SharonRoeAnderson

Warren & Bill's Excellent Adventure

For a myriad of reasons, the Nebraska Regional is one of the ACBL's finest.  Not the least of those reasons is all the special people who attend - including a couple of bridge-loving billionaires, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.  This year, Bill and Warren returned to the tournament, along with Bob "Mr. Bridge" Hamman and David Smith, Bridge Base Online partner.

Warren is such a fan of our game, he's said, "I wouldn't mind going to jail if I had the right three cell mates, so we could play bridge all the time."  Fortunately for Warren and the rest of us, we're able to enjoy our tournament in the excellent Mid-America Center of Council Bluffs.

Not only do Bill and Warren compete with the best of 'em.  They also give back to our game tremendously.  Our thanks for the generous donations they have made to Junior Bridge and to our young people. 

Bill and Warren, along with Bob and David, were also super about posing with the many folks who wanted a photo.  Next year, they may need a modeling agent!

Many folks contribute to the success of the Nebraska Regional.  A huge "thank you" to our celebrity competitors for making it so very memorable.

And now - for a few photos......

District 14 NAP Finals

The Finals of the North American Pairs for our District are less than 2 months away!  Check out this post from MNBridge about the event.  Great competition - and potentially a subsidized trip to Louisville to play at the Spring NABC.  What could be better!?

Nebraska Regional 2010

The Nebraska Regional always is fabulous - but - this year, it topped previous records.  Table counts were up, despite the tournament starting the day after New Orleans NABC ended.  ACBL President Rich DeMartino visited the heartland - and won.  Bill Kent (again!) captured more masterpoints than anyone else at the tourney.  A lucky few won Omaha Steaks.

And, on a bit of a bittersweet note, exceptionally popular Ron Johnston announced that Nebraska 2010 would be his last tournament.  From now on, Ron said, "I will be a consumer of ACBL products rather than an employee!"  We wish him well.

Of course, in addition to our usual array of elite players, Bob Hamman attended with two rather well-known players in tow:  Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. 

Please enjoy a photo essay from our Roaming Reporter, Peg Kaplan, of smiling faces from the tournament.  Thanks and congratulations to Co-Chairmen Jan Loftin and Cookie Hoberman, along with their great volunteer team, for another super performance.

Top Notch

Who are the players in District 14 who have amassed more masterpoints than the rest of the bunch?

Jade Barrett, bridge professional from Elk Point, South Dakota, heads the list with 20,672.  The other player in District 14 who has more than 20,000 points is second-place Jim Nash of Omaha, Nebraska, also a bridge pro.  Linda Lewis, Dr. John Gustafson and Mike Albert round out the top five.

For the full list of our top 100 players as of August 6, 2010, please see below.  Congrats to all for a superb lifetime performance!

Tales from the Victorious

Paul Gutterman and Richard Lawson, two of the players on the winning District 14 GNT Flight B team, have kindly submitted articles about their success in New Orleans.

Our thanks to Paul and Richard - and once again, congratulations to all the players, too!