When William Rockwell of San Diego, California, wins a big pot in a game of Texas Hold 'em poker, his opponents may be tempted to say, Good hand, a commonly offered compliment. But since Rockwell plays with his feet, a new term, something like, "Good foot, William," might have to be coined to describe his style. As a result of a motorcycle accident at 100 mph sixteen years ago, William Rockwell lost one arm completely, and the functional use of the other. An avid online poker player, Rockwell approached his favorite casino site, GoldenPalace.com, explained his situation, and asked them to sponsor him with a $10,000 registration fee in the 2005 World Series of Poker. This championship tournament, held each year in Las Vegas since 1970, attracted 5600+ poker players in 2005. Rockwell was in the hunt for the first prize of $7.5 million dollars. Prior to World Series play, tournament personnel checked him out. He needs to slide his cards up a wooden wedge to take a look at them. Can others see them that way? Nope, that checked out OK. He finished 1,418 out of the 5,600+ in the Championship event, going up against some of the biggest stars in the game. GoldenPalace.com continued their support of William's play in several other major tournaments: Legends of Poker and two Ultimate Poker Challenge tournaments. He only needs help in stacking chips. GoldenPalace.com provided a beautiful young woman for that task. None of the men at the tables complained. He was a golfer before the accident. How does he do now? Ever the competitor, he enters the annual National Putting Championships. Recently he won a local event, beating out the club pro. Rockwell started a foundation in 2001 which bears his name. It sponsors an annual golf tournament in the San Diego area. The proceeds go to organizations serving children with disabilities. Dave Pelz, author of Dave Pelz Putting Bible, calls William a putting hero, and puts him a class with top golf pros Ben Crenshaw, George Archer, and Payne Stewart. GoldenPalace.com is supporting his play in the 2006 WSOP by advancing another $10,000 registration fee. More than 6,000 participants are expected to form the largest payout pool of any sporting event: in history about $10 million dollars. Consider that the total prize money for the four major golf tournaments each year do not approach that figure. This event will be held at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas in July and August of this year. William plays regularly in the Indian casinos in the San Diego area and online. The other week, he says, he won $1,000 in online poker tournaments. He admits he's hooked. "I'll always be a poker player," says this 35 year old. (c) 2006 Murphy James |
