KOSTAS TSONIS WINS POKER CHAMPIONSHIP

(June 19, 2009). BREAKING NEWS: Chicago poker veteran Kostas Tsonis was the "last man standing" at the 3rd Annual Chicago No-Limit Poker Grand Championship held June 14th. Kostas came to the Final Table short-stacked and proved all you need is a "chip and a chair" to win it all.

The Final Table was tremendously exciting, with all the roller-coaster action you would expect at a table featuring 6 players who have qualified for the Chicago Player of the Decade Tournament.

The No-Limit Poker Grand Championship is Chicago's toughest championship tournament series. It's structured double-elimination style, effectively meaning that Tsonis had to beat everyone twice to win it. "Chicago Mike" Bishop was the Tournament Director. Full pictures and interviews with the players will be published here shortly.

For pictorial coverage of past Chicago Championships, please see the following story.

2008 HOLDEM CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE

Robb Rabito wins Chicago Championship

8 New Players Qualify for Player of the Decade

(Dec. 22). BREAKING NEWS: On Sunday, January 4th, over 80 Chicago poker players met to compete at the 2008 Chicago No-Limit Poker Grand Championship. The tournament featured all the competition and drama you would expect of an event of this caliber. As one measure of difficulty, both of the top-rated players of 2007 made the Final Table. After nearly 9 hours of play, Robb Rabito had survived every challenge thrown his way and was the last player standing.

The Grand Championship is a double-elimination No-Limit Texas Holdem tournament that emphasizes skill over luck. This structure gives every player two full opportunities to win. Upon first bust-out each player received a re-entry chipstack equal to 30 times the next big blind. Because of this unique structure, the eventual champion effectively had to "beat everyone twice", leaving no question as to their accomplishment. The entire Final Table will return to compete in the 2010 Chicago Poker Tournament of the Decade.

Acting Tournament Manager for this event was Stew "Chicago Mike" Bishop, a rules forum administrator for the Poker Tournament Directors Assocation. Interviewed after the tournament, Bishop commented "... this event exceeded all expectations... everyone brought their 'A' game.... Chicago championships are always exciting but it seems like the quality of play just keeps getting better..."

For complete photo coverage of the 2008 Championship, click here. More information can also be found at the event websites at the Chicago Poker Group and the Chicago Texas Holdem Group.

Two prominent Chicago players, Fabian Ramos and Merri Furlong made back-to-back Final Tables in 2007 and 2008. For complete pictorial coverage of last year's 2007 Grand Championship, click here.

'07 NL Poker Grand Champion	'07 Player of the Year
Merri Furlong	Fabian Ramos

Chicago Poker News is honored to have been a part of this historical tournament and congratulates all competitors for making it such a great success! yes.

NO-LIMIT CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR JAN. 4th

Chicago's Most Prestigious Tournament

Open to All Players

'07 No-Limit Poker Grand Champion	'07 Player of the Year
Merri Furlong	Fabian Ramos

(Dec. 22). BREAKING NEWS: The 2008 Chicago No-Limit Poker Grand Championship will be held Sunday, January 4th. This tournament features the best players in the City including 2007 Grand Champion Merri Furlong and Player of the Year Fabian Ramos.

The Grand Championship will feature double-elimination No-Limit Texas Holdem. Every player will have two full opportunities to win. Upon first bust-out each player will receive a re-entry chipstack equal to 30 times the next big blind. To win the event, the champion will have to effectively "beat everyone twice".

Tournament Manager is Stew "Chicago Mike" Bishop, rules forum administrator for the Poker Tournament Directors Assocation. (http://www.PokerTDAblog.com). Bishop just recently finished managing the Kansas State No-Limit Championship (http://www.KansasPokerNews.com). When asked about the coming event in Chicago Bishop commented: "... Chicago players are very intelligent and come from varied backgrounds. It's difficult to categorize them by style of play, there's just every kind of player and style imaginable. ....I can't think of any other city in the country with a more diverse group of players... whoever wins this is going to have to play some great poker to do it!..."

The tournament is open to all players at least 21 years of age with ID. The event will be held at Dave and Busters, 1030 N. Clark Street. Registration starts at 2pm and cards will be in the air at 230pm. for more information and to RSVP, please visit this link: http://poker.meetup.com/13/

In addition to Furlong and Ramos, some of the local luminaries scheduled to play in this years event include:

Ritta Dankha, Champion in both Texas Holdem and Deuce-to-Seven Lowball AND 2007 Grand Champion Runner Up 

Maverick Marquee, 5-Card Stud Champion and Grand Champion 2nd Runner Up.

Neville White and Nate Beal, Player of the Year Runner Up and 3rd Place respectively.

For complete pictorial coverage of the 2007 Grand Championship, click here.

Chicago Poker News looks forward to covering the upcoming Chicago Championship and wishes all players the very best of luck in what will be a thrilling tournament!

CHICAGO POKER HALL OF FAME AWARDS

Top Ten Players Make the 2007 Final Table

Merri Furlong Captures Grand Championship

Fabian Ramos Earns Chicago Player of the Year

No-Limit Poker Grand Champion	2007 Player of the Year
Merri Furlong	Fabian Ramos

(Dec. 19). BREAKING NEWS: Ten Chicago area poker players were recently honored as the 2007 inductees to the Chicago Poker Hall of Fame. This recognition was earned by consistently winning play at 60 different regular and championship tournament events during the 2006-07 season.

Over 250 Chicago players competed in these tournaments for a seat at the 2007 Chicago No Limit Poker Grand Championship, the area's toughest poker challenge. The Grand Championship featured 5 separate tournaments in No-Limit Texas Holdem, Omaha, Kansas City Lowball, Five-Card Stud, and HELO-5 (a no-limit version of HORSE). The Championship is structured double-elimination so the winner effectively has to beat everyone twice.

When the last hand was dealt and the final results tabulated, Ten Players earned Hall of Fame recognition for their accomplishments. The Final Table is as follows:

Merri Furlong, No-Limit Poker Grand Champion

Fabian Ramos, Player of the Year

Ritta Dankha, Grand Champion Runner Up

Neville White, Player of the Year Runner Up

Maverick Marquee, Grand Champion 2nd Runner Up

Nate Beal, Player of the Year 2nd Runner Up

Rounding out the 2007 Final Table are: Don Crosbie, Iwona Filuciak, Jennifer Lewkowicz, and Joe Rondon. For complete pictorial coverage of the 2007 Hall of Fame, click here.

On behalf of all fans of Chicago sports, Chicago Poker News extends the most sincere congratulations to these very talented players.

To see the entire Tournament Scoreboard Index of regular season and championship tournaments, click here.

RITTA DANKHA WINS HELO-5 TITLE !

5th Event in the Chicago Poker Grand Championship

Final Championship Finish TBA Shortly !

(Aug 27, Meetup Press Release). BREAKING NEWS: In back-to-back victories, Ritta Dankha claimed the 2007 Chicago No-Limit HELO-5 Grand Championship in a very convincing style after 6 hours of grueling competition. To win it all, Ritta had to survive the toughest competition Chicago had to offer in alternating rounds of No-Limit Texas Holdem, Omaha, Kansas City Lowball, and Five-Card Stud.

The 2007 Chicago Championship Series pitted the top 10% of over 250 players based on their 2006 finish. All qualifiers then played a series of 5 Tournaments to determine the overall Champion. The calculations are currently being processed and will be announced shortly.

Each tournament was conducted double-elimination with full average stack re-entries. Effectively this means that the final champion had to beat every player twice. Luck is minimized, talent is maximized in this very toughest of tournament conditions.

We note there was alot of lady-power at the tournament as the top 3 HELO-5 finishers were all top-ranked Chicago ladies! On behalf of all Chicago players, Chicago Poker News congratulates everyone who participated in this great event! Complete coverage of the order of finish, and the Open Table results will be published as soon as it is available. For complete coverage of this event, and all Grand Championship event results, click here.

See the Tournament Scoreboard Index here.

See archive of prior reports here.

RITTA DANKHA IS '07 HOLDEM CHAMP!

4th Event in the Chicago Poker Grand Championship

(Jul 9, Meetup Press Release). The 2007 Chicago No-Limit Poker Grand Championship continued on Sunday when Chicago's top-ranked players competed for the Texas Holdem Title. After 4 hours of play the field was narrowed to 3 of the City's best (from left above), Jennifer Lewkowicz, Fabian Ramos, and Ritta Dankha. Lewkowicz eventually found herself on the wrong side of the River and it was down to Ramos and Dankha. Their see-saw heads-up battle lasted for an hour and a half when Dankha made her straight on the turn to win it all. As a measure of the quality of competition, this was the second event in a row that both Ramos and Lewkowicz made it to the final 3. In the Open Table competiton, Susan Burgess claimed victory in a very tough field of great players. Brian Beatty was runner up (see photo below). For complete coverage of this event, and all Grand Championship event results, click here.

At the end of the 2007 Grand Championship Series, the winners along with the Players of the Year and the 2007 All-Star team will be inducted into the Chicago Poker Hall of Fame. For continuing coverage click here.

The final event in the Chicago Grand Championship Series is the No-Limit HELO-5 Championship, scheduled for August. For more information, and the complete current schedule please see the upcoming tournament calendar here.

In regular season No-Limit Texas Holdem action, Nate Beal leads the Tournament Scoreboard with 11 Final Tables and an astonishing 4 victories and 5 second-place finishes. Neville White, Jesus Mejia, Fabian Ramos, and Jared Gunn round out the top five on the leaderboard. Congratulations to newcomers Richard Lambert, Doug Oram, Hanifsa Shekhem, Adam Thompson, Scott Croy, Eric Barnes, Terry Fan, and Madhu Gajula who have all claimed a first or second place finish so far in 2007. See the Tournament Scoreboard Index here.

See archive of prior reports here.

'07 CHICAGO GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS! 

Citys' Top Players to meet In 5-Tournament Series:

Maverick Marquee & Merri Furlong claim 1st victories

BREAKING NEWS: Merri Furlong wins back-to-back!

(Apr 30, Meetup Press Release). Among top poker competition, no prize is more coveted than back-to-back major tournament victories, especially against top-ranked competition. That's exactly what Merri Furlong accomplished Sunday, April 29, by outlasting 18 of Chicago's best veteran players to win the 2007 Chicago No-Limit Omaha Poker Grand Championship. After nearly 6 hours of play, Merri was heads-up and even chip-stacked against no less than Fabian Ramos, Chicago's top-ranked player of 2006 (see picture above). Two pivotal hands made the difference, the last one winning it all! For complete coverage of this event, click here.

(Apr 23, Meetup Press Release). The 2007 Chicago No-Limit Poker Grand Championship Series got underway on Sunday, March 18th. The Top 30 Poker Players from the 2006 Regular Season met for the No-Limit Five Card Stud Championship, the first of 5 tournaments in the series. After 5 hours of no-limit competition the field was narrowed to Iwona Filuciak and Maverick Marquee heads-up for the Championship (see photo above). In the pivotal hand, Marquee hit three aces vs. Filuciak's pair of tens to take a commanding lead. He won it several hands later and was declared the 2007 Chicago No-Limit Five Card Stud Grand Champion.  Click here for photographic details of this event.

The No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball event was held Sunday, April 1st. It took nearly 7 hours for Merri Furlong and Yoel Sommer to meet heads-up for the title. It was a pitched contest that found the competitors with identical chip counts after 30 minutes of play. On the final hand (shown above), Sommer drew a King to four cards 6-high and Furlong's 9 held up to win the 2007 Chicago No-Limit Lowball Grand Championship. For detailed coverage of this event, click here.

At the end of the 2007 Grand Championship Series, the winners along with the Players of the Year and the 2007 All-Star team will be inducted into the Chicago Poker Hall of Fame. For continuing coverage click here.

The next event in the Chicago Grand Championship Series is the No-Limit Omaha Championship, scheduled for Sunday, April 29th. For more information, and the complete current schedule please see the upcoming tournament calendar here.

In regular season No-Limit Texas Holdem action, Nate Beal leads the Tournament Scoreboard with 11 Final Tables and an astonishing 4 victories and 5 second-place finishes. Neville White, Jesus Mejia, Fabian Ramos, and Jared Gunn round out the top five on the leaderboard. Congratulations to newcomers Richard Lambert, Doug Oram, Hanifsa Shekhem, Adam Thompson, Scott Croy, Eric Barnes, Terry Fan, and Madhu Gajula who have all claimed a first or second place finish so far in 2007. See the Tournament Scoreboard Index here. 

2006 REGULAR SEASON ENDS  

Final trio of 2006 Playoff Tournaments sets the field

for the 2006 Chicago Grand Championship Series!

(Feb. 22, Meetup Press Release). The 2006 Regular Season came to an end with the January Championship on February 18th. Congratulations to newcomers Sam Gaitan and Diane Banhidi (above) who finished 1st and 2nd in the Open Table Competition. The Final Table went to veteran player Neville White (below, right), who found pocket aces at the right time to defeat Brady Carey and win the January Championship! Click here for photographic details of this event.

The Fall Tournament of Champions on January 28th sent 3 players to the 2006 Grand Championship Series. In one of the greatest victories in Poker Volunteers history, Diana Migala (below) cameback from a nearly 10-to-1 chip deficit to take first place over runner-up Joe Rondon. For detailed coverage of this event, click here.

On January 14th, Rondon also reached final heads-up play against Fabian Ramos at the December Championship. A fateful 5-stud hand (below) saw Ramos' A-Q hold up against Rondon's K-Q. This was Ramos' fourth 1st-place finish in 2006 playoff events! For detailed coverage and the final order of finish, click here.

The final field for the 2006 Chicago Grand Championship Series is now set. 36 players will compete in a series of 5 tournaments in March and April to determine the 2006 Chicago No-Limit Poker Grand Champion. The complete list of qualifying players is at the bottom right of this link. The first event in the series will be the 2006 No-Limit 5-Card Stud Championship on Sunday, March 18th. The winners of the Grand Championship Series will be inducted into the Chicago Poker Hall of Fame. Click here for more information.

Meanwhile, the 2007 Season began in earnest on Jan. 10th. As of Feb 21st, Neville White leads the Player Scoreboard with Sam Gaitan, Robert Smith, David Hart, and merri Furlong rounding out the Top 5. In Main Event Tournament scoring, Nate Beal is currently in 1st, followed by Neville White, Jared gunn, Diana Migala, and Mike Z'Ante. See the Tournament Scoreboard Index here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for  Wed. Feb 28, Sun. Mar. 4th, Sun. Mar. 18; Wed. Mar. 21; Sun. Mar. 25; and Wed., Mar 28th. The First Championship Playoff of 2007 (the January Championship) is scheduled for Feb. 18th. See the complete upcoming tournament schedule here.

NOVEMBER CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

Fabian Ramos takes 1st Place in pivotal event leading to

the 2006 Chicago Grand Championship!

(Dec. 19, Meetup press release). It all came down to a fateful hand of Kansas City Lowball. Merri Furlong was drawing to a 10-low against Fabian Ramos who had a made Jack low. It was Ramos' day as the draw paired Furlong's 3. With this third victory in a 2006 Championship event, Ramos is well atop the Playoff Tournament Scoreboard. In the Open Table competition, Matthew Dex took first place over runner-up Joe Rondon. Both Dex and Ramos have guaranteed seats to the 2006 Chicago Grand Championship. For complete photographic play-by-play coverage of this event, click here.

(Jan. 30 BREAKING NEWS): Chicago Poker News has just received results for the remaining 2006 Championship Playoffs. On Jan. 14th, Fabian Ramos made it back-to-back monthly championships, taking down the December title. Joe Rondon was runner up, with Jared Gunn taking 3rd. On the Open Talbes, Joe Fitzgerald emerged the winner with Edgar Sandoval runner-up.

The Fall Tournament of Champions was held Jan. 28th. In one of the most amazing comebacks in the 2006 Season, Diana Migala worked her way back from an overwhelming deficit to claim victory in the nearly 6 hour event! Perennial finalist Joe Rondon took second. The final field for the 2006 Chicago Grand Championship Tournament is now set! For the Playoff Tournament Scoreboard and complete photographic play-by-play coverage of all 2006 Championship events, click here.

The 2007 Season began in earnest on Jan. 10th. As of Jan. 28th, Nate Beal leads in both Player Score and Main Event Points. Don Crosbie, Chris Robinson, Jared Gunn, and Neville White round out the Top 5 for 2007 in Player Scores. On the Main Event leaderboard, Beal is followed by Gunn, White, Diana Migala, and Maverick Marquee. See all regular 2007 season tournament standings here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Wed., Jan 31, Sun. Feb. 18, Wed. Feb. 21, Sun. Feb 25, Wed. Feb 28. The First Championship Playoff of 2007 (the January Championship) is scheduled for Feb. 18th. See the complete upcoming tournament schedule here.

NOVEMBER CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR DEC. 3rd

Competition Heats Up on the Road to the

2006 Chicago Grand Championship!

(Nov. 30, Meetup press release). All Chicago Area poker players are invited to compete in the Poker Volunteers November Championship Tournament set for Sunday, December 3rd. Participants will register in one of two groups depending on their results during the month of November. Scoreboard leaders are invited to the Final Table while all others may compete on the Open Tables. The winners of both groups will have a guaranteed invitation to the 2006 Chicago Grand Championship Tournament in January 2007.

With all November results now recorded, the players qualifying for the Final Table are: Ritta Jilwaya, Neville White, Fabian Ramos, Merri Furlong, Iwona Filuciak, Don Crosbie, Nate Beal, Shay Arokoyo, Jared Gunn, Ahmad Ahmad, and returning October Champion Chris Heina. Alternates are Jorge Peralta and Maverick Marquee. All other players are welcome to compete on the the Open Tables. For complete photographic play-by-play coverage of previous playoff tournaments, click here.

In regular season action, Todd Moroney claimed a first place Main Event victory November 15th in only his second Final Table appearance. Fabian Ramos also won a Main Event that evening, his 5th for the year. Ramos is now tied with Neville White who also has 5 Main Event victories.  In a large double-elimination Main Event November 29th, Merri Furlong took 1st place ahead of Jim Kasmer and Jared Gunn in 2nd and 3rd. With these high finishes, Furlong, Kasmer, and Gunn all secured seats to the Winter Tournament of Champions. In the later event Rob Vinson claimed his 3rd first place finish of the year and now follows only White and Ramos on the Main Event total points leaderboard. See all regular season tournament standings here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Sun., Dec. 3rd, Wed. Dec. 6th, Sun. Dec. 10th, Wed. Dec 13th, and Sun. Dec. 17th. The November Championship playoff will be held Sun. Dec. 3. Winners of the playoff events will compete at the 2006 Grand Championship Tournament, scheduled for January 2007. The Players of the Year will also be recognized at that event.  See the complete current tournament schedule here.

CHRIS HEINA WINS OCTOBER CHAMPIONSHIP

Joe Rondon finishes 2nd in Double-Elimination H.E.L.O.-5 Tournament

(Nov. 14, Meetup press release). The October Championship Poker Tournament was held Sunday, November 5th. The Volunteer Playoff Tournament events are among the hardest poker challenges anywhere in the world. Participants must play double-elimination H.E.L.O.-5, consisting of rounds of No-Limit Texas Holdem, Lowball, Omaha, and 5-Card Stud. After hours of competition the Final Table field narrowed to Chris Heina heads up against volunteers veteran Joe Rondon. Heina won the hand that mattered most to claim the October Championship and a seat at the upcoming 2006 Grand Championship in January. Joining him will be October Open Table winner Daniel Rodriguez.  For complete photographic play-by-play coverage of previous playoff tournaments, click here.

Halfway through the month, Fabian Ramos, Ritta Jilwaya, and Don Crosbie are atop the Leaderboard separated by only 20 points. Maverick Marquee, Nate Beal, Ben Strauch, Merri Furlong, Neville White, Edgar Sandoval, Milton Kwan, Shay Arokoyo, and Iwona Filuciak round out the Top 12. See all regular season tournament standings here.

For the year, Fabian Ramos is atop the Main Event Tournament standings, nearly 600,000 points ahead of Neville White in 2nd and Bret Dale in 3rd place. Rob Vinson and Tony Matthews round out the Top 5. Ramos has made 36 Final Tables on his way to the commanding lead. See all regular season tournament standings here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Wed., Nov. 15 and Wed. Nov. 29. The November Championship playoff will be held Sun. Dec. 3. Other events in December are set for Dec 6, 10, 13, and 17th. Winners of the playoff events will compete at the 2006 Grand Championship Tournament, scheduled for January 2007. The Players of the Year will also be recognized at that event.  See the complete current tournament schedule here.

OCTOBER CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR NOV. 5

Double-Elimination H.E.L.O.-5 Tournament is Chicago's Toughest Poker Challenge

(Oct 30th, Meetup press release). With the results of October tournaments now final, the October Championship is set for Sunday, November 5th. The Volunteer Playoff Tournaments are among the hardest poker events anywhere in the world. Participants must play double-elimination H.E.L.O.-5, consisting of rounds of No-Limit Texas Holdem, Lowball, Omaha, and 5-Card Stud. For complete photographic play-by-play coverage of previous playoff tournaments, click here.

For the month of October, Neville White and Ritta Jilwaya are tied atop the leaderboard with 475 points each. Ahmad Ahmad, Maverick Marquee, and Fabian Ramos round out October's Top 5. In 2006 main event competition, with 33 Final Table appearances Ramos retains a comfortable lead over White with 27 FT's. Bret Dale, Rob Vinson, and Tony Matthews follow close behind. See all regular season tournament standings here.

Winners of the playoff events will compete at the 2006 Grand Championship Tournament, scheduled for January 2007. The Players of the Year will also be recognized at that event. Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Wed., Nov. 1, Sun. Nov. 5, Sun. Nov. 12, and Wed. Nov. 15. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

2 CHAMPIONSHIPS KICK OFF FALL SEASON!

Merri Furlong wins the Summer Tournament of Champions on September 24th!

Maverick Marquee wins the September Championship on October 8th!

(Oct 8th, Meetup press release). Playoff Season is now in high gear as players compete for seats at the 2006 Grand Championship. In a 4-hour marathon September 24th, Merri Furlong outlasted all winners of a Summer main event to claim the coveted 2006 Summer Championship. Diana Migala was runner-up. The Volunteer Playoff Tournaments are among the hardest poker events anywhere in the world. Participants must play double-elimination H.O.F.L.O., consisting of rounds of No-Limit Texas Holdem, Omaha, 5-Card Stud, and Kansas City Lowball. For complete photographic play-by-play coverage of the Summer Tournament of Champions, click here.

Maverick Marquee pulled off the poker equivalent of a grand slam on October 8th, winning both the September Final Table Championship and the 1st regular main event! Danny Quiros was runner-up in the September Championship. For complete photographic play-by-play coverage of this playoff, click here.

As of September 24th, for regular season 2006 play to date,  Fabian Ramos remains atop the Main Event scoreboard, 130,000 points ahead of Bret Dale. Rob Vinson has now overtaken Tony Matthews for 3rd place and Neville White rounds out the top 5. Ramos has an unmatched 28 final table appearances to his credit. See all regular season tournament standings here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Neville White has taken a 90,000 point lead over Chris Lackore. White now has 11 single-table 1st place finishes for 2006. Ritta Jilwaya has been rocketing up the Single-Table board and now has no less than 8 first place finishes, standing in 3rd place for this category! See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Sun., Oct 22, Wed. Oct 25, Sun. Oct. 29th, and Sun., Nov. 5th. Playoffs continue Nov. 5th with the October Final Table Championship slated for the first event of the afternoon.  See the complete current tournament schedule here.

DON CROSBIE WINS AUGUST CHAMPIONSHIP!

Summer Tournament of Champions is set for Sunday, September 24th.

(Sep18, Meetup press release). In a four and a half hour tournament marathon, Don Crosbie claimed victory over Fabian Ramos to take down the August Final Table Championship on Sunday, September 10th. Crosbie, Ramos, and the other top 6 August points leaders played double-elimination no-limit H.O.F.L.O. that saw every player win and lose their share of all-ins. For complete photographic play-by-play coverage of this playoff, click here.

The second of the two major September playoff events is the Summer Tournament of Champions, set for Sunday the 24th. All winners of a main event during the Summer months will meet the points leaders in Chicago's most challenging multi-table tournament. For complete photographic coverage of previous monthly and quarterly championship tournaments, click here.

The Summer Tournament of Champions is open to all players. A special Championship group will be by invitation and all other players will compete on the Consolation Tables. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

In overall September action, Ritta Jilwaya leads the Player Scoreboard with Edgar Sandoval, Fabian Ramos, Don Crosbie, and Maverick Marquee also in the Top 5 for the month.

For regular season 2006 play to date,  Fabian Ramos remains atop the Main Event scoreboard, 130,000 points ahead of Bret Dale. Rob Vinson has now overtaken Tony Matthews for 3rd place and Neville White rounds out the top 5. Ramos has an unmatched 28 final table appearances to his credit. See all regular season tournament standings here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Neville White has taken a 90,000 point lead over Chris Lackore. White now has 11 single-table 1st place finishes for 2006. Ritta Jilwaya has been rocketing up the Single-Table board and now has no less than 8 first place finishes, standing in 3rd place for this category! See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Wed Sept 20, Sun. Sept 24, and Wed. Oct. 4th. The Summer Tournament of Champions will be held Sept. 24th.  See the complete current tournament schedule here.

TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS SET FOR SEPTEMBER

Tim Moran is atop the Leaderboard as competition heats up to qualify for two major championship events!

(Aug 29, Meetup press release). August competition formally closed with the big triple main-event tournament Sunday, Aug. 27th. Special congratulations go out to newcomers Kent Hyun, Gabriel Rodriguez, Peter Ziegel, Tyler Via, and Larry "the Liquidator" Shaw who all claimed a first place victory in late August. Their impressive showings also clinched seats at the upcoming Summer Tournament of Champions. Scoreboards have been updated and can be reviewed here.

September will see two major championship playoff events. The August Final Table Championship will be held September 10th and the Summer Season Tournament of Champions (TOC) is scheduled for September 24th. For complete photographic coverage of previous monthly and quarterly championship tournaments, click here.

The August Final Table Championship is open to all players. A special Final Table will be by invitation and all other players will compete on the Consolation Tables. The Summer Tournament of Champions is by invitation to top points leaders, and to all players winning a Main Event during the Summer season. Both tournaments are double-elimination no-limit HOFLO and are among the most challenging and prestigious events anywhere in the poker world. A complete list of qualifying players will be published shortly.

For the 2006 Year to Date, Fabian Ramos remains atop the Main Event scoreboard, a scant 4000 points ahead of Bret Dale. Tony Matthews, Rob Vinson, and Neville White round out the Top Five points leaders. Ramos has an unmatched 26 final table appearances to his credit. See all regular season tournament standings here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Neville White has taken a 72,000 point lead over Chris Lackore. White now has 10 single-table 1st place finishes for 2006. Moving up the rankings fast are Iwona Filuciak with 220,000 points, and newcoming phenom Ritta Jilwaya with 211,000 points and 7 first place single-table finishes! See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Sun. Sept 10, Thurs Sept 14, Wed Sept 20, Sun. Sept 24, and Wed. Oct. 4th. The August Championship will be the first event of the afternoon on Sept. 10th and the Summer Tournament of Champions will be held Sept. 24th.  See the complete current tournament schedule here.

JULY CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT

Iwona Filuciak hits 2 amazing hands, and wins Double-Elimination No-Limit HOFLO Event to claim July Championship!

(Aug 19, Meetup press release). The top qualifying players during the month of July met August 13 for the July Final Table Championship. The tournament was No-Limit HOFLO, the toughest game in poker. Four no-limit poker variations were played in rotation: Holdem, Omaha, Five Card Stud, and Lowball. After 3 1/2 grueling hours of poker, Iwona Filuciak took first place over runner-up Merri Furlong. On her way to the championship, she hit two of the rarest hands in poker: quads in 5-card stud, and a perfect 7-5-4-3-2 low in Kansas City Lowball. On the consolation table, James Choi took first place and Ritta Jilwaya was runner-up. Congratulations to Iwona Filuciak and all the players who made this such a memorable event! For complete photographic coverage of previous monthly and quarterly championship tournaments, click here.

In regular August play, so far this month the following players have won a No-Limit Texas Holdem Main Event and have qualified for the Summer Championship scheduled for Sep 24th: Yoel Sommer, Matthew Dex, Larry "the Liquidator" Shaw, Drew Kiger, Bret Dale, and Shay Arokoyo. Tim Moran leads total points for the month of August, followed closely by Fabian Ramos, Jared Gunn, Neville White, Al Chin, Iwona Filuciak, and Edgar Sandoval.

Fabian Ramos remains atop the Main Event scoreboard, 55000 points ahead of Bret Dale. Ramos has an unmatched 23 final table appearances to his credit, and Dale has 15. Other players with 15 or more final tables include: Tony Matthews, Rob Vinson, Neville White, and Erion Postoli. See all regular season tournament standings here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Neville White has taken a commanding 120,000 point lead over Chris Lackore. White now has 10 single-table 1st place finishes for 2006. Lackore and Fabian Ramos both have 5. Congratulations to newcomers Jared Gunn, Desiree Parrish, Jim Esposito, Srikhar Saddapalli, Chris Prostra, Justin Anderson, Kathie Huddleston, Ritta Jilwaya, Kelcy McLaughlin, Larry Shaw, David Siles, and Don Crosby who have all finished 1st in a single-table event during the month of August. See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Thurs., Aug. 24; Sun., Aug. 27th, Sun. Sept 10, Thurs Sept 14, Wed Sept 20, Sun. Sept 24, and Thurs Sept 28th. The August Championship will be the first event of the afternoon on Sept. 10th and the Summer Tournament of Champions will be held Sept. 24th.  See the complete current tournament schedule here.

Double-Elimination No-Limit H.O.F.L0 Tournament will Decide July Champion!

(July 28, Meetup press release). All July events have been scored and the leaders are set to meet Sunday, August 13th at the July Final Table Championship. Four no-limit poker variations will be played in rotation: Holdem, Omaha, Five Card Stud, and Lowball, hence the acronym "HOFLO". Because the games are all no-limit instead of the limit HORSE variety played at the World Series of Poker, this tournament is widely recognized as the world's toughest poker challenge. The list of qualifying players will be posted shortly. For complete photographic coverage of previous monthly and quarterly championship tournaments, click here.

Regular July play concluded with two great events on July 23rd and 26th. In the three No-Limit Texas Holdem Main Events July 23rd, Yoel Sommer, John Rogers, and Milton Kwan each claimed a victory. It was Rogers' night as he also captured a 2nd and 3rd finish and now sits atop the July leaderboard, 10 points ahead of Neville White, and 25 points over Iwona Filuciak.

Fabian Ramos continued his Summer hot streak July 26th with 1st and 2nd Main Event finishes. Ramos is in fourth place on the July leaderboard. He also became the first Volunteers player to reach 20 Final Tables this year! Congratulations to newcomer Robert Branum who won the evening's first Main Event. See all regular season tournament standings here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Neville White has taken a commanding 84,000 point lead over Merri Furlong. White now has 7 single-table 1st place finishes for 2006. Chris Lackore remains in first place on the high-speed mini-tournament scoreboard. Congratulations to newcomers Neel Majumdar, Vicki Lombard, Tim Moran, Bob Steffens, Neil Barnett and Gregory Burke who all finished 1st in a single-table event on July 26. See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Thurs., Aug. 3rd; Sun., Aug. 13th; Wed., Aug. 16th; Thurs., Aug. 24; and Sun., Aug. 27th. The July Championship will be the first event of the afternoon on Aug. 13. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

Fabian Ramos follows up his Spring TOC victory with a win at the June 2006 Championship!

(July 18, Meetup press release). All Chicago "poker hats" are off to Fabian Ramos who took first place in the June 2006 Championship held July 9th. This finish was all the more impressive given that he also survived a field of 36 to win the Spring 2006 Championship two weeks earlier! In a great heads-up finish, James Sodergren, the May Champion finished runner-up. Visit this page for the complete play-by-play photo coverage of this tremendous Championship event.

The June Championship was a worthy follow-up to the Spring 2006 Tournament of Champions, held June 25th and also won by Fabian Ramos. See complete photographic play-by-play coverage of the Spring Tournament of Champions here.

In regular tournament action July 9th, James Choi outlasted Dave Hart to win the first No-Limit Texas Holdem Main Event. In the later event Iwona Filuciak took first place over Jeremy Taylor in a spirited heads-up battle. On July 13th it was Cindy Page finishing in first place over Al Chin in the early event. In an eerie repeat, Matt Hollinger bested Chin in the later event. With his consistently high finish Al now moves into 2nd place in Player Points for the month of July behind Merri Furlong.

Congratulations to Cindy Page who won the later event in only her 3rd appearance at a Volunteers event. Special recognition also to newcomers Randy Fredericks and Lou Klosik who finsihed 3rd and 5th on July 9th, and Kurt Lester and Joe McCarty who finished 4th and 5th on July 13th.  See all regular season tournament standings here.

In regular season total points, Tony Matthews remains in first in the Main Event category with 15 final tables, 80000 points ahead of Bret Dale and 110000 points over Fabian Ramos. Chris Lackore is atop the mini-tourney brackets.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Neville White took down two 1st place finishes and one 2nd on July 9th to maintain a 22000 point lead over Fabian Ramos. White now has five 1st place finishes in Single-Table events. See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Sun. July 23, Wed. July 26th, Thurs., Aug. 3rd, and Sun., Aug. 13th. The July Championship will be the first event of the afternoon on Aug. 13. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

SPRING 2006 TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Fabian Ramos wins the Spring Tournament of Champions in a 3 1/2-Hour No-Limit Event

(June 26, Meetup press release). The Spring 2006 Tournament of Champions was held Sunday, June 25th. In all, 32 players qualified for the event. The toughest poker event in the Chicago area is designed as the ultimate test of player's talent. The tournament was shootout style, double-elimination, with the final 3 players from each of 3 tables going on to the final table. The competitors played alternating rounds of Texas Holdem, Five Card Stud, Omaha High, and Kansas City Lowball. All games were No Limit. 

Those players reaching the Final Table were: James Choi, Ilan Cohen, Merri Furlong, Ivana Filuciak, Chris Lackore, Fabian Ramos, Ken Rubio, Yoel Sommer, Michael Villa, and Rob Vinson. The table came down to a final battle between Ramos, Rubio, and Lackore. Fabian Ramos eventually won it all. Perhaps the critical hand came at 735pm when Ramos hit a straight on the River to knock out Vinson and send Lackore to re-entry. Visit this page for more details, the order of finish, and complete photographic play-by-play coverage of the Spring 2006 No-Limit Championship. Chicago Poker News congratulates all participants! 

The Spring Tournament of Champions was a worthy follow-up to the May Final Table Championship held Sunday, June 4th. James Sodergren emerged victorious in a tremendous 10-player Final Table. See complete photographic play-by-play coverage of the May Final Table Championship here.

In later action Sunday June 25th, Joe Rondon won the Main Event No-Limit Texas Holdem Tournament. Congratulations to newcomer David Hart who finished second.  See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Jillian Stanek, Iwona Filuciak, Erion Postoli, Neville White, Merri Furlong, Sonny Fuentes, and Bill LaPell all claimed first place victories. Special congratulations to LaPell who as playing in his first Volunteers Tournament.  See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Sun. July 9th, Thurs., July 13th, Sun. July 23, Wed. July 26th, Thurs., Aug. 3rd, and Wed., Aug. 9th. The July Championship Round Final Table is currently scheduled for the first event on July 9th. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

Those players reaching the Final Table were: James Choi, Ilan Cohen, Merri Furlong, Ivana Filuciak, Chris Lackore, Fabian Ramos, Ken Rubio, Yoel Sommer, Michael Villa, and Rob Vinson. The table came down to a final battle between Ramos, Rubio, and Lackore. Fabian Ramos eventually won it all. Perhaps the critical hand came at 735pm when Ramos hit a straight on the River to knock out Vinson and send Lackore to re-entry. Visit this page for more details, the order of finish, and complete photographic play-by-play coverage of the Spring 2006 No-Limit Championship. Chicago Poker News congratulates all participants! 

The Spring Tournament of Champions was a worthy follow-up to the May Final Table Championship held Sunday, June 4th. James Sodergren emerged victorious in a tremendous 10-player Final Table. See complete photographic play-by-play coverage of the May Final Table Championship here.

In later action Sunday June 25th, Joe Rondon won the Main Event No-Limit Texas Holdem Tournament. Congratulations to newcomer David Hart who finished second.  See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Jillian Stanek, Iwona Filuciak, Erion Postoli, Neville White, Merri Furlong, Sonny Fuentes, and Bill LaPell all claimed first place victories. Special congratulations to LaPell who as playing in his first Volunteers Tournament.  See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Sun. July 9th, Thurs., July 13th, Sun. July 23, Wed. July 26th, Thurs., Aug. 3rd, and Wed., Aug. 9th. The July Championship Round Final Table is currently scheduled for the first event on July 9th. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

MAY CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL TABLE COVERAGE

Jim Sodergren wins the May Championship Final Table in 3-Hour No-Limit Event

(June 13, Meetup press release). Complete photographic coverage is now available for the May Final Table Championship held Sunday, June 4th.  See complete play-by-play coverage here.

In June Round action Sunday June 11th, Erion Postoli and Fabian Ramos both recorded a first a second place finish in No-Limit Texas Holdem Main Event tournaments. This marked the 16th Final Table Appearance for Ramos, the most of any competitor in the 2006 Season. It was the 12th final table for Postoli, placing him behind only Ramos, Tony Matthews (15), and Bret Dale (13).  See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Brad Hart, Thomas Thomas, and John Rogers all claimed first place victories. Special congratulations to newcomer Hart who took first place in no less that three Single-Table events!   See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for Wed. June 21st, Sun. June 25th, Sun. July 9th, Wed., July 12th, Sun. July 23, and Wed. July 26th. The June Championship Round Final Table is currently scheduled for the first event on July 9th. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

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James Choi wins first June Event; Fabian Ramos advances to 3rd in the 2006 Overall Standings: In singles, Iwona Filuciak moves to 3rd.

(June 3, Meetup press release). The May Round of the 2006 Championship concluded Sunday, May 28th. The May Championship Final Table has been selected and will be held Sunday, June 4th at 330pm. Competition in the June Round began Thursday, June 1st.

In Thursday's Main Events, James Choi won the early tournament, ahead of Joe Rondon and Jim Kasmer in second & third place respectively. In the late event, Neville White claimed victory over Al Chin and May finalist Fabian Ramos. This marked the 12th final table appearance for Ramos as he moves ahead of Matt Hollinger into 3rd place in the 2006 standings. See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition is really heating up as the May Final Table approaches.  With two first place victories Thursday evening, Iwona Filuciak moves into 3rd place behind May Finalists Chris Lackore in 1st and Fabian Ramos in 2nd. Euphenia Cheng and Norman Rivera round out the Top 5 players.  See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for June 4th, 11th, 21st, and 28th in Wrigleyville. Sunday June 4th registers at 3pm and starts 330pm. Three Main Events are scheduled for June 4th: 330pm, 530pm, and 815pm. The first event (330pm) will be the Final Table for the May Championship Round.

Qualifiers for the Final Table of the May Championship Round are: Tony Matthews, Bret Dale, Matt Hollinger, Rob Vinson, Fabian Ramos, Rebecca Hollinger, Gordon Rosenthal, Jim Sodergren, Chris Lackore, and Erion Postoli. The Final Table will be played double-elimination with alternating rounds of Texas Holdem, Five-Card Stud, Omaha, and Kansas City Lowball (deuce-to-seven). All games will be played no limit. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

(May 30, Meetup press release). The May Round of the 2006 Championship concluded Sunday, May 28th. The May Championship Final Table has been selected and will be held Sunday, June 4th at 330pm. Competition in the June Round begins on Thursday, June 1st.

In Sunday's Main Events, May finalist Rob Vinson claimed victory in the early No-Limit Texas Holdem Tournament. It was the seventh final table appearance for Vinson this season. Joe Rondon finished second, ahead of newcomer Keith Christiansen and May finalist Gordon Rosenthal.

In the second Main Event, Felix Chan Yu captured first place over newcomer Demetrios Collins and May finalist Tony Matthews. This was Matthews' 14th trip to the final table this season! The third Main Event saw Al Chin and Michael Schwartz lock horns. Chin eventually won it, besting Schwartz, May finalist Erion Postoli, and John Rogers. See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition is really heating up as May draws to a close.  Chris Lackore is currently the single-table points leader. Fabian Ramos, Euphenia Cheng, Norman Rivera, and Tony Matthews round out the Top 5 players. Sunday's single-table action saw plenty of No-Limit 5-card stud and Kansas City Lowball action, in preparation for the May Championship scheduled for June 4th.  See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Special congratulations to newcomers Sotona Wonzer and Rob Wimberley. Each made their mark Sunday, scoring a first place finish at the single-tables. Wonzer also took third in another event.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for June 1st, 4th, 11th, 21st, and 28th in Wrigleyville. Thursday June 1st registers at 6pm and starts 630pm. Sunday June 4th registers at 3pm and starts 330pm. Three Main Events are scheduled for June 4th: 330pm, 530pm, and 815pm. The first event (330pm) will be the Final Table for the May Championship Round.

Qualifiers for the Final Table of the May Championship Round are: Tony Matthews, Bret Dale, Matt Hollinger, Rob Vinson, Fabian Ramos, Rebecca Hollinger, Gordon Rosenthal, Jim Sodergren, Chris Lackore, and Erion Postoli. The Final Table will be played double-elimination with alternating rounds of Texas Holdem, Five-Card Stud, Omaha, and Kansas City Lowball (deuce-to-seven). All games will be played no limit. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

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(May 26, Meetup press release). Sandeep Sakya and James Sodergren emerged the winners of Wednesday night's Main Event No-Limit Texas Holdem Tournaments. Sodergren has now moved into 8th place in the overall 2006 Standings with 5 final table appearances to his credit.

Tony Matthews finished second in the late event, maintaining a 34000 point lead in the overall standings, ahead of Bret Dale in 2nd. Both Matthews and Dale have 12 final tables, followed by Fabian Ramos with 10. See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition is really heating up as May draws to a close.  Chris Lackore is currently the single-table points leader. Fabian Ramos, Euphenia Cheng, Norman Rivera, and Tony Matthews round out the Top 5 players. Wednesday's single-table action saw plenty of No-Limit 5-card stud and Kansas City Lowball action, in preparation for the May Championship scheduled for June 4th.  See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Special congratulations to Ken Rubio on a first place victory at a particularly tough Single-Table event.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for May 28th, June 4th and 11th in Wrigleyville. Starting May 28th the Sunday event will start at 3pm.

The May Championship series is underway as of May 12th. All scores through Sunday May 28th will calculate the May Championship which is scheduled for Sunday June 4th at 3pm. The June Championship scoreboard will kickoff on Thursday June 1st. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

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(May 22, Meetup press release). Sunday's Tournaments were the scene of two hard-fought final tables. In the early Main Event James Sodergren claimed victory in a long seesaw battle with Sonny Fuentes. Tony Matthews finished third in the early event then won the late tournament heads up against Chris "Pokerstardom" Lackore.

With 11 final tables to his credit, Matthews now moves into first place in the overall 2006 standings, 12050 points ahead of Bret Dale. Lackore reached the final table for the 7th time Sunday, tying Rebecca Hollinger. Only Matthews and Dale have more final table appearances this season. See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition is really heating up as May draws to a close. Chris Lackore is currently the single-table points leader. Fabian Ramos, Euphenia Cheng, Norman Rivera, and Rob Vinson round out the Top 5 players. Sunday's single-table action saw plenty of No-Limit 5-card stud and Kansas City Lowball action, in preparation for the May Championship scheduled for June 4th.  See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Special congratulations to Euphenia Cheng on a first place victory at a very tough Single-Table, and a fourth place finish in the main event, her 5th final table appearance.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for May 24th, 28th, June 4th and 11th in Wrigleyville. Players should check the current schedule carefully as Friday's events have been switched to Wednesday evenings and starting May 28th the Sunday event will start at 3pm.

The May Championship series is underway as of May 12th. All scores through Sunday May 28th will calculate the May Championship which is scheduled for Sunday June 4th at 3pm. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

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(May 20, Meetup release). With a first place victory in the early Main Event yesterday, Matt Hollinger moved into 2nd Place on the 2006 Seasonal Scoreboard. A scant 1400 points now separate him from Tony Matthews in 3rd. Hollinger also joins Matthews as the only players to claim 2 Main Event victories this season.

Sonny Fuentes reached the main event final table twice on Friday, finishing second behind Hollinger in the early tournament. Third place belonged to Gorndon Rosenthal who remains in 6th Place overall behind Rebecca Hollinger (4th) and Fabian Ramos (5th). With fourth and third place finishes yesterday, Ramos has now made 8 final table appearances, behind only Tony Matthews and overall leader Bret Dale. See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

In high-speed holdem tournament competition, Fabian Ramos holds a very narrow lead over Chris Lackore in 2nd, Jeff Johnson in 3rd, Leonard Moody (4th), and Rob Vinson (5th). Vinson moved into 5th with a high-speed victory on Friday. In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Chris Lackore added substantially to his total, now leading by over 50000 points over Rob Vinson in 2nd.  See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Special congratulations to newcomers Ryan Watson, Pierre Bigby, and Brian Tiemann who finished first, second, and fifth respectively in the late Main Event no-limit holdem Tournament.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for May 21st, 24th, 28th in Wrigleyville. Players should check the current schedule carefully as Friday's events have been switched to Wednesday evenings and starting May 28th the Sunday event will start at 3pm. The May Championship series is underway as of the 12th. All points earned through Sunday May 28th will count towards the May Championship which is scheduled for Sunday June 4th at 3pm.  See the complete current tournament schedule here.

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(May 16, Meetup release). Under the glare of television lights and cameras, Tony Matthews reclaimed 2nd place in the overall 2006 standings. With a first place finish in Sunday's late main event, Matthews is 44000 points ahead of Rebecca Hollinger. In the first main event of the evening Neville White Jr. outlasted a large field to finish first and move into 8th place in the overall standings.

Norman Rivera added substantially to his overall score with second and third place finishes in Sunday's main events. Likewise for David Snitkin who finished fourth in the early tournament. James Howald continues his impressive recent performance, reaching both final tables on Sunday. Howald is now in 11th place overall. With a final table appearance in the later event, overall leader Bret Dale becomes the first player to reach 10 final tables this season. See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Tony Matthews scored a first place victory, moving into 2nd overall behind Chris Lackore. Congratulations to newcomers Leonardo Velez and Ed Rhee who finished first and second in Sunday's large high-speed mini tournament. See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for May 19th, 21st, 26th, and 28th in Wrigleyville. The May Championship series is underway as of the 12th. All points earned through Sunday May 28th will count towards the May Championship. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

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(May 15, Meetup release). Finishing third in the early tournament, Rebecca Hollinger overtook Tony Matthews to reclaim 2nd place in the overall 2006 Main Event standings. Fortune ran in the family Sunday night as Matt Hollinger took first place in the same tournament, moving to 4th in the overall standings! Congratulations to Luka Erceg who finished second, joining the May Championship race in his first appearance at a Volunteers Tournament. 

In the later main event, Rob Vinson finished third, retaining 5th overall. Fabian Ramos and Gordon Rosenthal are each close behind, within 20000 points of Vinson. Ilan Cohen, Ken Rubio, and Garrett Schafer round out the Top 10. Also of note, Ramos recorded his seventh appearance at a final table. Only Matthews with 8 and overall leader Bret Dale with 9 have made more final tables. See the entire Main Event Scoreboard here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Chris Lackore has a comfortable lead with David Snitkin in 2nd and Merri Furlong in 3rd. Victories Sunday night by Norman Rivera and Erion Postoli now have them in 4th and 5th place respectively. In the high-speed mini-tourney action, Fabian Ramos holds a first place lead over over Jeff Johnson. With a 1st place mini-tourney victory on Monday May 8th, Leonard Moody has moved into 3rd, overtaking Erion Postoli in 4th. See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for May 15th, 19th, 21st, 26th, and 28th in Wrigleyville. The May Championship series is underway as of the 12th and the table action will be videotaped for television on the 15th. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

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(May 13, Meetup release). Rob Vinson scored first blood in the May Championship Series, taking first place in a very challenging 4-hour No-Limit Texas Holdem Tournament at the Red Ivy. With this important victory he moves into 5th place overall for the 2006 Season.

Finishing sixth in the same tournament, Gordon Rosenthal advances to 4th place in the overall 2006 standings. In the later main event of the evening, Bret Dale finished fourth. Dale maintains a comfortable lead in 1st overall, while Tony Matthews and Rebecca Hollinger are in 2nd and 3rd with only 12,000 points separating them.

Fabian Ramos took second in the later main event, recording his fifth final table appearance. Ramos is now in 7th place in the overall 2006 standings. Matt Hollinger, Ken Rubio, and Garrett Schafer round out the Top 10 for 2006. Mike Z'Ante also recorded his fifth appearance at the final tables Friday night. See the Main Event Scoreboard here.

Congratulations to James Howald for winning the later main tournament in his first appearance at the Meetup Poker Volunteers. Howald had quite a night, also finishing in second place in the multi-table high-speed mini tournament, won by another newcomer, Jason Debbink. See the Main Event scoreboard here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Chris Lackore has a comfortable lead over David Snitkin in 2nd. With a first place victory Merri Furlong moves into 3rd, ahead of Fabian Ramos and Jeff Nigh. In the high-speed mini-tourney action, Fabian Ramos holds a first place lead over over Jeff Johnson. With a 1st place mini-tourney victory on Monday May 8th, Leonard Moody has moved into 3rd, overtaking Erion Postoli in 4th. See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for May 14th, 15th, and 19th in Wrigleyville. The May Championship series is underway as of the 12th and the table action will be videotaped for television on the 15th. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

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(May 10, Meetup release). With a 2nd place finish Monday, May 8th, Bret Dale remains atop the Main Event scoreboard with 484200 points in 7 final table appearances. Tony Matthews is in 2nd with a narrow lead over Rebecca Hollinger. Ilan Cohen and Gordon Rosenthal are in 4th and 5th place respectively.

With 1st place victories Monday, Ken Rubio and Garrett Schafer moved into 7th and 8th place behind Matt Hollinger. Fabian Ramos and David Snitkin round out the Top 10 main event leaderboard. Meanwhile, Mike Z'Ante and Chris Lackore continue their assault on the Top 10 with 4 final table appearances each.  See the Main Event scoreboard here.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Chris Lackore has a comfortable lead over David Snitkin and Jeff Nigh. In high-speed mini-tourney action, Fabian Ramos holds a first place lead over over Jeff Johnson. With a 1st place mini-tourney victory Monday night, Leonard Moody has moved into 3rd, overtaking Erion Postoli in 4th. See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Upcoming Meetup Volunteers tournaments are scheduled for May 12th, 14th, 15th, and 19th in Wrigleyville. The May Championship series will start on Friday the 12th and the table action will be videotaped for television on the 15th. See the complete current tournament schedule here.

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Congratulations to Doug Clay and Joshua Pacheco who each scored a first place Main Event victory on Monday night. It was Clay's first time in Volunteers competition.

In Single-Table Dealer's Choice competition, Chris Lackore has moved into the lead over Jeff Nigh and Ilan Cohen. In the intense mini-tourney event, Fabian Ramos has overtaken Jeff Johnson for the lead while newcomer Erion Postoli is now in 3rd with outstanding recent performances. See the complete current results scoreboard here.

Meetup Volunteers tournaments for the next two weeks are scheduled for May 8th, 12th, and 14th in Wrigleyville. See the complete current tournament schedule here.