JEROME - Jason Johnson is a great poker player, but you might not want to ask him to pick your lottery numbers.

Though he earned a seat at this year's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas through skillful play, on day two the Buhl man went all-in and lost - on an unlucky card, a three-in-40 shot.

"Somebody hit a miracle card and took me out," Johnson said on Monday, during a break from play at The Island Bar and Grill in Jerome.

The Twin Falls poker league has restarted after a summer break, and league organizer C.R. Larsen kicked off the fourth season with a surprise: He named Johnson, along with two other players, to the league's new hall of fame.

"I thought some people should be recognized for their good play," Larsen said. "Like Jason Johnson. Obviously he won this year the big tournament at the end, and last year he made it to the top three in that same tournament, and last year he was in top 10 for points for the league."

Joining Johnson in the hall of fame - which so far isn't a permanent display - are Jeff Pohlman of Twin Falls and Steve Vogt of Buhl.

Pohlman, who has played poker for three years, was twice in the top three in the league's final annual tournament - the one that determines who earns the seat to the World Series - and has placed in the top 10 in points the past two years. Points are earned by wins during regular league play.

Vogt, a poker player for 29 years, was the points leader the league's first year, and won all the quarterly tournaments that year.

"Normally when you get down to the final table, they're the ones you're going to see," Larsen said. "I wanted to put them up on a pedestal and show people how they play. People that are new to poker don't understand the etiquette sometimes. These guys have it all the way around."

Sharing the feeling

Wide-eyed poker neophytes might be intimidated by a table with Johnson, Pohlman and Vogt, but the men say they're happy to help people learn the game.

They want to share the winning feeling - and the thrill of taking a pot through skill rather than luck.

"A lot of it is you don't have to have the best hand to win," Pohlman said. "The adrenaline rush from getting people to fold, and at the same time knowing when to fold, when you're beat. … Every two new cards you get is a chance to win a pot."

In the Twin Falls league, the pots are just chips; no money changes hands. The league pays its bills - including the $10,000 buy-in to the World Series - by charging the bars where it meets a fee for meeting there. So buying food or beverages from those businesses is encouraged but not required among players.

Many of the players at the nine meetings each week are regulars.

"The better you get, the more you want to play," Pohlman said. "Getting to the final table every night is the goal. It's very addicting."

Playing with the big boys

Though he usually lays down his chips in the dark back rooms of local bars with other south-central Idaho poker afficionados, Johnson was thrilled to win the league's final tournament last year, and with it the option to take $5,000 cash or a seat in the World Series.

He opted for the seat. Though that turned out to be an expensive choice - the travel, hotel and entertainment bills in Vegas added up - he's glad he made it.

"It's like the regular Joe going and playing with Michael Jordan in the NBA finals," Johnson said. "That was something, to go down there, see the people you've been watching on TV for years."

Though Johnson didn't end up playing with any celebrities, he was one table away from Scotty Nguyen and Ray Romano, both highly respected players.

About 6,800 players started this year's World Series, and though he doesn't remember his exact placement, Johnson estimates only about a third were left when he struck his unlucky hand. That he remembers clearly.

"I jumped up and down and screamed a little bit," he said. "I was unhappy."

His loss doesn't bother the league players back home.

"He made the best call, the right move. … If he would have won that hand, he was putting himself in a great position to make it all the way into not only day three but day four," Larsen said. "Everybody here that plays in the poker league has someone tangible they can talk to who made it into the World Series and got kicked out because he got unlucky."

In the coming years, more Twin Falls league players will have the chance to try their luck - and their skill - at the World Series of Poker.

Pohlman hopes one will be him, since two years ago he opted for the cash instead of the tournament seat.

"If I would do it all over again, I'd rewind time and go to the World Series," he said.

In the meantime, his place in Twin Falls poker is as tangible as the plaque he received for his selection to the hall of fame, and he thanks Larsen for instituting the tradition.

"For him to put the thought into doing that, it's only going to make the league better," Pohlman said. Having a hall of fame to aspire to is upping the quality of play throughout the league, he said. "If I wasn't there already, I'd want to be on it."

Ariel Hansen may be reached at (208) 735-3376 or ariel.hansen@lee.net.

Throw in your chips

Poker League-Twin Falls Division meets nine times a week:

7 p.m. Mondays, The Island Bar and Grill (formerly Mr. Bill's), 101 N. Alder St., Jerome.

7 p.m. Tuesdays, Pioneer Club, 1519 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls.

7 p.m. Wednesdays, Mazatlan Grill, 2096 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls.

7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, Kruzers, 121 Fourth Ave. S., Twin Falls.

2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturdays, Bowladrome, 220 Eastland Drive, Twin Falls.

2 p.m. Sundays, Pioneer Club.

7 p.m. Sundays (triple points night), The Ground Round, 2128 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls.

Information: C.R. Larsen, 420-8973. The league also has a social networking page: myspace.com/twinfallspokerleague.