The Kansas City Straddle – July 14-17, 2022

[Marhault]

@Marhault @toynoob ?

Can't exactly make concrete plans for 2 years from now but I'm a solid maybe.

 

[Chawks45]

I'd surely be down, representing the "East" side (Missouri, not E. St Louis haha).

Sweet! Putting you down for in. Do you want a hotel room?

 

[Chawks45]

Can't exactly make concrete plans for 2 years from now but I'm a solid maybe.

Want me to mark you down as interested?

 

[Marhault]

Want me to mark you down as interested?

Absolutely, I just can't make plans that far ahead. I'll know more when we bid annual leave at the end of this year.

 

[Beakertwang]

@shorticus

 

[shorticus]

Interested, but definitely too early for me to commit fully.

 

[T_Chan]

I would love to attend. Schedule depending, I'll be there plus hotel room.

 

[Jonesey07]

Cool concept on the "July 9" but I'm not sold on the practicality. I would think that most people depart early on Sunday and not knowing if they are still in the main event would put a wrinkle in some travel plans.

Just my opinion, so please don't take it personally!

 

[Chawks45]

Cool concept on the "July 9" but I'm not sold on the practicality. I would think that most people depart early on Sunday and not knowing if they are still in the main event would put a wrinkle in some travel plans.

That's excellent feedback on a potential issue.

I'll bounce it off the fellas, such as @bsdunbar1 (we're currently texting on the very issue you raised even as I type this ). Good news is we have time to work on a solution keeping in mind folks will likely depart on Sunday as opposed to Monday, and flush out other issues that might pop up. Truly appreciate you identifying it and raising the concern.

 

[BEANO52]

Sweet! Putting you down for in. Do you want a hotel room?

Also, way to far ahead to 100% commit and have tons of relatives to stay with if not at the hotel, sounds awesome !

 

[abby99]

Color me interested in the meetup and a hotel room. It's way too early for me to commit, though. I've never had KCBBQ and am looking forward to trying it!

You're practically in my front yard -- less than a 3-hour drive!

 

[JustinInMN]

I'm tempted, be cool do to a 10,000 lakes carpool. @inca911

One concern is whether the hotel is okay with the nature of our meetup. Would they be running any legal risk? Obviously there are licensed gaming establishments in the area that may act protective.

 

[MIZ]

Longtime lurker, first-time poster here, Chawks and I go back many years on the felt. I've been living vicariously through his poker chip and poker room building journey. As much as I avoid giving him compliments because it only fuels his enormous ego (HA!), he runs a fantastic game.

This should be a great time for all. Leavenworth has good access from the airport, although you will feel you're driving out into the country for a bit. If you need a 24/7 poker fix. Hollywood Casino isn't far and has a very good room, assuming we're back to relative normal by then.

Looking forward to this!

 

[pokerplayingpisces]

Put me down as interested, for the meet up and hotel room. Like many others, this is a little too far out to fully commit.

 

[Chawks45]

A heads up that the KC Straddle is moving to the Missouri side of the metro area. The original post is updated to reflect this.

 

[justsomedude]

I'm probably in for this... throw my name in the hizzat!

 

[Silver_Fiend]

A heads up that the KC Straddle is moving to the Missouri side of the metro area. The original post is updated to reflect this.

Well forget THAT! I aint playing in Missery. LOL, JK. I dont care where its held.

 

[Chawks45]

I'm probably in for this... throw my name in the hizzat!

Come on over, neighbor!

 

[toothpic]

Interested, but will have to revisit in 2022.

 

[Natskule]

I'm interested and should be in, but hard to tell for sure 17 months in advance.

 

[Grandmasturkey]

Straddle: “To be on both sides of; extend over or across.”

With the definition in mind, “The Kansas City Straddle” provides an ideal meet-up name when considering Missouri and Kansas border the metro area (has a little poker connotation, too).

I’m putting together a meet-up for July 14-17, 2022, on the Missouri side of KC, with valuable input from from local PCFers @DoubleEagle, @bsdunbar1, @RowdyRawhide, who suggested the meet-up name, @Chester Copperpot and @MIZ.

Yes, this gathering is a little more than 16 months away. But we unfortunately quickly learned we can’t plan anything for 2021 at this point because of the greater KC metro's current COVID-19 laws prohibiting large group gatherings if participants can’t socially distance, which isn’t practical for our purposes. We are planning with a view of 2022 being much different considering the vaccination rolling out.

This is what is in the works:

• WHO: PCFers (shooting for the stars here with a goal of up to 36 PCFers maximum to fill four tables for the event. Can fill seats with local regs as necessary/needed, but PCFers have priority, of course!).
• WHAT: A social gathering of chippers for camaraderie.
• WHEN: July 14-17, 2022.
• WHERE: Kansas City metro.
• WHY: Because there hasn’t been a meet-up in this area, per DoubleEagle’s, bsdunbar1’s and RowdyRawhide’s recollections. It’s time.

LODGING

What’s changed from original post: We scrapped the planned spot on the Kansas side and moved to the Missouri side for the social gathering.

An ideal meet-up space is secured. Details will be sent to the confirmed attendees.

For accommodations, I met with the owner of an establishment in close proximity to the meet-up location and blocked off nine room reservations for essentially suites.

For overflow, there are numerous hotels in the immediate area of the planned meet-up location, including a Fairfield Inn & Suites, TownPlace Suites, SpringHill Suites and Comfort Inn, among others.

For anyone potentially flying in, the Kansas City airport is approximately 25 minutes away from the hotels.

THE CHIPS

We’ll supply chips, including bsdunbar1’s and DoubleEagle’s tourney sets, but guests are certainly welcome to bring a set if they want. I also plan on having a custom meet-up set made, along with other meet-up swag to take home.

We’ll have separate tables off to the side against the walls for show-and-tell for anyone wanting to bring in a set.

THE GAMES (daily schedule TBD/TBA)

• Social games
• Main Event

My vision is an all-day Main Event on Saturday. The final table, dubbed The July Nine, will play on my Chanman table, which will be put in use on the day of the ME.

STUFF TO SEE/DO

Don’t think of the area as flyover country! There’s plenty to do in the area for anyone wanting a break from poker-related events, such as:

• KC metro: Plaza area, where you’ll find famous fountains along with numerous shopping and eating spots, including Jack Stack barbecue restaurant; Worlds of Fun amusement park; Midtown-Westport area of KC (restaurants like Q39 barbecue, diners, bars galore and my go-to karaoke spot Off-Key), Power & Light District (more bars!), Zona Rosa shopping area; The Legends Outlet on the Kansas side of KC houses the Kansas Speedway, Sporting KC’s soccer stadium, huge shopping outlet, restaurants, Hollywood Casino, etc., and so much more.
• Local casinos: Hollywood Casino, Harrah’s KC, Argosy, Ameristar.
• I can take interested people on post for a guided tour of nearby historic Fort Leavenworth, the oldest active Army installation (founded 1827). It is literally across the street from the hotel properties.
• If we’re lucky depending on schedule, feel free to take in either a Royals game for the pro baseball fans or Sporting KC match for the pro soccer fans. If we’re luckier on the schedule, both teams will be in town on weekend of proposed meet-up. It’s all about having options for the sports fans.

PARTING THOUGHTS, FOR NOW…

Everything seems fluid these days, of course, but it’s reasonable to think we should be good to go by July 2022 to at least take steps and attempt this venture.

More details, including full schedule and sequence of events, to follow at a later time with attendees.

In the meantime, I believe there’s been some level of interest from folks in close proximity to Kansas City, such as @DMack, @tdccarpenter, @chkmte and @jja412 (tagging to let you all know the planning is indeed going forward). What about others near KC and around the country interested in visiting/participating?

Please chime in if you’re interested in attending and prefer to stay at the hotel. I’ll keep a running tally in this post.

View attachment 636244

IN

1. @bsdunbar1 and hotel room
2. @DoubleEagle
3. @RowdyRawhide
4. @Chester Copperpot
5. @MIZ
6. Me
7. @chkmte
8. @Justin Olson and hotel room
9. @colter ripton and hotel room
10. @T_Chan and hotel room (depending on schedule)
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

INTERESTED

1. @FordPickup92 and @Ben8257 down as "quite possible" - hotel room or AirBnb
2. @jja412
3. @CraigT78
4. @moose
5. @Silver_Fiend
6. @BarrieJ3
7. @Lil Tuna
8. @k9dr
9. @Marhault
10. @Beakertwang
11. @shorticus
12. @Seeking Alpha Social Club (depending on WSOP ME)
13. @BEANO52
14. @abby99 and hotel room
15. @pokerplayingpisces and hotel room
16. @justsomedude
17. @toothpic
18. @Natskule
19.
20.

In for sure. Live in KCMO in westport. Would be in for any games played before the meet up. My chip sets can be used as well. Working on a mixed HS set and mixed kings set

 

[sugarcane]

Count me in!

 

[Chawks45]

In for sure. Live in KCMO in westport.

Westport in the house! Marked you down.

Count me in!

Done.

 

[Chester Copperpot]

Really looking forward to this. Everything is shaping up very nicely.

For those unfamiliar with Kansas City, I call it a 'sneaky good city.' Nobody ever thinks of it as some great place to visit, but there is a lot to do. Of course, plenty of food (I won't call it barbecue because I'm from North Carolina and I know what barbecue really is), but also attractions as well. Negro Leagues museum is here. National World War I museum is here. Steamboat Arabia is a pretty cool way to spend a few hours. The College Basketball Hall of Fame is also in KC (and Lawrence and Allen Fieldhouse for the true heads).

Just a lot to do in a really nice city.

Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to this!

 

[tdccarpenter]

In. Looking forward to meeting several PCF members in-person.

 

[inca911]

Great talking to you this morning, sign me up! I will likely be driving down, for those who are interested in potentially carpooling from MN on the way to KC....

 

[Chawks45]

Great talking to you this morning

Ditto!

A true pleasure chatting with you.

 

[Wheeler Assembly]

Interested pending kiddos sports schedules... VW

 

[Chawks45]

Interested pending kiddos sports schedules... VW

Sweet! You're on the "interested" list.

 

[TheDonkeyKong]

Definitely interested in attending