(Dec. 15) BREAKING NEWS: Tony Stevens and Jason Barrett claim top honors at the 2008 Kansas No-Limit Poker Grand Championship. After nearly 10 hours of continuous competition, Jason Barrett of Kansas City wins the No-Limit Texas Holdem Bracelet. After making the final table in the Kansas City Championship, Barrett came prepared to play and never lost focus on his goal of winning it all. Jerrod Humerickhouse of McLouth and "Mean Gene" Kimber of Olpe finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

To win the 2008 Grand Championship Bracelet, Tony Stevens had the monumental task of beating 55 of the State's best players in 4 different types of poker, all played no-limit. Stevens hails from Manhattan where he manages the popular poker room at Bobby T's. Robby Werner of Shawnee and Sheila Gropp of Topeka rounded out the top 3 spots.

Kansas Poker News congratulates all of the players who made this tournament such a fitting conclusion to a great 2008 Season. The full photo story will be published this week.

(Dec. 8) BREAKING NEWS: State Championship Main Event is set for Dec. 13th in Topeka. Wild Card Rounds set for Dec. 12th and 13th. Wild Cards are Open to All Players who have not yet qualified for the Main Event. They are the final opportunities to qualify for the Main Event. FOR ALL DETAILS REGARDING THE WILD CARD AND MAIN EVENT DATES / TIMES / RULES / STRUCTURING/ etc. PLEASE CLICK HERE.

(Dec. 11). BREAKING NEWS: Joe Geisler wins the 2008 Manhattan No-Limit Texas Holdem Championship. After nearly 7 hours of competition, the tournament was locked in a 3-way battle between Ralph Nyberg, Shiva Garimella, and Joe Geisler.

Tournament Manager Stew "Chicago Mike" Bishop watched as the final hands played out "... This tournament really favored the aggressive player. Joe was active throughout the Final Table, even during the mid-stretch when things tightened up a bit, he always seemed to be in the thick of the action. This is one case where luck found the player who was putting himself in a position for something to happen..."

When asked about the quality of play Bishop commented" "... this was a great final table. Any one of these players could have won it. At one point it was locked up in a 6-way game of wits. Tournament Director (Tony) Stevens thought it was the tightest play he'd seen in awhile and I'd agree, nobody was playing foolish... Joe switched gears when he got to the Final Table, he'd been pacing himself and watching the tournament progress all night, always keeping track of where he was. But when he made the final table I think he hit the accelerator a bit and may have caught some people off guard..."

Leading the tournament floor operations at Bobby T's in was Poker Room Manager and Tournament Director Tony Stevens. Five other great Manhattan players will join Geisler at the State Main Event in Topeka on Sat., Dec. 13. Photographs of the final table can be found here.

(Dec. 6). BREAKING NEWS: Doug Patterson wins the 2008 Kansas City No-Limit Texas Holdem Championship. In a marathon tournament of over 100 of Kansas City's best players, patience prevailed as Doug Patterson battled back from the brink of elimination to win the most coveted prize in Kansas City Poker.

Interviewed after his victory, Patterson commented: "... I was low stacked, completely out of chips at halftime, down to one blind.... I had to re-build from nothing. Normally I'm a more aggressive player but I knew I had to be cautious. I'd attribute it to patience, being steady..."

Tournament Manager Stew "Chicago Mike" Bishop watched the final table and commented "...if you like great competition it doesn't get any better than this.... it was a victory for experience because alot of players might have panicked in Doug's shoes.... he's been playing 30 years and has been in this situation many times.  If Doug was flustered you couldn't tell. His demeanor was unflappable and stone serious. He picked the right spots by staying focused..".

Leading the tournament floor operations at Sharks in Shawnee was Senior Tournament Director Robert Hyatte. The seven-hour No-Limit Texas Holdem tournament benefits the Arthritis Foundation of Kansas. 9 other great Kansas City players will join Patterson at the State Main Event in Topeka on Sat., Dec. 13. Photographs of the final table can be found here.

(Nov. 16). BREAKING NEWS: The 2008 MO-KAN South No-Limit Texas Holdem Championship is set for Thursday Dec. 11th in Joplin. For more information, visit the event calendar page at: http://poker.meetup.com/1682/calendar/9164684/

(Nov. 23). BREAKING NEWS: Kyle Stueven wins the Nov. 22nd playoff as 4 more players qualify for the Main Event.

Kyle "Stu" Stueven won the tournament by making one of the greatest turnarounds in the playoff series. Down to just a few chips, with several hours to go in the tournament, Stueven had to pick his spots carefully and push all-in. They were the right hands and he never looked back, patiently amassing a solid stack to take to the Final Table. The five-hour No-Limit Texas Holdem tournament benefits the Arthritis Foundation of Kansas. Joining Stu in winning entry seats to the Main Event are: Becky Harrod, Todd Emerson, and Elaine Sadler. Photographs of the winning players can be found here.

Tournament Manager Stew "Chicago Mike" Bishop watched the final table and commented "...Kyle thrives in competition and sure had his hands full tonite. When he was short-stacked he waited for the right situation and took advantage of it. That's proof that in No-Limit poker all you need is a chip and a chair!..". Tournament Directors for this event were Ben Heim and Tiffany Dominguez. In support of the Arthritis Foundation Clint Gates from the Washburn University Chapter of AMSA volunteered his time with registration and logistics to assure the event ran smoothly.

2008 KANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP SET

Title Bracelets to Be Awarded in 2 Divisions

Who will be the 2008 Champion ?
YOUR PICTURE ?	YOUR PICTURE ?
2008 Texas Holdem Champion	2008 Poker Grand Champion
Click here for a first look at the 2008 Final Table!
Click here for a photo gallery of qualifying players.
Click here for tournament details and FAQ sheet

(Nov. 8). BREAKING NEWS: Adrian Rickert wins Nov. 7th playoff as 5 more players qualify for the Main Event.

Rickert outlasted a field of over 60 players to take first place in a six-hour No-Limit Texas Holdem tournament to benefit the Arthritis Foundation of Kansas. Joining him in winning entry seats to the Main Event are: Muriah Baker, Harold Triggs, Melanie Gottschalk, and Stephen Gill. Photographs of the winning players can be found here.

Tournament Manager Stew "Chicago Mike" Bishop watched the final table and commented "...Adrian is a veteran player with pro-level skills. You could tell from early in the tournament that he had a no-nonsense attitude... He never seemed to have his focus off the game and I think that's what made the difference... He faced some great competition and had to work to win it". Tournament Directors for this event were Ben Heim and Tiffany Dominguez. In support of the Arthritis Foundation, Tyler Goetz and Clint Gates from the Washburn University Chapter of AMSA volunteered their time with registration and logistics to assure the event ran smoothly.

(Nov. 16). BREAKING NEWS: Tom Simpkins wins Nov. 15th playoff as 2 more players qualify for the Main Event.

After 5 and a half hours of play, Simpkins claimed first place in a No-Limit Texas Holdem tournament to benefit the Arthritis Foundation of Kansas. Runner up at the tournament was Dan Samuels. Both players were awarded a seat to the 2008 Kansas No-Limit Poker Championship. Photographs of the winning players can be found here.

Tournament Manager Stew "Chicago Mike" Bishop watched the final table and commented: "...Tom is a veteran poker player with over 20 years experience at all game varieties. He will make a formidable contribution to the competition level at the Main Event...."

After the win Simpkins reflected on the keys to victory: "...Tonite it was all about betting at the right time... and getting a good read about when other players were trying to push with nothing. And alot of luck helped too!..." Tiffany Dominguez was Tournament Director for this event. In support of the Arthritis Foundation, students from the Washburn University Chapter of AMSA volunteered their time with registration and logistics to assure everything ran smoothly.

(Oct 19). BREAKING NEWS: Jeff Woods becomes the first player to qualify for the Final Tables.

On October 18th, Woods outlasted a field of 60 players in a 7-hour No-Limit Texas Holdem marathon tournament to benefit the Capital City Bullets Children's Softball League. In winning the event Jeff earned the first seat to the Kansas No-Limit Championship Final Tables on December 13th.

Woods attributed his success to patience and timing. KPN Publisher Stew "Chicago Mike" Bishop commented from the rail: "...you could tell Jeff was playing good poker. He was serious and from my vantage point it looked like he was laying down junk hands. I was surprised to see him turn over the flush at the end, it was well-hidden and Cheryl (runner-up) had no reason to put him on it. Everyone played great, it was a real tough tournament..." To view the current picture gallery of qualifying players, click here.

(Sep. 10). The schedule is now set for the 2008 Kansas No-Limit Poker Championship. This event will crown both the 2008 No-Limit Texas Holdem Champion and the 2008 No-Limit Poker Grand Champion. In addition to generous prizes, Championship bracelets will be awarded to the winners of both events.

This is the most prestigious and challenging poker event and is known as the "Kansas' toughest poker tournament". It is a non-profit event that benefits worthwhile health-related charities in the State of Kansas. The beneficiary is the Arthritis Foundation of Kansas which has led arthritis research for over 60 years. Nationwide over 40 million Americans are afflicted with arthritis including nearly 500,000 Kansas residents! The Washburn University Chapter of the American Medical Students' Association is volunteering their time to help make the event tremendously successful.

The tournament is arranged as a series of preliminary tournaments culminating in the Final Event on Dec. 13th. The initial scheduled dates are as follows:

Sun., Oct. 19, Emporia, 7PM

Fri., Nov. 7, Celtic Fox, Topeka, 7PM

Sat., Nov. 8, Buffalo Inn, Eskridge, 7PM

Sat., Nov. 15, Celtic Fox, Topeka, 7PM

Sat., Nov. 22, Capital Bingo Hall, Topeka, 7PM

Fri., Dec. 5, Kansas City Championship, Shawnee,  7PM

Wed., Dec. 10, Manhattan Championship, Bobby T's, 7PM

Thurs., Dec. 11, MO-KAN South Championship, Joplin, 7PM

Wild Card Round 1-A, Fri., Dec. 12 7PM (holdem, open to all)

Wild Card Rd. 1-B, Sat. Dec 13, 12PM (holdem, open to all)

Wild Card Rd. 1-C, Sat. Dec. 13, 1PM (mixed games, open)

Main Event Round 2: Sat., Dec. 13, Fairlawn Mall, 4PM

Final Table(s): Sun., Dec. 14, Blind Tiger, 2PM (if needed)

Other dates will be added statewide shortly. This is the latest schedule as of press time. Players should check the event website at http://poker.meetup.com/1682 for the current schedule, rules, and suggested donations.

The Final Table webpage is available at this link, the only question left to be determined is who the winners will be!

The tournament is open to players age 21 and up with picture ID. For more information and the complete current calendar please visit: http://poker.meetup.com/1682

For a list of event details including frequently asked questions and answers please click here for the tournament information page.

On behalf of all fans of Kansas sports, Kansas Poker News proudly supports this tournament and will report on all event results as they become available. Best of luck to all participants! pod

Kansas No-Limit Poker Championship and "Kansas' toughest poker tournament" are trademarks of Kansas Poker News. All rights reserved.