All In at Lima Poker Championship

OHIO -- For poker local and regional poker enthusiasts, this year’s Lima Poker Championship could very well have a “full house.”
Though only in its second year of existence, organizer John Parkins said the 2008 tourney might well max out at its 600-player limit (that’s compared to the 377 people who competed last year).

“We are really excited about this year’s tournament,” he said. “We definitely anticipate more players than we had in 2007. Everyone was thrilled with it (last year). They all had a lot of fun, and almost everyone said they were coming back for the next one.”



The Lima Poker Championship was created as a fundraiser for the Lima Warriors semi-professional football team and non-profit organization, Parkins said. The money the Warriors raise from the event feeds back into the Lima community, he said, funding the Warrior’s youth football clinics.



With its good intentions, Parkins and the team felt it was important to build the tournament up into more than a fundraiser.



“With poker being so popular, we thought we should take advantage of its popularity and put on a tournament ourselves,” he said. “We didn’t want to run an average charity poker tournament. We wanted it to be its own stand-alone tournament that people could recognize as the biggest tournament in Ohio.”



Parkins said he thinks the tournament has reached that level, especially with the “biggest and best charity poker” rating by the Web site www.OhioCardPlayers.com. This weekend, players can see for themselves, Parkins said. In addition to the main event at 1 p.m. Saturday, players can also participate in “sit-n-go” satellite play at the fairgrounds (where winners will advance into the main event). There will also be a second chance tournament starting at 8 p.m. Saturday and a “Re-Buy Extravaganza” tournament beginning at noon on Sunday.



Ultimately, the top 10 percent of players from Saturday’s main event will receive payouts, Parkins said; last year’s tournament winner walked away with $12,000 and a blinged-out bracelet, he said, and this year’s winner stands to take home even more, depending on turn out.



Even with potential high stakes, Parkins said participants of all skill levels are welcome to play.



“There are all levels of players in this tournament,” he said. “There professional players, there are amateurs, there are novice players that play online games. The level of competition varies, and that’s what makes it fun. There are all different mixes and matches of people coming from all over the place.”

News Added: 22 February, 2008

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