Eddie Timanus: Champion of Champions

By Nolan Dalla

(All Rights Reserved)

 

Imagine playing poker without the benefit of sight. Try it. Next time you are dealt a poker hand, close your eyes. Don’t peak at your cards or look down at the table while you play. Try to rely strictly on speech cues and sound for all of your decisions. How do you keep track of your chips? How will you know when it’s your turn to act? Is a straight possible? Is a flush possible? Could anyone play, let alone WIN under such conditions?

The answer is positively -- YES.

Five years ago, I was playing in a low-limit hold’em game in Atlantic City. It was a typical Saturday afternoon, until an usual thing occurred. What transpired next was something I had never seen in a cardroom before -- nor since.

A young man approached the table with a friend standing close by his side. The man sat down and joined the game. His friend took a seat directly behind him. The new player placed two-hundred dollars on the felt. Two stacks of red chips were pushed to the player, who reached out awkwardly until his hands came to a rest over the chips. The chips were grouped into several small stacks along the rail. As he gazed straight ahead, the player asked the dealer to "call out" the board cards – which seemed like an odd request. The dealer obliged. From that point forward, the dealer announced the flop, the turn card, then the river card in sequence.

When the first two cards were dealt, the man’s friend (sitting behind him) glanced over the man’s shoulder and whispered the ranks and suits into the player’s ear. From then on, the game followed the usual betting structure and speed. The player made his own decisions and the "sweater" kept silent. By outside glances, there was nothing unusual about the game. The player’s actions never slowed up the game and he rarely asked for clarification.

Now, let’s complicate the issue even further. Instead of hold’em -- imagine playing a Omaha high-low. Could a visually-impaired person play a high-low spit game and stand any chance of winning? Remember, Omaha necessitates memorizing NINE cards, not just seven. The added complexity of remembering suits, high-hands, low-hands, and qualifiers would seem to add a great deal of confusion to the game – almost beyond comprehension (again, if you don’t believe me – try it sometime). Later that afternoon, I witnessed the player playing Omaha. He even won money, albeit a small amount, by choosing his starting hands selectively, and then betting aggressively when he determined his hand had value.

I was amazed by what I had witnessed. After the game broke up, I approached the player. We talked for a several minutes. I learned his name was Eddie Timanus. Eddie, if you haven’t guessed by now -- is TOTALLY BLIND.

I found Eddie not only to be sociable, but an astounding example of what some people do to overcome adversity. Imagine the challenge of playing poker under the conditions Eddie faces every single day -- relying solely upon memory and the other senses to make decisions. I suspect it would be a burden that very few of us (even world champion players with exceptional talent) could overcome at the poker table. To extrapolate the point by actually winning money would seem nearly impossible.

I wrote about my experience with Eddie in the April 19, 1996 issue of Card Player. The column was titled "Profiles in Courage" and used Eddie as an illustration that virtually anything is possible, if you put your mind to it.

 

The "Profiles in Courage" column proved to be one of the most popular things I have ever written for this magazine. I received many letters and e-mails -- some from disabled people and several other people who stopped to praise Eddie’s efforts. Some readers even asked for Eddie’s address and phone number because they wanted to send him a personal note. Unfortunately, I could not comply with such requests. I was saddened that I did not see Eddie again in Atlantic City in the coming months. I suspected that casino poker might have been a one-time adventure for him – presuming he had accepted the challenge, surpassed expectations, and thus moved on to other things.

Other things, indeed.

Several months ago, I turned on the popular television game show, Jeopardy. I watch Jeopardy regularly and have even known a few poker players who have appeared as contestants on the show. I suppose an appearance on Jeopardy is somewhat analogous, intellectually speaking, to making the final table of a major poker tournament; You are in a high-profile position and can win a lot of money. But, the prestige can be equally satisfying.

Sure enough, one night on Jeopardy -- there was Eddie! He was a contestant on the show! Aside from having played poker with him years earlier, I was eager to see how Eddie would perform under the circumstances. Without the benefit of sight, Eddie had to listen carefully to host Alex Trabek’s voice since he could not see the visual cues like his opponents. The only special accommodation he was given was a small cue card, with all categories written in Braille. Naturally, Eddie became an instant crowd favorite. Midway through the second round, Eddie responded correctly to a "Daily Double" and took the lead. The audience roared. When the game ended, Eddie had the most money. He won the game. The ovation from the studio audience was extraordinary.

The following night, as is customary for the champion to return, Eddie came back on the show and faced two other contestants. He won again. The following night, Eddie won yet again. He won the fourth game, as well. On the fifth and final night, Eddie was playing for the exalted status of five-time champion -- a feat achieved by exceedingly few players. Eddie won an exciting match and became Jeopardy’s five-time champion and perhaps it most celebrated and popular contestant in history.

 

But wait, there’s more.

Several months later, Eddie was invited to Atlanta to play Jeopardy again. This time, he was to appear in the 2000 "Tournament of Champions." In the championship match, Eddie would face much tougher competition – all five-time champions and big money winners who had won matches over the course of a year. The questions would also prove to be much more difficult. It would be the supreme test of knowledge, combined with quick intellect and good reflexes. In his first match, Eddie faced a grueling challenge. He trailed early on. In the second round, he took the lead and eventually won the game. The victory meant that Eddie would play in the semi-finals and the chance to play in the championship for $100,000 in prize money. Then, the critical moment came. Late in the game, Eddie was just slightly behind the leader when he hit a Daily Double. Eddie decided to gamble and made a sizable wager. The category was on the middle names of famous people. The Daily Double "answer" read as follows: "Former Secretary of Defense with the middle name ‘Strange." Eddie couldn’t come up with the correct reply – which was Robert "S." McNamara. Eddie’s wrong answer cost him the game. He finished a close second.

Eddie’s accomplishments on Jeopardy were truly staggering, particularly when considering it’s not only a game that requires diverse knowledge, but quick reflexes and rapid hand-eye coordination, as well. Just as in poker, circumstances would have made it seem impossible to play -- yet alone win multiple games and defeat highly-skilled opponents. Common presumptions about the physically challenged were, once again, proven wrong. It can’t be done? Don’t tell that to Eddie Timanus.

After the program aired, I was surprised to discover that Eddie lives only a few miles from my home. Guided by my interest in the events that had taken place in Atlantic City five years ago -- and by his recent success on Jeopardy -- and by my insatiable curiosity to know more about this exceptional individual, I phoned Eddie to learn more about his story. We set a dinner date and I listened.

Eddie Timanus was born 32 years ago in a suburban community just north of Kansas City, Missouri. He was an only child and moved to the Washington, DC area with his parents at the age of nine. He attended public schools throughout his childhood and later graduated with a degree in economics from Wake Forest University, in North Carolina.

But Eddie’s real passion is, and always has been -- sports. The son of a sports broadcaster, Eddie grew up listening to sports on the radio – hearing voices that painted vivid images of events. In 1994, Eddie turned his lifelong dream into reality when he began working for USA Today as a sportswriter. Using voice-activated technology and special computer software programs, Eddie ultimately has become one of America’s top reporters covering college football. In fact, his specialty is conducting the USA Today "Top 25 Poll." Every week, Eddie tabulates the votes of all the college coaches for the rankings (he’s the only person in the nation that knows how each college coach votes). So, when you pick up a copy of USA Today and you see the college football rankings, you are seeing Eddie’s work first-hand.

When contemplating Eddie’s responsibilities as a full-time sportswriter, I had to ask the potentially annoying question that we all must wonder. Namely -- HOW DOES HE DO IT? This was a delicate subject as I know those with disabilities are eager to be judged on their terms. The disabled and physically-challenged do not want special rights nor privileges from society -- only equal access to the freedoms and opportunities we all have. They also want to be judged equally --without special attention given to disability.

But in the case of a sportswriter, a Jeopardy contestant, or a poker player -- I still wondered how the loss of sight wouldn’t normally preclude an individual from those activities. For example -- how does he follow sports, when so much of coverage relies on television viewing?

Eddie was quick to inform me.

He replied that he relies primarily on radio broadcasts. Eddie listens to a game and imagines the spectacle of a running back crashing off left-tackle for a first down, the thrill of a last-second shot at the buzzer, or the pastoral celebration of baseball’s opening day. He occasionally writes articles on other sports as well, and regularly compiles statistics that are printed in the sports section.

However, Eddie is not content with merely watching others compete. He has become, in many ways, a master of all games – learning not only poker (hold’em, Omaha, and stud), but other cards games such as bridge, hearts, cribbage, pinnacle, and gin. He is also an accomplished backgammon and chess player. Last but not least, Eddie most recently made another game show appearance – this time on Who Wants to be A Millionaire? Eddie was the "lifeline" for a friend who was a contestant on the show. When the friend couldn’t answer the question, he phoned Eddie who knew the correct answer. Eddie’s "final answer" was worth $125,000 in prize money.

Eddie continues to play poker. He regularly plays in home games with friends, although admits that remembering the upcards in seven-card stud can sometimes be a bit "challenging," as he modestly puts it. During a recent visit to Las Vegas, Eddie appeared in the Mirage poker room, where he played several sessions. A few poker players and dealers recognized Eddie instantly from his appearance on Jeopardy, which in his words caused him to become "a local celebrity in the poker room." During his week long visit, he played hold’em because, as he points out -- "its easier to remember the cards….and it’s my best game." Predictably, he booked a win. The same can likely be said for anyone that’s sat with Eddie in any game, if victories are measured solely by inspiration.

Eddie is a personal testament to the vast potential of the human mind when it is pushed to the limits of greatness. He is a role model for all of us who strive to be better poker players and better people. In my many years of meeting people in poker rooms from all walks of life -- I have never quite met anyone as remarkable as Eddie Timanus.

Next: The Eddie Timanus Interview