Cards, Chips and Charity: Highlights from the 2024 STAC Texas Hold 'Em Tournament

By James Bohrer, STAC Board of Directors Member and Head of Real Time and Low Latency Data Sales, Americas at LSEG

Every October, the STAC community gathers at Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse for our premier fundraising event for the STAC Fund: the annual STAC Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament. Now in its 11th year, STAC’s marquee fundraising event never disappoints with high-stakes poker action, Vegas-style casino games and unmatched Gibsons food and hospitality.

We’re consistently amazed at the generous support our sponsors and members bestow on the STAC Fund during this event – and this year was no exception. Once again, the STAC faithful gathered to give back to our thriving Chicago community and support the next generation of students who want to better themselves in their next educational endeavor.

Who went all in?  It was a night of high stakes poker action – and plenty of attendees won big!

Top 10 winners:

1st Place - JD Leman ($500 Amazon Gift Card) 
2nd Place - Oliver Renick (Knot Standard Custom Blazer)
3rd Place - Patrick Gardner ($500 Kohler Gift Card) 
4th Place - Joe Guinan (11/21/24 Hawks Game)
5th Place - Justin Fischler (11/10/24 Hawks Game)
6th Place - Rich Sponder (Weber 28" Gas Griddle)
7th Place - Shane Remolina (Grilla Chimp Tailgater WiFi Wood Pellet Grill)
8th Place -  Rob Olkiewicz (Bose Quiet Comfort Bluetooth Headphones)
9th Place - Nadir Khan (Oura Ring Gen 3 Horizon)
10th Place - Meg McLeish (Solo Stove, Bonfire 2.0)

There was also plenty of action for the non-players, as our raffle winners left with fabulous gifts, including:

- Conrad Suite at the Hilton Chicago “Staycation” Packages (3): Steve Roy, Reggie Weaver & L Lindbloom
- Gibsons gift basket: Casey Dolan
- WSJ-curated case of award winning wines: Vanery McMurtrey
- And of course, our STAC THE DECK winner: Bill Russell (who kindly donated his proceeds back to the STAC Fund).

Our community makes it all possible
None of this would be possible without our generous sponsors and members. This year we raised close to $40,000, and we are thrilled at the number of college scholarships that will allow us to provide to deserving local students.

Make sure to check out all the photos and our video recap from the event:

We look forward to seeing everyone at the 99th Annual Mid-Winter Meeting - January 23 – 24, 2025!