With Mother’s Day this Sunday a Manitowoc man tells the story of a poker game that “defies the odds” and, saw his late mother “hand” him a very unexpected loss!
In fact, Walt Ziel decided he needed to “write a song about that memorable game of Texas Holdem” in Ladd, Illinois on July 4th, 1999.
Walt’s mom, Mary Elizabeth, who passed away in 2004, was her son’s biggest fan when he was a high school basketball player at LaSalle-Peru Township. She was also an extremely competitive person & loved to play cards. During the Family Reunion at Ziel’s cousin, Barb & Ron Swingel’s house 21-years ago, Walt’s hand of aces full ”lost” to his mother’s 4-treys.
He was later informed the odds of losing with aces full…against anyone…much less his mother, is 32-hundred-to-1!
Walt & Judy Ziel’s son, Stephen wrote the music for the final composition performed at Chicago Recording Company in 2007, a venture that cost him $3,000 for the studio and musicians. He remarked, “everybody should have such an experience..it was so unique.” Walt explains..it took 2-to-3 weeks to refine the lyrics for ‘Texas Holdem Rocks” and, besides being a tribute to his mother, Ziel said, “I was happy to have the time with my son Stephen (a musician) and share this unique experience.”
The song is on iTunes and is available for download.
Texas Holdem Rocks
When you play Texas Hold’em and you take your seat
The thing you fear most is a bad beat
To win all the chips is the goal of the game
Then you can claim your 15 minutes of fame
If you’re dealt a pair the odds are with you
Suited connectors are a good hand to
When the cards were dealt he had aces wired
He looked a second time to see if the cars were liars
On the flop came in Ace and a pair of treys
He couldn’t believe his eyes he was in a daze
On the turn came of Jack have no help for the table
You felt like a stallion the king of the stable
He played his hand slow he was setting a trap
On the river came at seven if it seemed pat
When you play Texas Hold’em and you take your seat
The thing you for your most is a bad beat.
To win all the chips is the goal of the game
Then you can claim your 15 minutes of fame.
He went all in looking for dead money
one woman stayed and said “I’ll call sunny”
He showed her his aces and eyed up the pot
she laid down four treys and said “I’m afraid not”
He squirmed in his seat and looked at the others
They laughed out loud he just lost his mother
When you play Texas Hold’em and you take your seat
The thing you fear most is a bad beat
With the loss of that hand he was out of the game
Mom went on to claim her 15 minutes of fame
