Poker Event Coming To Wilmington
March 28, 2004
Miami Valley poker fans can meet Ron Rose, then start on their way to becoming the next Ron Rose - all in the same weekend.
Wilmington's Roberts Convention Centre will host the No Limit Texas Hold'em Championships of Ohio. The three-day tournament, which has a guaranteed $25,000 first-place prize, will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America.
During the first four sessions - 6 p.m. Friday, noon and 6 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday - a $70 buy-in provides the chance to become one of 20 winners from each session. The 80 finalists will compete beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday for $25,000. The top 10 places will provide cash prizes.
Rose, the Dayton resident who gained national prominence as the World Poker Tour's Battle of Champions winner, will appear Saturday and Sunday to sign autographs.
Rick Phipps, vice president of the Orioles Club in West Carrollton, the group putting on the event, said there will be 250 seats in the four preliminary sessions, and that spots are still available.
"This is our first time putting this on, but because of the response so far, we're already looking to the future of it," Phipps said. "We're already thinking about doing it twice a year. We'll have to wait and see how it goes, obviously, but it could definitely become an ongoing thing."
Phipps said the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society approached his group after it helped raise almost $19,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association with a No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament last month. He said players from all over Ohio have signed up, and he expects all the seats to fill before the tournament begins.
Rose said this will be a big event for the area.
"You're going to have 1,000 people from all over Ohio coming because they love poker," Rose said. "This is a very big deal, and someone's going to win a lot of money."
