give back to the community while doing it. That, to me, is fulfilling,” Clyde said. “That is why I love this game as much as I do.”
The second is friendship.
The Duets say they have added to their family through the people they have met at various local tournaments.
“We have met hundreds and hundreds of people from all walks of life through this game,” Clyde said. “We are on a first name basis with people that we’d have never otherwise have known. It’s the people. The people is why we enjoy this so much.”
“When you walk in, everyone is there to give you a hug and to ask how you’re doing and things like that,” Gayle added. “Everyone involved is someone that you’ll probably end up being friends with for a very long time.”
So with the 2012 season just in its infancy, the defending champion has a message to any Tri-parish card players: go out and try and take him off his perch as champion.
That’s all right by him.
“Because the more numbers we have, the more we’re going to be giving to the charities at the end,” Clyde said with a smile. “That’s what it’s all about to me.”
Cut Off native Clyde Duet peeks at his cards at a recent Louisiana Poker Tour event. Duet won that organization’s championship in February.
