Why we play
This year’s Classic supports two South Texas oilfield families.
This year’s Oil Baron’s Classic benefits Brian Clepp, a San Antonio oil and gas attorney fighting cancer, and the family of Omar Mendiola, who we lost earlier this year. Both men are well known and deeply loved across the South Texas oil and gas community.
The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) built to stand behind the people who power South Texas. Sponsoring puts your company in front of the region’s operators, landmen and service companies — and real support in the hands of people who need it.
A Texas nonprofit corporation recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3), EIN 42-2246410. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, less the fair market value of goods and services received.
The evening
- Food and a hosted bar all evening.
- Poker tournament and table games — sponsor seats held together, played with the custom 2026 deck.
- A small room on purpose — not a banquet hall; a room of people who all make decisions.
- The historic St. Anthony Hotel — downtown San Antonio’s landmark address.
How it started
Third year of the game. First year with a foundation behind it.
The Oil Baron’s Classic started as a private game. Two years running, invitation only, with the South Texas industry crowded around the tables. It worked for the same reason it still works — the people in the room actually know each other.
2026 is the third Classic and the first hosted by the Foundation — same game, same crowd, now with a 501(c)(3) behind it, a hotel ballroom at The St. Anthony, and every dollar accounted for and directed to the families we name.
What that means for a sponsor
This is not an untested first-year event. The Classic has filled a room twice already on word of mouth alone. 2026 is the year it gets a venue, a formal structure, and a charitable receipt to go with it.
Ben Holliday continues with the Foundation as its inaugural Honorary Director and Founding Advisor, leading sponsor liaison and industry outreach.
Just want to play?
Buy a seat
A seat includes food, the full bar, and tournament entry. Doors at 7:00 PM.
A plain ticket — no signage, no logo; just a chair, a plate, a drink and a shot at the tournament. If you want your company’s name on the night, that’s a sponsorship.
Sponsor tables are filled first — and get first claim on the 2026 deck. Open seats go quickly.
You can also pay at the door — just know a table seat isn’t guaranteed. Sponsors fill the tables first, and we’ll fit as many individual players as the room allows.
Buy a seat — $150
Seats are limited and sponsor tables are filled first. Pay by card or bank transfer — your receipt shows the fair market value and the deductible portion.
Prefer an invoice or paying by check? Email us.
The 2026 deck is reserved for sponsor tiers first — the remaining supply goes to individual seat holders while it lasts.
Make it a two-day trip
Fly in Wednesday. Play Wednesday night. Hunt Thursday.
The Classic is held with the SAAPL Annual South Texas Dove Hunt on Thursday, September 24.
The dove hunt is SAAPL’s event, with its own registration and fee.
See the SAAPL dove hunt flyer (PDF)
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Register for the dove hunt →
Travel & lodging
- Room blocks at The St. Anthony for one or two nights.
- Priority access to the room block for Royal Flush and Full House sponsors.
- Downtown San Antonio, walkable to the River Walk.
Booking link and reservation cutoff will be posted here, and emailed to sponsors as soon as the block is confirmed.
Sponsorship opportunities
Choose your hand
Every sponsorship includes recognition on event signage and in the event program — and a custom 2026 deck for every seat it carries.
The game starts at four tables — about 32 seats. Royal Flush takes a full table, the two Full House sponsors share one, and up to ten Straight sponsorships at two seats each fill the rest. If demand outruns the room, we add tables.
- Top billing — event presented by your company
- Premier table for eight with tournament seats reserved
- Premier logo placement on poker tables, event signage and program
- Recognition from the podium and in post-event thank-yous
- Priority access to the St. Anthony room block
- A custom 2026 deck for every seat at your table
The 2026 Classic is presented by Atwell. This hand is off the table — thank you.
- Four reserved seats, held together
- Logo on event signage and in the program
- Recognition from the podium
- Company recognition on social media
- Priority access to the room block
- A custom 2026 deck for every seat at your table
Prefer an invoice? Email any officer — details below.
- Two seats with tournament entry
- Company name on event signage and in the program
- Recognition in sponsor thank-yous
- An accessible way for individuals and small shops to stand behind a neighbor
- A custom 2026 deck for each of your two seats
Prefer an invoice? Email any officer — details below.
One of each
included. No event tickets.
The three add-on sponsorships carry recognition and a deck but no seats — support that costs you nothing in capacity. To claim one, email Reese Grebe, Event Chair.
In-kind sponsorships welcome
Bar, food, poker tables and dealers, guest lodging, and raffle or auction items. In-kind support is credited at the same recognition level as its fair market value.
Commit by September 9, 2026
Commit by September 9, 2026 to guarantee logo placement on printed materials. Later commitments are welcome wherever signage and the program still allow.
2026 Sponsors
Already at the table
These South Texas companies have stepped up to back this year’s Classic — and the families it plays for.
Title Sponsor · A ♥
Full House sponsor · K ♣
Straight-level sponsors · 9 ♦
Your company belongs up here. Five Straight sponsorships remain — commit by September 9 and your logo makes the printed materials too.
How to pay
Three ways to lock in a sponsorship
Online
Card or bank transfer through our secure form — immediate receipt with the deductible amount calculated for you.
Prefer to be invoiced? Email any officer below and we will send one the same day.
By check
Make checks payable to South Texas Energy Foundation and mail to:
South Texas Energy Foundation
5150 Broadway St, No. 273
San Antonio, TX 78209
Note the sponsorship level on the memo line. We’ll email your receipt.
Bank transfer / ACH
For larger sponsorships, a direct transfer keeps more of your gift in the Foundation. Contact our Treasurer for wiring instructions.
The 2026 deck
We had a deck made for this year’s game.
Every face card carries South Texas oilfield artwork — a rig on the King of Spades, a frac spread, cementers and pump trucks, tank batteries, a pumpjack at first light, a crew working pipe. The ace of spades carries the S.T.O.B.C. (South Texas Oil Baron’s Classic) crest.
The tournament is played with them. These are not a table favor sitting next to a centerpiece — they are the cards you will be dealt.
Printed in a limited run for the 2026 Classic and not sold in stores.
Who gets one
- Every sponsor — a deck for every seat at a sponsored table, and a deck with each add-on sponsorship.
- Seat holders — remaining decks go to $150 seat holders on the night, while they last.
Sponsor decks are set aside first. The run is finite, so seats bought closer to the door are the ones at risk of missing out.
A few of them. The rest you see at the table.
To sponsor, reserve a table, or ask a question