Seniors ante up at Golden Hour

The chips flew to the center of the table and the players continued to raise each other.

A tense showdown ensued as players quietly revealed their cards to each other. A wide smile quickly forms on Dottie Krauss' face when she realizes she has the best hand. She stands up and pulls the pile of chips towards her section of the table. Conversation suddenly resumes as the group talks about the pot Krauss won and the more cheerful banter resumes.

Amongst the activities and games offered at Golden Hour Senior Center, the weekly poker game can be the tensest. Poker itself is a game where players play and bluff their way towards winning a large pot at the end of the round and can be taken extremely seriously. While moments like that do exist, the table each Thursday shifts between a fun game between friends and a serious game between friends trying to best each other. A serious atmosphere does descend, but it never lasts long.

"We have a lot of fun," Carmen Tune, a player at the table, said.

The games shift each hand, depending on the dealer's preference. One hand can focus on Omaha rules, while the next becomes a hand of Dr. Pepper, Wyoming, or High Chicago-style poker. While the seniors buy in to play, Krauss said they donate the money raised to Golden Hour. Most players sit behind a stack of chips with values between $5 and $10.

"Easy come, easy go," Kraus says a few hands after winning her large pot. Krauss said she started with $10 in chips and estimated she would end the game with $8.50.

While the game makes for great practice for someone aiming to warm up before a trip to Riverton or Wendover, Nev., the group enjoys the chance to have an afternoon of cards with friends while playing cards.

"We look forward to every Thursday," Krauss said.