Blackjack winners qualify for tournament

Gary Griffith of Gardnerville won the $750 first-place prize in the Carson Valley Inn's in Minden's May monthly blackjack tournament, Gayle Perry of Wellington finished second for $450 and Roger Merz of Carson City captured third place and $300. By finishing in the top three, Perry and Merz qualified for the Carson Valley Inn's 2006 Blackjack Tournament of Champions to be held in December. Since Griffith had already qualified earlier this year, fourth-place finisher Mickey Bennett of Dayton earned a spot for the year-end event.

Blackjack Tournaments: The Carson Valley Inn's monthly $1,500 Blackjack Tournaments are held on the last Tuesday of each month with a fun combination of friendly competition, tournament excitement and cash prizes. The entry fee is just $25, sign ups start at 6 p.m., tourney play starts at 7 p.m., and play is with no-cash-value tournament chips. The top finishers each month win cash prizes and also gain free entry into the annual Tournament of Champions which will be held this year on Dec. 12.

Video Poker Tournaments: The CVI offers weekly Thursday night Video Poker tournaments with just a $10 buy-in. Participants keep all of their winnings plus compete for $500 in cash prizes. Sign-ups run from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Inn Club booth every Thursday.

Poker Room Tournaments: No-limit Texas Hold'em tournaments are held in the Carson Valley Inn Poker Room every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night at 6 p.m. The buy-in on Tuesday and Thursday nights is $20 + $5 with one $20 re-buy. The Wednesday night buy-in is $50 + $5 with no re-buy. The top 3-5 places receive prize money each night. There's also a 500-chip bonus for tournament participants who log an hour of play time between 3 and 6 p.m.

An opening Shootout Hold'em tournament is held every day when the room opens at noon. The buy in is just $10 + $2 and the winner takes the pot. Ladies-only poker tournaments are every Sunday with sign ups from 5-6 p.m., a special poker tutorial (like clicking on "help" for poker) from 5-5:30 p.m., and no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament play starting at 6 p.m. The $25 + $5 entry provides $25 to the prize fund which the top three finishers split each week at 50 percent, 30 percent and 20 percent.

For information on all of the Carson Valley Inn's gaming tournaments and special events, see www.cvinn.com or call Casino Guest Services directly at (877) 783-7711, or 783-7711.