North Platte poker player wins championship

Nebraska -- For the second year in a row, a North Platte poker player has won the Nebraska Free Poker Network Championship.

Stacy Stanford earned a free trip to Las Vegas and a seat in the 2008 World Series of Poker.

Poker league players from the Touchdown Club had the most players in the event in Lincoln on Sunday, with 19 out of 118 qualifiers. In the three years since Free Poker Network began, more than $385,000 in cash and prizes have been given away, and Nebraska players have taken home more than $26,000 in the past two years.


Women represented 17 percent of the field in Lincoln, with North Platte's Karen Sjullie the sole female league champion in the field.

Stanford outlasted four previous state winners, including last year's winner, North Platte's Jeff Schulz.

Stanford received a $1,500 buy-in to a WSOP tournament, plus $1,000 for travel expenses for the June 30 event. In addition, Stanford will have a seat at the exclusive Free Poker Network National Final for a chance to win a $10,000 buy-in at the Main Event.

"I started out the tournament playing tight," Stanford said. "Then when I reached the final table, I loosened up a lot. You can't win poker tournaments without some luck, and my luck came at the right time."

The WSOP is the most anticipated poker event of the year. In 2007, 54,000 entrants bought in to compete for 55 bracelet events. Main Event winner Jerry Yang of California took home $8.25 million as the 2007 winner.

North Platte Telegraph

News Added: 20 May, 2008

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