Hunter Burton Memorial
Gaming to Prevent Suicide
‘Tis the season…to start celebrating the 10th anniversary of the HBMO!
It’s crazy to think how quickly a decade has passed. It feels like yesterday that the first HBMO was being held in a back room of the Fort Worth Convention Center. Just over 150 Magic the Gathering players were ready to play for big cash prizes in remembrance of Hunter Burton. My how far we have come since that day!
Our 2024 event will ring in a new era for the HBMO. Obviously we are celebrating 10 years of the HBMO, but we expect a record breaking attendance of 2000+ Turnstile and 3+ different games with major events over the weekend. Our sponsors and contributions have grown year over year to make the event bigger and better than ever! Annual donations from Ultra-Pro, Generation X, Panini America, and so many more continue to make this charity event special for our attendees!
All of that in mind, we want to make the official announcement for some of the major highlights you can look forward to at the 2024 HBMO in Hurst TX…
Friday – March 15th 2024
10am – Ian Jasheway Memorial Sealed RCQ (MTG)
1pm – Super Armory Flesh & Blood Event (FAB)
10am to 5pm – MTG Trials to award Byes
7:30pm – Opening Ceremony Cocktail Party(Tickets Required)
Saturday – March 16th 2024
8:50am – Seating Begins – Opening Speeches
9:00am – HBMO Main Event $15,000 – Modern (MTG)
10:00am – Professional Tournament Invitational Flesh & Blood Event (FAB)
11:00am – Dave & Adams Legacy $2,000 (MTG)
3:00pm – Making An Impact In Your Community – Suicide Prevention Panel
6:00pm – HBMO Trade Night
Sunday – March 17th 2024
9:00am – HBMO Pioneer $5k Event – Pioneer (MTG)
10:00am – HBMO Main Event $15,000 (DAY 2)
10:30am – Battle Hardened Flesh & Blood $2k Event (FAB)
11:00am – Vintage $1k Event (MTG)
11:00am – Standard RCQ $1k Event (MTG)
3:00pm – Jeff Zandi Memorial Chaos Sealed (MTG)
Stay tuned for updates to the page as we continue to add more events! Subscribe to our blog to get emails as soon as new posts go live.
Additional 2024 Information:
– Hilton Hotel room blocks will open by end of January and be posted on the 2024 event details page.
– Additional games and events being announced very soon!
– Check out THIS LINK for additional information about the above Flesh & Blood Events
– Preregistration can be found at THIS LINK or on the 2024 Event Details Page
– Community Impact Award Nominations begin January 14th!
“Joe and I are so excited to celebrate our 10th anniversary with the HBMO family in March! It’s been such a long journey, but I’m so proud of what we have done this last decade. That said, we couldn’t have done it without all the amazing volunteers and players that show up every year and continue to make the foundation so special. We have a few surprises in store at the 2024 event and I personally can’t wait!”
– Erin Giddings (Director of Charity Operations)
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
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
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.
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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
DONATE NOW
Charitable Donations
Donate to the cause! Every little bit helps us increase our outreach program, spread awareness, and help educate gaming community members about suicide.
$5.00
Make a Donation Now
Charitable Donations
Donate to the cause! Every little bit helps us increase our outreach program, spread awareness, and help educate gaming community members about suicide.
$5.00
Hunter Burton Memorial 