BARGE 2025 was held July 28 through August 2 at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas!

Structures are available here.

Date Time Event Entry
Mon
Jul 28		 4:00pm BOD Meeting via Zoom
link to be announced
6:00pm Mixed Big O Memorial Charity Tournament $115+$25 $60 rebuys
Tue
Jul 29		 11:00am TORSE $115+$25 w/re‑entry
6:00pm Abridged History of Poker $80+$20 w/re‑entry
Wed
Jul 30		 11:00am Champions Bounty No Limit Hold’em with 2-7 Game $115+$25 w/re‑entry
3:00pm Bidirectional Chowaha High/Low (second chance event) $80+$20 w/re‑entry
8:00pm Team CHORSE $440 +$40/team
Thu
Jul 31		 10:00am Blackjack $50
12:00pm Pot Limit Omaha $115+$25 w/re‑entry
4:00pm Limit Hold’Em (second chance event) $80+$20 w/re‑entry
8:00pm Mini Reindeer Games
11:59pm (see below)
Fri
Aug 1		 12:00am Midnight Madness No Limit Hold’em (second chance event) $100+$15
10:00am TOC-Style $135+$25
6:00pm Dinner Break
6:00pm BARGE Annual Dinner
8:00pm TOC-Style restart
8:15pm Whammy CAR (second chance event) $80+$20
Sat
Aug 2		 10:30am No Limit Holdem Main Event $145+$35
11:00am Significant Others’ Mixed Hold’em $40
12:00p Group Picture
5:30pm Dinner Break
6:45pm No Limit Holdem Restart
8:00pm Expanded Cash Games (Reindeer Games)

Explanations

Mixed Big O Memorial Charity Tournament

  • In memory of Bob Ogus, Tom Sims, Rick Charles, and John Grout
  • Played pot limit during the rebuy period and limit thereafter (all played 8 or better high/low split)
  • Unlimited $60 rebuys during first hour (must be below starting stack)
  • All players may add-on for $60 at first break
  • all rebuy/add-on proceeds to be donated to winner’s choice of the Orlando Dog Training Club Inc. (Bob Ogus’s preferred charity), the American Cancer Society, the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, Team Rubicon, Habitat for Humanity, Dogs On Deployment, and World Central Kitchen
  • featuring table shuffle reseating (seating at each table is redrawn at each break; button is awarded to player who last paid the big blind)

TORSE

  • HORSE with 2-7 Triple Draw instead of Hold’em
  • featuring table shuffle reseating (seating at each table is redrawn at each break; button is awarded to player who last paid the big blind)

Abridged History of Poker

  • Levels alternate between California Lowball and 5 Card Draw (guts to open)
  • Switch to No Limit Single Draw 2-7 at final table or predetermined point in structure
  • featuring table shuffle reseating (seating at each table is redrawn at each break; button is awarded to player who last paid the big blind)

Champions Bounty No Limit Hold’em With 2-7 Game

  • This event is modeled after both two recent/current WSOP events – the Champions Reunion and Hall of Fame Bounty events
  • Former BARGE main event champions each have a bounty
    • The amount of the bounty is $100 plus the last two digits of the year(s) that they won
      • For example, Tim Showalter would have a $124 bounty ($100+’24), Lee Jones would have a $198 bounty ($100+’98), and Rich Bremer would have a $134 bounty ($100+’11+’23)
      • Even though it was an online free event, Russ Fox gets credit for his 2020 main event win* so his bounty would be $121 ($100+’01+’20)
    • Bounties are funded from the prize pool
    • Bounties apply to all reentries should a champion bust and reenter
  • featuring:
    • 2-7 Game – players winning with 2-7 collect a big and small blind from each player dealt in the hand
    • ultra-flat payout structure – 30% of field paid
    • table shuffle reseating (seating at each table is redrawn at each break; button is awarded to player who last paid the big blind)
  • Next year: Savage Average NLHE!

Bidirectional Chowaha High/Low

  • After the flop betting, button rolls die to determine whether turn and river are dealt to right of flops or underneath flops
  • 4 card Chowaha played high/low split eight or better
  • featuring table shuffle reseating (seating at each table is redrawn at each break; button is awarded to player who last paid the big blind)

Team CHORSE

  • this is a six person team event where each team member plays one CHORSE game (HORSE + Crazy Pineapple 8 or better)

Blackjack

  • will be hosted informally

Pot Limit Omaha

  • Players start with 10k and get 2 lammers worth 5k each
  • Next year: Funbook Pot Limit Omaha!

Limit Hold’em

  • featuring table shuffle reseating (seating at each table is redrawn at each break; button is awarded to player who last paid the big blind)

Mini Reindeer Games

  • Somewhat expanded roster of cash games
  • Game selection through registration

Midnight Madness No Limit Hold’em

  • This event will mirror the FARGO event Midnight Madness event
  • Uses cash game chips
  • Tournament runs without breaks for 2.5 hours or until all agree to end it; players keep the chips they have in front of them when the tournament ends

TOC-Style

  • mix of limit Hold’em, Omaha/8 or better, Stud High before switching to no limit Hold’em with 1-2 tables remaining

BARGE Annual Dinner

  • Prime Rib Loft at the Orleans
  • Our guest speaker at this year’s BARGE annual dinner will be Chris “Fox” Wallace, a professional poker player, author, and poker coach. While primarily a cash game player, he also has over a million dollars in tournament earnings including winning the $10,000 buy-in HORSE World Championship at the World Series Of Poker for more than half a million dollars, and he has made day five and six in the WSOP Main Event.

Whammy CAR

  • Limit, three game mix of Courchevel high (modified), Action Razz, Rio Bravo
    • Courchevel – modified so that players are dealt four cards preflop and a flop window card is dealt; players receive their fifth card after the river; must use two from hand and three from board
    • Action Razz – standard rules
    • Rio Bravo – hold’em with a third down card dealt after the river
  • 5 betting rounds in each game
  • Deck includes one joker
    • In any game if the joker is in your hole cards, you cannot win at showdown, but if you win the pot without a showdown you win an extra big bet from everyone dealt in
    • In Courchevel and Rio Bravo, if the whammy appears on the board, the board is killed and replaced
    • In Action Razz, if the whammy appears on a player’s board, the player’s board is killed and replaced
  • featuring table shuffle reseating (seating at each table is redrawn at each break; button is awarded to player who last paid the big blind)

Reindeer Games

  • Expanded roster of cash games
  • Game selection through registration