On Sunday May 18th
shortly after one o’clock we kicked off the Nebraska
state championship where two lucky people will be
heading to Las Vegas to play in the World Series of
Poker. It was a beautiful day as the tournament
over looked the golf course at Hidden Valley in
Lincoln.
The action was heating
up as was the temperature inside. Unfortunately the air
went out for a little bit, but was fixed within an hour.
The first player to bust was also the loudest for the whole
tournament until she lost her voice, former champ Jeff
Schultz’s mom Toni Englebart was knocked out early. She let
the whole tournament know that the pressure was off them to
be the first to bust.
We had four former
champions looking to be the first ever person to be a two
time main event champion. Vern Runyan and Jeff Schultz both
won WSOP seats one year ago, Jeff Merrill who won a $12,500
WPT Caribbean package, and Larry Culhane coming off a WPT
Bay 101 win in January.
About four hours into the tournament former champ Jeff
Merrill busted another former champ Vern Runyan. Pat
McGrane from Legends was the chip leader at dinner break.
Shortly after Dinner break Jeff Miller from MVP Lounge in
Omaha got tangled up in a pot with Ron Sjullie from
Touchdown Club in North Platte. Jeff got all his chips in
the pot on a bluff while Ron was holding pocket Kings. Jeff
had King-Ten. On the river Jeff catches the miracle card of
a queen, giving him the gut shot straight and taking a huge
pot.
When we got down to the
final table we had a husband and wife couple of Pat and
Janet McGrane, and Jeff Merrill former champ. Jeff Miller
had a majority of the chips in play and was controlling the
action. Everyone wanted to double up through him, but
didn’t want to commit chips on marginal hands because it was
hard to figure out what Jeff had since he was playing so
many. Jeff Merrill woke up to Kings as Jeff Miller had
raised. J. Merrill went all in and J. Miller made the call
knowing that he was drawing slim with his 10-2. The window
card was a 10, but not enough help, turn another blank, but
the two on the river sealed the deal as J. Miller collected
more chips knocking out the last remaining champ who was his
second previous champion knock out as he had taken Jeff
Schultz out earlier.
When we got down to
three people Jeff Miller, Stacy Standord, and Don Lueschen
both Stacy and Don had minimal stacks compared to Jeff.
Knowing this Jeff controlled the action almost every hand
making every bet 100,000 to play which would virtually put
Stacy and Don all in. Stacy had made the call three times,
and able to survive all three to Don’s disappointment.
The last hand of the night had Jeff on the button who folded
and Stacy went all in trying to take Don’s big blind as each
blind steal was crippling to these two players. Don woke up
to pocket queens and couldn’t call fast enough. If Don wins
the hand he virtually takes out Stacy as he wouldn’t have
enough chips to call either the big or small blind. If
Stacy wins he knocks out Don and it’s over. Stacy was
holding K-3 to Don’s pocket QQ’s. Flop nothing, turn
nothing, but the miracle three outer on the river pairing
Stacy’s King ends the tournament as we had our two winners.
Don was crushed as three times earlier Stacy’s tournament
could have been ended, but was able to survive and when he
got all his chips in as a huge favorite he was unable to
survive the dreaded river.
