Kirk Stewart Wins Inaugural Native American Casino Poker Tour Main Event at Choctaw Casino Resort

In the early morning of Monday Dec. 12, Kirk Stewart, a lifetime wheat farmer from Kansas, was awarded the inaugural Native American Casino Poker Tour title, presented by Card Player Media, after a three-way deal at the final table.

At Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, Stewart won $50,000, the buffalo trophy and a $1,500 World Series of Poker Circuit seat.

He had both Jason Simon and former PokerStars Supernova Elite player Brandon “Ledzep6028” Vise on the ropes when the deal was made. Simon and Vise chopped up the remaining prize pool for scores of about $45,000 apiece.

In addition to Stewart, Simon and Vise, the final table consisted of Reggi Trotter (fourth), Martin Tyson (fifth), Vartan Tonian (sixth), Brett Rager (seventh), Jeremy Vaughn (eighth), and Sebastian Tejada (ninth).

Vaughn, a 23-year-old professional poker player, was cheered on via Twitter by Ben Lamb, his backer. The Texan was one of the big stacks throughout the tournament until finding himself short at the final table.

Tejada, another one of the young players in the tournament, held a massive chip lead of 750,000 with two tables remaining, but busted early at the final table shortly after his K-K lost to the K-Q of Tonian, all in preflop.

With a deep structure for a $1,000 event, the final table had gone on for quite some time before a deal was finally struck. The players looked exhausted after two grueling days of poker.

Despite the hour, Stewart was all smiles after the win, saying that he would put his prize money into his farm — as well as play a little bit more poker.

The 57-year-old has only been playing for about three years, but never let the more experienced players at the final table bully him.

Stewart’s key hand of the day came when he called a big all-in bet from Seneca Easley on a J-J-2 flop. Easley had two tens, while Stewart was holding A-K. An ace peeled off on the turn, giving Stewart a massive pot that propelled him to the win.

Easley, who won the 2011 WSOP-Circuit Harrah’s Rincon main event back in March, bubbled the official final table of nine.

A total of 324 players put up the $1,000 buy-in for Card Player’s NACPT main event on Saturday, Dec. 10 — making a prize pool of $290,681. While the field was mostly comprised of local players, some of the game’s most well-known players traveled to the venue.

Among the notables in the field were T.J. Cloutier, Adam Geyer, Allen Carter, Tommy Vedes, La Sengphet, John “Tex” Barch, Mario Silvestri, Gregg Merkow, Brandon Terry, Clint Tolbert and Dennis Phillips, who provided commentary for Card Player’s live streaming coverage on Sunday.

Here are the final main event standings:

1. Kirk Stewart $50,000
2. Jason Simon $45,611
3. Brandon Vise $45,611
4. Reggi Trotter $22,659
5. Martin Tyson $17,011
6. Vartan Tonian $12,973
7. Brett Rager $10,049
8. Jeremy Vaughn $7,901
9. Sebastian Tejada $6,305

More about the Champ

Stewart, born and raised in Freeport, Kansas, said he likes the camaraderie of poker, something he discovered while playing $2-$5 and $5-$10 no-limit hold’em cash games.
Although the NACPT Choctaw had plenty of satellite options for the main event, Stewart paid the $1,000 buy-in directly.

Despite being relatively new to the game, Stewart says he plays to win in all the tournaments he enters. He plans to make a trip to Las Vegas in the summer of 2012 to compete in the WSOP.

He has a single cash at the WSOP on his resume, a deep run in a 2009 $1,500 no-limit hold’em event. Lifetime he has $114,894 in career tournament earnings.

In the months prior to the upcoming WSOP, Stewart plans to keep working on his farm and playing poker when he gets a chance. “I’m really looking forward to playing more,” he said.

He said he is a frequent visitor to Choctaw Casino Resort and will likely be a familiar face in future NACPT events.

The Birth of the NACPT

The NACPT was launched in October 2011. Card Player is partnering with Native American casinos across the country to offer a wide variety of games with buy-ins to suit all bankrolls.

Jeff Shulman, president of Card Player, said, “our vision is to combine the efforts of Native American poker rooms with Card Player’s massive poker audience to build a nationwide tour. With the help of Card Player’s poker and media expertise, the Native American Casino Poker Tour will foster closer relationships between the casinos and their players.”

After a successful first event, the NACPT plans on releasing a full tour schedule in 2012.

NACPT Live Coverage

The first NACPT main event featured a four-camera setup allowing for multiple viewing angles from the final table. Viewers were able to watch the action live, online, across the country.

The viewership numbers were strong. One of Card Player’s Twitter followers remarked, “I really need to be studying but watching the stream of NACPT. Thanks @CardPlayerMedia.”
Fourth-place finisher Reggi Trotter was cheered on over the Internet by 25 of his friends and family. Twitter was abuzz with congratulations and condolences throughout the final table.

With live commentary by 2009 WSOP main event finalist Dennis Phillips, fans of the game didn’t only have play-by-play, but were also treated to detailed poker analysis.
All future NACPT stops will include similar coverage from Card Player.

More About Choctaw Casino

The casino, which recently received a Four Diamond rating by AAA, is home to a 30-table poker room with a personal lounge and high-limit area, located on its own floor away from the noise of other games. With a private staff and guest services, the lounge makes poker players feel comfortable.

During the NACPT stop, cash games at the casino were up 30 percent, with numerous high buy-in tables running 24 hours a day. Smaller buy-in games such as $1-$2 no-limit hold’em were continuously available, giving players of all experience levels a game to play.

The hotel-gaming facility contains more than 300 rooms and suites, along with 110,000 square feet of casino floor. The $300 million project was completed in 2006 and features some of the most luxurious amenities and technologies available in the industry.

Away from the table, players can enjoy great food at the casino’s 1832 Steakhouse and Butterfields Buffet, along with numerous other excellent dining choices. For entertainment, players can attend any number of shows, and for relaxation, tired gamblers can take advantage of the casino’s spa and tropical pools.

Located about ninety minutes away from Dallas-Fort Worth, Choctaw Casino Resort is not only easily accessible to locals, but to tourists as well.

Ken Lambert: Poker Room Manager of Choctaw Casino Resort

The inaugural NACPT was run by one of the most experienced poker room staffs in the business – headed by veteran Ken Lambert.

Lambert got started in the casino business as a busboy when he was just 16 years old at Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas. When he turned 21, he moved onto dealing cards and then helped open the Mirage Casino before becoming the poker room manager at the Horseshoe in Tunica, Mississippi.

In Tunica, Lambert helped make the World Poker Open one of the marquee events on the World Poker Tour. After Harrah’s bought the Horseshoe in 2004, Lambert was asked to become director of the World Series of Poker and spent a year traveling on the newly created WSOP Circuit.

After that experience, Lambert moved on to MGM Resorts, working at Mississippi properties in both Tunica and Biloxi. Recently, he took over as poker room manager for the Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, making its poker room one of the best in the industry. ♠

NACPT Choctaw Event Winners

Event 1 $200 no-limit hold’em John Tipton
Event 2 $125 no-limit hold’em Phillip Barch
Event 3 $300 no-limit hold’em William Fisher
Event 4 $175 no-limit hold’em William Robinson
Event 5 $300 no-limit hold’em Mario Silvestri
Event 6 $200 no-limit hold’em Fred Taylor
Event 7 $200 no-limit hold’em Steven Booth
Event 8 $200 limit Omaha eight-or-better Marion Coleman
Event 9 $200 no-limit hold’em Victor Johnson
Event 10 $125 no-limit hold’em Theron Cook
Event 11 $200 no-limit hold’em Lynn Samples
Event 12 $125 no-limit hold’em Lance Garcia
Event 13 $200 no-limit hold’em James Goodwin
Event 14 $200 limit Omaha eight-or-better Bob Wilson
Event 15 $200 no-limit hold’em John Nowak
Event 16 $300 pot-limit Omaha Ronald Hostetler
Event 17 $300 no-limit hold’em turbo Bobby McClelland
Event 18 $1,000 no-limit hold’em Kirk Stewart
Event 19 $200 no-limit hold’em Thomas Bell
Event 20 $125 no-limit hold’em Raymond Speck