2023 Community Impact Award Winner

Each year the Hunter Burton Memorial recognizes a community member for their efforts in spreading the message of kindness and inclusion. These efforts go a long way toward saving lives and serving as an example to others in the community.

This year we were proud to acknowledge co-recipients, Wayne McNeil and Tabitha Armstrong, of Generation X Comics in Bedford. They have been supporters of the HBM over the years and continue to be consistent promoters of positivity in the gaming community.

In addition to being recognized as this year’s Community Impact Award winners, they also received his & hers Michael Kors watches.

We are huge fans of theirs and based on the nominations, the community agrees.

If you would like to nominate someone for next year’s Community Impact Award, make your nomination HERE.

HBMO Trade Night

This year’s HBMO event will introduce several first-time occurrences, including our first ever Pokemon TCG tournaments and possibly the biggest development, a third day full of events. While those are huge announcements, they aren’t the only firsts at the 2023 HBMO!

This year we introduce the annual Saturday Night Trade Night! (Sponsored by Area 51 Collectibles)

On the Saturday night of the event (March 18th) at the Hilton Hotel connected to the convention center we will host an official trade night for all attendees and vendors. It’s completely free to attend and will be located on the 2nd floor next to the hotel bar. The official event runs from 6pm to 9pm, but everyone is welcome to stay all night and trade/play!

Not familiar with what a “Trade Night” is? Keep reading and we’ll explain…

Trade Nights are a common practice at major trading card conventions, especially in the sports card scene. It’s traditionally a time where everyone gets to be a vendor of sorts and buy/sell/trade with other event attendees. Tables are set up and people can open their collections to trade with one another.

In the case of the HBMO Trade Night, several event vendors will have a small reserved area to set up and trade as well as a few other local stores. If you want to grab a good spot we suggest arriving before 6pm to pick a good table. Don’t worry, there will be places around the second floor of the Hilton to trade even if you don’t grab a prime table space.

Not looking to display anything? That’s okay too! You are welcome to just check out what others have up for grabs and ask for any of those specific cards you want. These trade nights are usually a great place to find those obscure collectibles that don’t always make it in the display at vendor booths.

The event is Saturday, March 18th on the 2nd Floor of the Hilton Hotel from 6-9pm!

Oh, did we mention there will be a free prize raffle for everyone that attends! You won’t want to miss it!

Sponsored By:

Side Events Schedule!

Check out the full events schedule! See y’all March 17th-19th!
Registration is live!

Community Impact Award Nomination

The main goal of the Hunter Burton Memorial Foundation is to spread awareness about suicide and help build communities through gaming for suicide prevention. Our mission as a foundation is simple… Gaming to Prevent Suicide.

While our annual open event’s mission is to bring our large community together and recognize what kindness and inclusion can do, there are many unsung heroes across the nation building and fostering their own communities to help others. In order to recognize the significant impact these individuals make each day, we have created the HBM Community Impact Award. This award will recognize an individual(s) for their efforts in community building and spreading the message that kindness and inclusion can save lives.

The form below can be completed to nominate an individual who meets the criteria, but most importantly has made a significant positive impact on yourself or someone close to you. This may be a game store owner or employee who goes above and beyond to ensure their gaming groups are a safe and inclusive space. It could be a teacher or educator who creates an after school program to give kids or young adults a place they can meet like-minded people, and feel comfortable being themselves. It could even be someone who simply spends their free time helping or mentoring others so they have a safe place to turn.

Other qualities may include:
– Using their influence to spread kindness and inclusion in their community

– Going above and beyond to routinely help others in need 

– Has taken initiatives to create a community and spread awareness about suicide and prevention (even unrelated to gaming)

– Is recognized as an unofficial community leader who believes in and shows the power a safe community can have and positively impact the lives of others

If you would like to nominate someone that you feel embodies the qualities above, please fill out the below form so they can be considered for the HBM Community Impact Award. Information will be verified, and a selection will be made on March 10th with the winner announced at our annual event, Saturday March 18th. All submissions must be submitted no later than March 3rd, 2023.

TO NOMINATE AN INDIVIDUAL FOR THE HBM COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD

CLICK HERE

Pokémon at HBM!

For the 2023 HBM we’re excited to announce our first Pokémon events!

On Saturday at 10:15 am, we will have a case tournament divided into the Junior, Senior and Master age brackets, with the top 8 of each tournament spitting a case. Registration is open now.

Each day will also feature one or two Pokémon 3-round side events which pay out prize tokens for our prize wall. Stay tuned for the full side-events schedule.

Hunter Burton Memorial Open
March 17th – 19th, 2023
Hurst Conference Center
1601 Campus Dr.
Hurst, TX 76054

HBM 2023 Trials Dates

These great stores have applied for and received a trial for byes at the 2023 HBMO.

1/14/2023 Galaxy Gaming Houston, TX
1/15/2023 Halcyon Games Spring, TX
2/4/2023 Cards and Comics Connection Conroe, TX
2/18/2023 Atomic Hobby Shop Cypress, TX
2/25/2023 Madness Comics Denton, TX
2/25/2023 Phat Catz Gaming San Angelo, TX
3/11/2023 Space Cadets Gaming Oak Ridge North, TX
TBD Clockwork Games & Events College Station, TX
TBD One Drop Game Shop Wichita, KS

Full rules for trials

Stores wishing to run a trial may still apply here until February 1st.

Update! Artists, more events, and vendors.

We’re a couple weeks into 2023 and we have some updates for everyone.

Artists

For the very first time, the Hunter Burton Memorial will feature Magic artists from the community. We’re excited to announce that these wonderful folks will be with us in March. Take a look at their portfolios online now, or check them out at the event.

rk post
Jeffrey Laubenstein
Ben Schnuck
Chris Seaman
Sarah Finnigan

More Events!

We have opened registration for these events on our Melee.gg registration site.

Saturday will feature a Legacy $2k, brought to you by Dave and Adam’s

Sunday will feature a Vintage $1k, as well as the Standard RCQ both sponsored by Card Monster Games

Each day will feature an 10:30 AM cEDH tournament, and an afternoon cEDH event for prize wall prizes, brought to you by GenerationX Comics and Games

Vendors

We can also announce that the following vendors will be joining us for the event.

Card Monster Games
Laughing Dragon
Card Cache
Darkhound Studios
Area 51 Collectibles

Announcing 2023 Regional Championship Invites

DreamHack first arrived in the United States via Texas in 2016. As the home of the United States Regional Championship, DreamHack is proud to support the Hunter Burton Memorial Open and its message.  DreamHack Dallas (June 2 – 4) features the third RC bringing a national audience to the great state of Texas.  Both organizations are excited to announce that the 2023 HBMO will feature several invitations for the Dallas RC.

The following events will feature invitations

Main Event – Modern $15k – 2 invitations
Sunday Pioneer $5k – 2 Invitations
Ian Jasheway Memorial Sealed – 1 Invitation
Sunday Standard RCQ – 1 Invitation

Please note that all of our invitation events are Destination events. Anyone is eligible to play even if they are already qualified for the DreamHack Dallas Regional Championships. Invites will not pass down if an already qualified player wins an additional invite.

Additional Prizes

Events featuring RC invites also include these additional prizes:

  • Players who win invites will receive one foil promo Thing in the Ice
  • Players in the top 8 cut of each RC-invitation event will receive non-foil Promo Thing in the Ice
  • The first 32 players to preregister for each RC-invitation event will receive a non-foil Promo Mystical Dispute
  • Additional Mystical Disputes will be distributed to players in some events based on availability

12/5 Announcements: RC Invites, Ian Jasheway Sealed, Byes

We have several announcements today, so here are links to all of the new information.

Of course, pre-registration is still open for the previously announced events, and the new scheduled events on our Melee.gg hub.

2023 HBMO Event Registration Announcement

Registration Changes and Details

Direct Link to Registration

The 2023 Hunter Burton Memorial Open is just around the corner! It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone, but that means the best three days of charity gaming are back!

This year will be our 9th event, and in true HBMO fashion we will be going bigger and better than ever! This year’s event will add things that just a few years ago, those of us involved in the charity thought were only a dream. New special events, big announcements, and so much more! March 17th – 19th will be a weekend of gaming you won’t want to miss.

Now, to kick off our weekly announcements, we start by announcing that this year’s Saturday Magic the Gathering Main Event will once again be Modern Format!

Returning once again will be the weekend’s most popular event, the Jeff Zandi Chaos Sealed Tournament! People attend the HBMO specifically just for this event. Spots always sell out months before the actual tournament, so if you want in on this very special occasion, do not wait!

Excited to get registered and confirm your spot? We thought you might be! Have no fear, registration is live for a handful of events and you can ensure your spot is secure by signing up early!

The main event is expected to potentially reach cap this year, so make sure you secure your spot soon! Additionally, VIP registration is now available and is expected to have some awesome items you won’t want to miss getting your hands on!

Planning to stay at the connected hotel? For the first time ever, room block discounts are available almost 4-months early! Book your hotel now and get the best rates for the Hilton connected to the Hurst Convention Center, offering an indoor pool, bar/restaurant, and open areas for playing games all day or night! (Get your room at the link below.)

But wait… there’s more?! Absolutely!!!

This year’s event will have a better board game library, improved Commander Area, and more side attractions that will make it well worth attending, even if you aren’t planning on playing in the main event! Pokémon, Flesh & Blood, and other games will all have events onsite! In addition we will have artists, silent auctions, plenty of vendors, and more!

Make sure you subscribe to our blog to get the earliest updates and check back weekly to see all the announcements we have in store!

REGISTER FOR THE 2023 HBMO – [CLICK HERE]
*Register for events by clicking the link above. Check back regularly as more events will open registration in the coming days.

DISCOUNT HOTEL ROOMS – [CLICK HERE]
*Discount rooms can be secured by clicking the above link, or calling the hotel directly at (817)281-5800, giving their stay dates and the code “Hunter Burton Memorial” or “HB23” to receive the group rate.

Friday – March 17th
7:00pm HBMO Cocktail Party – Live music, food, drinks, silent auctions, and more

Saturday – March 18th
9:00am Magic Modern $15k Event – The classic HBMO Main Event (Day 1)

Sunday – March 19th
10:00am Magic Modern $15k Event – The classic HBMO Main Event (Day 2)
3:00pm Jeff Zandi Chaos Sealed Event – The most popular event of the weekend!