The Oklahoma State Poker Championships concluded March 3 at Hard Rock Tulsa as hometown winner Steve Sanders took down the $550 main event, earning $12,250. Brett Rager of Broken Arrow collected $23,599 for winning the event with the largest turnout, the $340 buy-in, $150K guarantee. The series drew players from around the region to the remodeled poker room to compete in a variety tournaments, including a Jack & Jill and a seniors event. Results are below.
AUPT/DOWNSTREAM CASINO: Looking forward to May 17-26, the Ante Up Poker Tour makes a stop for the annual Four States Poker Championship in Quapaw, Okla. In addition to no-limit hold’em, players can compete in a variety of games, including pot-limit Omaha, razz and H.O.R.S.E. Please click here for our full preview to this historic series as we interview poker room manager Dale Hunter.
KANSAS STAR CASINO: Boyd Gaming’s recent closing on its purchase of Peninsula Gaming LLC brought Kansas Star Casino into the fold. In December, it also moved operations into the property’s permanent facility from its temporary “arena” casino. This included a change of chips and a poker expansion from five tables to 10.
In January, the poker room added a freeroll promotion based on hours played. Players who log 60 hours during a calendar month will qualify for a $6,800 freeroll the first Sunday of the next month. The first freeroll was Feb. 3 as 60 of 72 qualifiers competed, paying 10 spots and $2,500 going to first.
The room’s first regular tournament ($85) was Feb. 26 and this month the room is adding a bounty tournament and perhaps a tournament series in the future. The property’s arena should be completed this summer and the facility would be available for a tournament series as early as this fall.
HOLLYWOOD CASINO KANSAS: The 12-table Hollywood Casino room has begun a $160 Sunday tournament that typically will be the last Sunday each month. The tournament features 30-minute rounds with alternates and re-entries through the first break (Level 4). The initial tournament saw 115 runners with the top 12 positions paid and featured a top prize of $4,460.
— Robert Kelly is Ante Up’s Oklahoma-Kansas Ambassador. You can email him at anteuprob@gmail.com.
Oklahoma State Poker Championships, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tulsa
Feb. 21-March 3
Event 1 • $60 NLHE
Players: 28 • Pool: $1,344
Doug Swift, $472
Event 3 • $60 J&J
Players: 143 • Pool: $6,900
C. Shoulders-H. Dorland, $2,415
Event 4 • $60 NLHE
Players: 48 • Pool: $2,304
Robert Rozell, $525
Event 5 • $130 LHE
Players: 24 • Pool: $2,400
Sonya Evans, $400
Event 7 • $130 NLHE
Players: 145 • Pool: $14,500
Robert Harp, $3,478
Event 8 • $60 NLHE
Players: 60 • Pool: $2,880
Daniel Koloff, $320
Event 9 • $230 Bounty
Players: N/A • Pool: $11,956
Steven Ducharme, $3,172
Event 11 • $130 NLHE
Players: 77 • Pool: $7,700
Chuck Ney, $2,541
Event 12 • $60 NLHE
Players: 49 • Pool: $2,352
Richard Pagliarini, $535
Event 14 • $130 C.Pineapple
Players: 52 • Pool: $5,200
Brandon Nemeth, $1,976
Event 15 • $60 NLHE
Players: 37 • Pool: $1,776
Todd Ellison, $521
Event 16 • $130 Seniors
Players: 58 • Pool: $5,800
Dean Brown, $2,204
Event 17 • $130 NLHE
Players: 23 • Pool: $2,300
John Reynolds, $1,150
Event 18 • $60 NLHE
Players: 32 • Pool: $1,536
Russell Vanover, $692
Event 20 • $130 6-Max
Players: 79 • Pool: $7,900
Robert Randolph, $2,607
Event 21 • $60 NLHE
Players: 45 • Pool: $2,160
Shane Young, $681
Event 23 • $230 NLHE
Players: N/A • Pool: $9,600
Robert Shruptrine, $3,840
Event 24 • $340 H.O.R.S.E.
Players: 29 • Pool: $8,700
Geran Sanders, $4,350
Event 26 • $130 Omaha/8
Players: 33 • Pool: $9,900
Patrick Manning, $4,455
Event 28 • $340 PLO
Players: 26 • Pool: $7,800
Richard Roberts, $3,900
Event 31 • $340 NLHE
Players: 510 • Pool: $153,000
Brett Rager, $23,559
$550 Main Event
Players: 70 • Pool: $35,000
1. Stephen Sanders, $12,250
2. Eric Thompson, $7,350
3. John Reynolds, $5,250
4. Tony B., $3,850
5. Stephen Seffense, $2,800
6. Jim “JD” Ontiveros, $2,100
7. John Millsap, $1,400
* Any events not listed were satellites for the main event.
