11:00PM  JEFF SCHULZ OFFICIAL CHAMPION!

The heads-up contest was ceremonial.  Both players have won the exact same prize.  The only thing left to play for was the title "Nebraska State Champ".  Since Vern was the underdog, he conceded the championship to Jeff and they both began to celebrate.

Congrats to Vern Ruyna & Jeff Schulz on a great run! 

10:50PM VERN RUNYAN & JEFF SCHULZ ARE THE GRAND PRIZE WINNERS!!!!!

Darren busted in the dreaded 3rd place.  The pressure was on him being the short stack.  With the blinds at 15k/30k, he needed to double up quickly to get back in the game.   He pushed with pocket 6's but didn't have enough chips to avoid a 3-way pot.  He had a chance to triple up but J-3 (big blind) caught a jack on the turn to finish him off.

Darren played very solid all day but just didn't have the cards when he really needed them with 3 to go...

10:35PM

Round and round they go...Everyone is playing with caution...There have been several walks...Jeff Schulz is letting his competitors bleed their stacks away...NOBODY WANTS TO BUST HERE OF COURSE!

10:21PM

Vern collected a nice pot then followed up with taking another pot after a flop of Q-4-4.  Darren folded A-J face up and Vern showed he had the queen. 

That could easily end up being the defining hand of this 3-way battle...

10:15PM 3-WAY

Ok here's where we stand:

Jeff "Uncle Jeff" Schulz 400k+

Vern Runyan 100k

Darren Hose 100k

With Jeff's chip lead, you would think it should be easy for him to coast into one of the two grand prizes...

10:11PM  ALICE KECK BUSTED 4TH

Alice was getting short and lost a coin flip in the end against Jeff Schulz's pocket 7's.  Jeff improved on his lead. 

We are now at the bubble...

10:04PM

Darren flopped a set of deuces and trapped Vern who flopped top pair.  Darren doubled through Vern.

The very next hand Vern moved all in and took down the blinds.

9:50PM

Jeff Schulz is building a sizeable chip lead.  Alice is now the short stack.  Blinds are going to 10k/20k...

9:35PM

Darren Hose doubled through Vern Runyan with pocket jacks versus A-10. 

Right now, Jeff Schulz has a slight chip lead followed by Alice and now Darren.  It looks like Vern has the short stack...

9:15PM JEFF BURES BUSTED 5th

Jeff pushed from the small blind and Alice busted him. 

Jay Dabney (pictured right) busted.  In a big pot he found himself all-in versus Jeff "Uncle Jeff" Schulz. 

Jay Q-10c

Jeff 2-2

Flop: Q-J-6

Jay outflopped Jeff, leaving Jeff only 2 outs.

TURN -> 2 of clubs!

Jay picked up a redraw (clubs) but the river missed him and Jeff snuck away with a 100k+ pot!!!!

That's poker folks, tough break for Jay, who played a great tournament...

9:00PM GRINDER

The remaining players are grinding it out...

8:30PM DAVE JENSEN BUSTED

Alice Keck got Dave's chips.

8:10PM CASEY ROBERTS BUSTED

Quite a few hands went by with no significant action until Casey Roberts and Jeff Schulz got into a tangle. 

Jeff A-K

Casey 4-4

Classic race, Jeff wins after flopping two aces...Casey busts in 8th place

7:50PM JEFF MERRILL BUSTED

Jeff Merrill busted after moving in short stacked.

Casey Roberts doubled up after sucking out a full house on the turn against Jay Dabney.  Jay held Q-10 and Casey Q-7 and got the money in after a flop of Q-Q-4.  A seven on the turn saved the day for Casey.

Several hands later, Casey Roberts doubled through Jay Dabney AGAIN.

7:25PM FINAL TABLE

Tim Oyken (Legends) and Pat Schroeder (Bula's) busted 11th and 10th.

The final table is set:

Seat #1. Dave Jenson (American Legion Columbus) 83.5k

2. Alice Keck (Touchdown Club-North Platte) 61k

3. Jeff Schulz (Alamo Bar-North Platte) 103.5k

4. Jeff Bures (Little Bo's-Columbus) 42k

5. Darren Hose (Legends-Lincoln) 31.5k

6. Jeff Merrill (American Legion-Columbus) 16.5k

7. Vern Runyan (American Legion-Columbus) 129.5k

8. Jay Dabney (MVP Lounge-Omaha) 135.5k

9. Casey Roberts (Alamo Bar-North Platte) 19k

Jeff Merrill comes in as the short stack to defend his title.  This is the first time a League Champion has made a 2nd championship final table appearance.

Jeff "Uncle Jeff" Schulz is the only league champ left in this field... 

6:20PM JEFF MERRILL DOUBLES THROUGH DAVID ORFIELD

Jeff moved all in with pocket queens and David called with pocket jacks.  Queens held. 

The defending state champ is making another run at it...he's suddenly got over 50k!

Rocky Conley busted from the Columbus American Legion.  Down to 17 players.

6:10PM DOWN TO 18

Short stacks are dropping like flies...

The "Player Appreciation" freeroll has begun.  We're giving away $200 in cash, there are a little over 30 players participating...

Jeff Merrill doubled up through Jeff Schulz with AK vs AJ.  Jeff is back up to 25k.

Vern Runyan doubled through Casey Roberts.  Vern is our new chip leader in this tournament...This was probably the hand of the tournament so far.  Vern had an overpair (9-9) vs. Casey's flush draw and 1 over.  Vern's hand held up against a very good draw and he scooped a 90k pot.

5:30PM DINNER BREAK

Whew, we got to the dinner break down to 24 players.  The average stack is 24k.

Here are the chip leaders:

Dave Jenson - Columbus American Legion 69.5k

"Uncle" Jeff Schulz - Alamo Bar North Platte 65k

Casey Roberts - Alamo Bar North Platte 51k

Vern Runyan - Columbus American Legion 46k

Jeff Merrill, defending champ has 20.5k.

4:50PM "UNCLE" JEFF SCHULZ TRIPLES UP

Jeff Schulz, league champ from the Alamo in North Platte, has had a very lively cheering section all day.  A little girl about 4 years old has been chanting "Uncle Jeff, Uncle Jeff!" over and over again.  The positive reinforcement is working.  Jeff tripled up with A-Q in a 3-way all-in preflop vs. K-K and K-Q.  With Pete Bushey calling the hand, an ace fell on the river and Jeff erupted.  

A few moments later I heard him say to another player, "He who is left standing on the pot is high on life".

Indeed. 

4:30PM  DOWN TO 3 TABLES

Darren Hose (pictured right) from Legend's doubled up with Aces.

The "action table" was the last table to break...

Chip stacks are starting to climb as we are down to exactly 30 players...8 of them are ladies.

4:00PM SHORT BREAK

After a short break, Karen Sjullie from the Touchdown Club doubled up and then immediately busted in the next hand with top but was outkicked.  We are down to 33 players.

3:45PM JEFF MERRILL DOUBLES THROUGH MICHELLE WOLTEMATH WITH SET OVER SET

Jeff Merrill pushes all in with pocket queens after a raise and call.  Michelle Woltemath, the original raiser, considers for a moment and then calls with pocket 8's.  The flop gives both players a set! 

Jeff now has about 30k and has made a big move.  He is sitting on the same table as Casey Roberts and Michelle Woltemath, two of the chip leaders in this tournament. 

3:30PM

With the blinds going up to 400/800, we are down to 40 players...

Jeff Merrill doubled up with a set of 4's.  He was short and is now up to the average stack.

Wendy Grachek, league champ from the Touchdown Club in North Platte AND overall points leader for the state, is sitting with around 25k. 

Casey Roberts from the Alamo in North Platte has catapulted to 48k and might be our new chip leader...

Dave Jenson from the Columbus American Legion is running well with about 30k.

Jeff Bures from Little Bo's in Columbus has around 27k. 

Ryan Bauc (pictured right) lost a big hand and is now at 14k, which is the average stack.

2:30PM BREAK

Well, we reached the first dinner break. 

Here are the early chip leaders:

Michelle Woltemath (pictured right) - Touchdown Club 47.5k

Cliff Wheatley - Bula's 32.7k

Ryan Bauc - Columbus American Legion 28k

2:05pm MICHELLE WOLTEMAN BUSTED 2 MORE

Michelle Wolteman increased her chip lead after busting 2 more players in one hand.  He had the best hand and the best draw after the flop. 

1:45pm 1ST TABLE BROKE

We brokedown the first table.  56 players remain out of 61 total to start the day...

Deb Kumm (host from Columbus) was short-stacked and moved all-in with AK after a KQx flop.  She was called by pocket 10's and ended up doubling up to around 8k.  Play seems pretty tight as we head toward our first break of the day.

Michelle Woltemath from Touchdown Club woke up to a full house vs Nolan Ross's nut flush to take a 30k+ pot and become the early chip leader in this tournament...

Vern Runyan from American Legion-Columbus busted fellow Am Legion player Doug Feik.

12:30pm FIRST TO BUST

Janet McGrane from the local bar right here at Legends was the first to bust.  She made a set of 5's on the turn but Dan Rinkol from the American Legion in Columbus hit a full house holding pocket 6's on the turn and got all the chips...

We have 9 players back for the 2nd championship appearance in the Nebraska Poker League, including Jeff Merrill, the reigning champ.  Jeff is the only player in this field who has final table experience at a championship event... 

The scene here is great.  All of the wait staff here are great.  They have poker-theme tanktops that read "I Don't Even Fold Laundry".  Hilarious!

It's going to be a fun one here in Lincoln... 

We're underway at Legends in Lincoln for the WSOP league championship.  2 lucky Nebraskans will be headed to the 2007 World Series of Poker at the end of the day...