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ESPN 97.5 and SportsMap present the Houston Online Poker Charity Classic, 4th edition

ESPN 97.5 and SportsMap present the Houston Online Poker Charity Classic, 4th edition
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Looking to get in on some action while doing good for charity? On Saturday, May 2, at 2 p.m., ESPN 97.5 and SportsMap are putting on the Houston Online Poker Charity Classic using Pokerstars.net. This will be our fourth and possibly, final tournament. The first, second and third were a major success.

The tournament will be $50, with an optional $10 donation, which will go to two charities, one in the Houston area and one in Beaumont.


How to play

PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER!

You will need a Pokerstars.net account. (Also .bet). It is the free site. Do not sign up for Pokerstars.com; it is not legal in the U.S. You will need a laptop or desk top; the site does not support mobile for home games.

Once you are set up on poker stars, go to home games (lower right hand corner on your laptop), and join group ESPN97.5/SportsMap with club ID Club #3411044. You will need 20,000 free chips to sign up for the tournament. You get 35,000 when you open your account. If needed you can collect 15k in free chips every four hours, or buy a million for $2.99.

The password/invitation code is 975pokerwin

Once signed up, send your $60 through PayPal to promotion@gowmedia.com, but SELECT "SENDING TO A FRIEND" not "goods and services." OR use "Cash App" and send your $60 to $ESPN975. Please add your screen name and do NOT use "poker" in any comments/subject field. Once your payment has been received, your ID will be approved. (we approve by groups once a day). Once approved you will need to register for the specific tournament by selecting "schedule" at the top and then "register" at the bottom right by buying in with your 20,000 chips. If you do not pay, your account all not be verified in the group. Registration will close at noon on Saturday, so you must sign up before then. Your account will be pending until you pay the entry fee.

Money will be paid out to the top 15 percent finishers. The donations go to two great causes.

Kids' Meals Houston

Kid's Meals delivers food to pre-school aged children in Houston. Many families are suffering more than ever, and Kids' Meals is helping impoverished families feed their children.

Southeast Texas Food Bank

We don't want to forget our friends and listeners in Beaumont and the Golden Triangle. Southeast Texas Food Bank provides services all over the Golden Triangle area. They are partnered with over 130 non-profit agencies and schools in Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, Jasper, Newton, Polk, Sabine, and Tyler Counties.

The bottom line

The tournaments have been a great success, but since the state is reopening, this will likely be the last one.If you want to continue to play in our free poker club, you can read about that here.

Any questions, please email promotion@gowmedia.com

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Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes have been the Astros' best hitters. Composite Getty Image.

It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.

Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.

What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.

His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.

The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.

And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.

Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.

But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.

Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.

And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.

For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.

Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.

We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!

The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!

*ChatGPT assisted.

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