15 hearty souls braved the elements - a nasty cocktail of wind and rain, about the worst L.A. has to offer, to enjoy a maddening mix of No Limit Texas Hold-Em and Pot Limit Omaha/8.
Marissa C. was the first to bow out shortly after the break - still craving excitement, she entered the world of Zelda inside the house and emerged 3 1/2 hours later much to her own astonishment at how quickly the time had passed. Yes, Zelda (and for that matter most video games) is a time warp.
The bust outs increased (including yours truly who had his trip queens flattened by an open ended straight draw that hit on the turn) as 10pm approached, and finally shortly thereafter, a final table was reached.
Speaking of me, I am overall very happy with my performance this year - finishing third in the POY race without the benefit of any bonus chips OR attendance bonus points.
Speaking of bonus chips - for those of you who weren't there for the shocking announcement at the start of the tournament - there was a secret bonus chip program in 2009 that rewarded the most attentive readers of this blog. If you missed out, the lesson in life to have learned is not "Wow, Chris is so unfair!" The lesson to have learned is - "Gee, maybe I should PAY ATTENTION!" Fear not, the bonus program is now officially retired - but I am retaining a 500 chip bonus to all players who arrive before 7pm. I will be including myself in this (unlike the 2009 secret bonus chip program) but I don't think this gives any unfair advantage. Well, maybe a little.
Meanwhile, back to the tournament. Thanks in no small part to the generous donations of players throughout the year to the house fund, everyone at the final table walked away with a prize!
The first three to bust received $10 Subway gift cards. Eat Fresh!
The next two bustees won $15 Best Buy gift cards. Use 'em quick before Best Buy becomes it's usual Holiday quagmire of endless lines and surly and incompetent seasonal clerks.
The great thing about these bonus prizes, was that I didn't pay for them - they were all a result of the left over money in the house fund. You guys are really a generous bunch!
One of the Best Buy card recipients was Barbara N., who it should be mentioned here was one of only two players this year with PERFECT tournament attendance. The extra 10 points she gets for this has propelled her into the top five of the Player of the Year standings! Congratulations Barbara, and a big thanks for your enthusiastic support of our little game.
The final four players all got paid cash money, with Michael K. winning $65 in his 2009 season record FIFTH cash! Plus he saved money on gas, because he lives down the street. In every way a great poker year for him. Cashing in nearly 50% of all the years tournaments is no small feat. He finishes 2009 tied for fourth place in the Player of the Year standings. Congratulations Mike!
The third place player was Nick B., a new player, but clearly not new to poker. He dominated much of the tournament. But his monster stack took a gargantuan hit in a three way pot - and he had to settle for "only" $100. Still, well done Nick!
The final two were Dog and David M. Although it wasn't even midnight, they were both tired and agreed on an even money chop ($190 each) with Dog taking the trophy and extra point due to a miniscule chip lead. Dog finishes tied with Mike K. for fourth place in the Player of the Year race. Nicely done Dog!
David M. finishes second in the POY race, 11 points behind the leader. Which means that even if he did have perfect attendance, he still would have been one point behind this year's winner - Marc F. Still, Dr. David, we are all in awe of your talent as a poker player, and are even more grateful to have you as an ardent supporter of Poker at Pepper St.
A huge congratulations to POY winner Marc F., who exemplifies the very best of what this game has to offer. Sure he's a good player - but even more importantly, his friendly and kind table demeanor along with unflagging support for the game (including almost always staying late to help deal and shuffle, not to mention regularly bringing in new players) helped make 2009 even better than I could have hoped for.
Finally, a very big thanks to all of you for coming out and having fun with me in the garage once a month. Words can't really express how much this game means to me - and it's all because of players like you who make it fun and friendly first.
Be sure to read the post below for what is on tap next year! The first evite for a cash game on Friday, January 8th will go out on New Years day! The next evite for our first tournament of 2010 will follow shortly thereafter.
Speaking of our first tournament, there will be a long and embarrassingly mushy bracelet ceremony for Marc F. where awkward words of appreciation will be spoken and a humiliating picture of Marc will be taken for our new garage wall of fame.
Until then, have a very safe and happy holiday season. I feel truly blessed to not only have you all as players in my game, but more importantly, as friends.
Best,
Chris
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
2010 UNLEASHED
Prepare yourself!
For 2010...
One Saturday tournament a month.
Jan-May: NLHE
June - H.O.R.S.E.
July - Omaha/8
August - Nov. NLHE
December - H.O.R.S.E.
For NLHE tournaments, keep in mind...
All events, save one, are a $20 buy-in with a single optional rebuy ($20 for 5K in chips) if felted before the break OR a single optional add-on ($20 for 5K in chips).
BUT, there will be a smattering of random one time only surprise NLHE tournament formats including:
a 6 max players per table format,
a shootout format (each table plays down to one player),
a super stack event - which will be a $30 freezeout instead of the usual $20 rebuy,
and a sure to become legendary 7-2 event, where anyone who wins a hand before the break with 7-2 off suit gets a 500 bonus chip!
One Friday cash game a month.
Jan/Mar/May/July/Sep/Nov - Dealers Choice of MIXED GAMES. $40 Buy-In, Fixed and Pot limits.
Feb/Apr/Jun/Aug/Oct - Full alternating rounds of 10c/25c NLHE & PLO8. $25 buy-in.
Player of the Year Points -
For tournaments, one point for every spot finished based on number of entrants.
(First in a 22 player tournament = 22 points, second = 21, etc.)
Double POY Points in June, July and August
10 points for perfect tournament attendance.
2 points for each cash game attended.
5 points for the biggest winner at each cash game.
10 points for perfect cash game attendance.
10 ADDITIONAL points for perfect tournament AND cash game attendance.
Obviously, I am not eligible for attendance bonus points.
Pepper Street Poker World Series Satellites
There will be 2 of these events. One in February and one in April.
$125 entry.
Tournament starts at 12 noon.
Dealer provided.
Exact same chip stack and structure as the WSOP, with hour long levels.
Winner takes it all - an entry into the WSOP 2010 $1500 bracelet event of their choice.
If winner cashes in the WSOP, he/she keeps 60% of the winnings, the rest is divided evenly among the satellite participants.
We need at least 12 players to make it happen, I've got that many people interested currently, let's hope we get a few more!
And a WHOLE LOT MORE!
2010 will also feature -
All new trophy designs!
A choice for your bubble prize!
New snacks and tasty beverages!
All new carefully crafted music mixes!
A truly spectacular Player of the Year prize as well as a place on the garage wall of fame.
The very same drama free people and big fun games at low stakes that only Pepper Street Poker can provide!
Can't wait!
For 2010...
One Saturday tournament a month.
Jan-May: NLHE
June - H.O.R.S.E.
July - Omaha/8
August - Nov. NLHE
December - H.O.R.S.E.
For NLHE tournaments, keep in mind...
All events, save one, are a $20 buy-in with a single optional rebuy ($20 for 5K in chips) if felted before the break OR a single optional add-on ($20 for 5K in chips).
BUT, there will be a smattering of random one time only surprise NLHE tournament formats including:
a 6 max players per table format,
a shootout format (each table plays down to one player),
a super stack event - which will be a $30 freezeout instead of the usual $20 rebuy,
and a sure to become legendary 7-2 event, where anyone who wins a hand before the break with 7-2 off suit gets a 500 bonus chip!
One Friday cash game a month.
Jan/Mar/May/July/Sep/Nov - Dealers Choice of MIXED GAMES. $40 Buy-In, Fixed and Pot limits.
Feb/Apr/Jun/Aug/Oct - Full alternating rounds of 10c/25c NLHE & PLO8. $25 buy-in.
Player of the Year Points -
For tournaments, one point for every spot finished based on number of entrants.
(First in a 22 player tournament = 22 points, second = 21, etc.)
Double POY Points in June, July and August
10 points for perfect tournament attendance.
2 points for each cash game attended.
5 points for the biggest winner at each cash game.
10 points for perfect cash game attendance.
10 ADDITIONAL points for perfect tournament AND cash game attendance.
Obviously, I am not eligible for attendance bonus points.
Pepper Street Poker World Series Satellites
There will be 2 of these events. One in February and one in April.
$125 entry.
Tournament starts at 12 noon.
Dealer provided.
Exact same chip stack and structure as the WSOP, with hour long levels.
Winner takes it all - an entry into the WSOP 2010 $1500 bracelet event of their choice.
If winner cashes in the WSOP, he/she keeps 60% of the winnings, the rest is divided evenly among the satellite participants.
We need at least 12 players to make it happen, I've got that many people interested currently, let's hope we get a few more!
And a WHOLE LOT MORE!
2010 will also feature -
All new trophy designs!
A choice for your bubble prize!
New snacks and tasty beverages!
All new carefully crafted music mixes!
A truly spectacular Player of the Year prize as well as a place on the garage wall of fame.
The very same drama free people and big fun games at low stakes that only Pepper Street Poker can provide!
Can't wait!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Tournament Report 11/14/09
Wow!
Finally, almost all of the regulars showed up in the same month, and as a result we had 22 players! And with a single rebuy/add-on structure the prize pool was a whopping $860! A new record for Pepper Street Poker.
It was shortly after the first break that we had our first player go out. A brand new player as it turns out, Paul F., brought to the game by Stephen B. - Paul, like Stephen, was super nice and super quiet (not difficult to be with me yammering away at his table), so I hope he had fun and will be back again soon. Thanks so much to Stephen for bringing him in.
A flurry of bust-outs followed, and we reached two tables just before 10, and a final table just after 11.
At the beginning of the evening I knew we would very likely finish after midnight. I put the over-under at 1230am. Turns out, it was over even that.
Aredelle P. bubbled out as midnight approached - her fabulous prize (which I couldn't finde last night) was finally fished out of a very messy cabinet drawer this morning, and it is waiting for her the next time she comes to a game. The prize - I know the suspense is killing you - a double feature DVD of National Lampoon's Vacation (classic) AND National Lampoon's European Vacation (criminally underrated).
David M. finished fourth, collecting $86, and a gang of POY points, which were still not enough to overtake Marc F. who busted earlier to gather enough points to keep most of his lead. (Click on the Standings link to the right to see where we stand).
Another brand new player, Nancy (thanks to Nick B. for bringing her) hung on through countless improbable short stack double ups to finally bust in 3rd place and take home $129. As with Paul, Nancy was a welcome addition and I hope she'll be back soon.
With numerous big swings behind them, and with 1am approaching, Jeff. M. and the bubble player's husband Noah P. agreed to chop the winnings evenly, taking home $322 each! Jeff had the chip lead at the agreement and so took home the trophy and the extra point.
A big thanks to Marc F. for staying to help shuffle and to others for sticking around to watch and give moral support.
A great evening! Our next tournament is Saturday, December 12 at 7pm. It will be a HO HO HO tournament, a mixed game format of Hold-em and Omaha/8. It will likely be No Limit Hold-Em and Pot Limit Omaha/8 with a $30 entry and no rebuys or add-ons.
I'm still pondering doing a cash game on Friday, December 4th. I'll decide within the next week or so.
Finally, almost all of the regulars showed up in the same month, and as a result we had 22 players! And with a single rebuy/add-on structure the prize pool was a whopping $860! A new record for Pepper Street Poker.
It was shortly after the first break that we had our first player go out. A brand new player as it turns out, Paul F., brought to the game by Stephen B. - Paul, like Stephen, was super nice and super quiet (not difficult to be with me yammering away at his table), so I hope he had fun and will be back again soon. Thanks so much to Stephen for bringing him in.
A flurry of bust-outs followed, and we reached two tables just before 10, and a final table just after 11.
At the beginning of the evening I knew we would very likely finish after midnight. I put the over-under at 1230am. Turns out, it was over even that.
Aredelle P. bubbled out as midnight approached - her fabulous prize (which I couldn't finde last night) was finally fished out of a very messy cabinet drawer this morning, and it is waiting for her the next time she comes to a game. The prize - I know the suspense is killing you - a double feature DVD of National Lampoon's Vacation (classic) AND National Lampoon's European Vacation (criminally underrated).
David M. finished fourth, collecting $86, and a gang of POY points, which were still not enough to overtake Marc F. who busted earlier to gather enough points to keep most of his lead. (Click on the Standings link to the right to see where we stand).
Another brand new player, Nancy (thanks to Nick B. for bringing her) hung on through countless improbable short stack double ups to finally bust in 3rd place and take home $129. As with Paul, Nancy was a welcome addition and I hope she'll be back soon.
With numerous big swings behind them, and with 1am approaching, Jeff. M. and the bubble player's husband Noah P. agreed to chop the winnings evenly, taking home $322 each! Jeff had the chip lead at the agreement and so took home the trophy and the extra point.
A big thanks to Marc F. for staying to help shuffle and to others for sticking around to watch and give moral support.
A great evening! Our next tournament is Saturday, December 12 at 7pm. It will be a HO HO HO tournament, a mixed game format of Hold-em and Omaha/8. It will likely be No Limit Hold-Em and Pot Limit Omaha/8 with a $30 entry and no rebuys or add-ons.
I'm still pondering doing a cash game on Friday, December 4th. I'll decide within the next week or so.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tournament Report 10/17/09
After a couple of last minute drop-outs it was only 13 players that sat down for an enjoyable evening of Tournament Texas Hold-em.
With no rebuys and add-ons available, play early on was tight, with the lone exception of Tom S. who took the expression "go big or go home" to heart by busting out within 35 minutes of the opening beep with an ill-fated bluff into a made hand.
It was nearly break time when the next smattering of players fell, a full 80 minutes into play.
The earlier exiting players seemed satisfied, but this host is a tad concerned that his players might not be getting their money's worth. For the next tournament I will be bringing the cost down a little bit, and will reinstate the single optional re-buy or add-on, hopefully minimizing drastically premature finishes.
Action heated up after the break, with knock outs happening at a record pace. By 10pm it was bubble time with yours truly taking home a fabulous DVD that will likely appear next month as the bubble prize again.
Mike K. nursed his short stack to cash yet again, pocketing roughly $75 in fourth place.
Brand spanking new player Stephen came in third, snagging nearly $100.
My brother, Doctor Dave refused a chop and battled mega stack uber-player Mike P. almost taking it down, but in the end settling for the $160 or so in second place money.
Taking home the trophy was Mike P., who weathered a number of gut wrenching suck-outs (including a jaw dropping two outer on the river at one point) to hold on and still accumulate his way to first place and nearly $200 in cold cash money.
All in all, a great evening. Special thanks to Marc F. for sticking around to shuffle and deal and for bringing in new blood in the form of class act Stephen, who hopefully will be back.
November 14th at 7pm is our next tournament, again - one rebuy OR add-on is available for the same price as the entry, $20. See you there!
With no rebuys and add-ons available, play early on was tight, with the lone exception of Tom S. who took the expression "go big or go home" to heart by busting out within 35 minutes of the opening beep with an ill-fated bluff into a made hand.
It was nearly break time when the next smattering of players fell, a full 80 minutes into play.
The earlier exiting players seemed satisfied, but this host is a tad concerned that his players might not be getting their money's worth. For the next tournament I will be bringing the cost down a little bit, and will reinstate the single optional re-buy or add-on, hopefully minimizing drastically premature finishes.
Action heated up after the break, with knock outs happening at a record pace. By 10pm it was bubble time with yours truly taking home a fabulous DVD that will likely appear next month as the bubble prize again.
Mike K. nursed his short stack to cash yet again, pocketing roughly $75 in fourth place.
Brand spanking new player Stephen came in third, snagging nearly $100.
My brother, Doctor Dave refused a chop and battled mega stack uber-player Mike P. almost taking it down, but in the end settling for the $160 or so in second place money.
Taking home the trophy was Mike P., who weathered a number of gut wrenching suck-outs (including a jaw dropping two outer on the river at one point) to hold on and still accumulate his way to first place and nearly $200 in cold cash money.
All in all, a great evening. Special thanks to Marc F. for sticking around to shuffle and deal and for bringing in new blood in the form of class act Stephen, who hopefully will be back.
November 14th at 7pm is our next tournament, again - one rebuy OR add-on is available for the same price as the entry, $20. See you there!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Tournament Report 9/26/09
15 players graced a sweltering Pepper Street garage last night for another go 'round with Texas Hold-Em.
Players were jovial, though the action was subdued up until the break with only one bust out (POY top fiver Dog) and zero re-buys.
All remaining players except the eventual tournament winner purchased an add-on, bringing the prize pool to over $700.
A final table was reached just after 10 pm, and we got down to bubble time about 45 minutes later.
Noah P. was the lucky recipient of this months bubble prize - the fantastic "Black Hawk Down" directed by Riddley Scott.
Fourth place went to Tony G. who pocketed just over $80.
Nick B., a newer player and brother of Bobby B. played patiently and well enough to take down third place for around $100.
Brand spankin' new player Jeff M., brought along by Marc F., absolutely ran over the table with expertly timed steals and just enough big hands to accumulate a monster stack.
As 1130pm approached it looked inevitable that Dan G. would succumb to Jeff's mountain of composite clay. But the poker Gods deemed otherwise. All of the chips went in and Dan G.'s dubious Q2 spiked a deuce on the flop, to shift the chip lead away from Jeff M.
With the hour late, both players agreed to an even monetary chop with Dan G. taking the extra point and trophy.
All in all a great evening. Special thanks to Marc F. for bringing in new blood and for staying late to shuffle.
A couple of news items -
Our next Tournament is Saturday, October 17th at 7pm. No Limit Texas Hold-em of course. I'm leaning towards making it a $30 freeze-out, as there were zero rebuys and the add-ons did little but delay victory by the one guy who didn't partake.
Our next cash game is Friday, October 9th at 7pm. If for some reason you are not on the cash game evite list and would like to be, please let me know. It's a $40 buy-in with mixed games, pot and fixed limits betting.
As for the World Series of Poker competition, I've received a grand total of 5 people express interest, myself included. So, I'll have to reconsider if this is worth doing at all, or perhaps doing it a different way. Stay tuned.
Players were jovial, though the action was subdued up until the break with only one bust out (POY top fiver Dog) and zero re-buys.
All remaining players except the eventual tournament winner purchased an add-on, bringing the prize pool to over $700.
A final table was reached just after 10 pm, and we got down to bubble time about 45 minutes later.
Noah P. was the lucky recipient of this months bubble prize - the fantastic "Black Hawk Down" directed by Riddley Scott.
Fourth place went to Tony G. who pocketed just over $80.
Nick B., a newer player and brother of Bobby B. played patiently and well enough to take down third place for around $100.
Brand spankin' new player Jeff M., brought along by Marc F., absolutely ran over the table with expertly timed steals and just enough big hands to accumulate a monster stack.
As 1130pm approached it looked inevitable that Dan G. would succumb to Jeff's mountain of composite clay. But the poker Gods deemed otherwise. All of the chips went in and Dan G.'s dubious Q2 spiked a deuce on the flop, to shift the chip lead away from Jeff M.
With the hour late, both players agreed to an even monetary chop with Dan G. taking the extra point and trophy.
All in all a great evening. Special thanks to Marc F. for bringing in new blood and for staying late to shuffle.
A couple of news items -
Our next Tournament is Saturday, October 17th at 7pm. No Limit Texas Hold-em of course. I'm leaning towards making it a $30 freeze-out, as there were zero rebuys and the add-ons did little but delay victory by the one guy who didn't partake.
Our next cash game is Friday, October 9th at 7pm. If for some reason you are not on the cash game evite list and would like to be, please let me know. It's a $40 buy-in with mixed games, pot and fixed limits betting.
As for the World Series of Poker competition, I've received a grand total of 5 people express interest, myself included. So, I'll have to reconsider if this is worth doing at all, or perhaps doing it a different way. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Crazy Cash Game Report (September '09)
A fun and fairly raucous time was had by 10 players, squeezed in around the blue home made table in a fairly balmy garage at Pepper Street.
As seems to happen in our cash games, there was probably a bit too much table talk - but everyone was good natured and seemed to take it in stride. Plenty of action with a good mix of fixed and pot limit play.
Because there were ten players, we were a little restricted in the different games we could play. Community card games dominated, with one ill-advised foray into Five Card Stud. (Note to all players: From now on, Five Stud will ALWAYS be spread as high-low with no qualifier!)
In the interests of having a good mix of games next time, I will insist on capping the game at 8 seats; and allow alternates to respond with a "maybe" on the evite. I will open up a second table only if we get a minimum of 13 players.
Though restricted to flop games, and rather crowded, things were made a lot more fun becuase it was Beatles night! In celebration of the Rock Band and re-mastered releases, we listened exclusively to the fab four (well, them and the Dodgers game). Mike P.'s dulcet tones added to the good times.
In the end, the top three finishers were yours truly, Marc F. and Mike K., with the latter barely edging out the former two to take down 5 POY points - with everyone else collecting one point for their efforts.
With such an enthusiastic response in attendance - I definitely see another cash game in the future, probably sooner rather than later. Expect it in the first half of October.
Remember, we start our WSOP competition in our next tournament. We won't have it if we don't get enough players, but I've had some enthusiastic responses. Be sure to bring an extra $25 if you want to take part!
As seems to happen in our cash games, there was probably a bit too much table talk - but everyone was good natured and seemed to take it in stride. Plenty of action with a good mix of fixed and pot limit play.
Because there were ten players, we were a little restricted in the different games we could play. Community card games dominated, with one ill-advised foray into Five Card Stud. (Note to all players: From now on, Five Stud will ALWAYS be spread as high-low with no qualifier!)
In the interests of having a good mix of games next time, I will insist on capping the game at 8 seats; and allow alternates to respond with a "maybe" on the evite. I will open up a second table only if we get a minimum of 13 players.
Though restricted to flop games, and rather crowded, things were made a lot more fun becuase it was Beatles night! In celebration of the Rock Band and re-mastered releases, we listened exclusively to the fab four (well, them and the Dodgers game). Mike P.'s dulcet tones added to the good times.
In the end, the top three finishers were yours truly, Marc F. and Mike K., with the latter barely edging out the former two to take down 5 POY points - with everyone else collecting one point for their efforts.
With such an enthusiastic response in attendance - I definitely see another cash game in the future, probably sooner rather than later. Expect it in the first half of October.
Remember, we start our WSOP competition in our next tournament. We won't have it if we don't get enough players, but I've had some enthusiastic responses. Be sure to bring an extra $25 if you want to take part!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
World Series of Pepper Street
Starting in September Pepper Street Poker will play host to an entirely optional World Series of Poker Competition!
If you want to participate in the WSOPC, it's very easy! Simply tell me that you'd like to take part!
Then, play at least 5 Pepper Street Poker tournaments as usual through May of next year.
(That means you need only make 5 out of 9 tournaments).
For every tournament that you play, pay an extra $25 along with your entry fee.
This $25 will be set aside into the WSOP prize pool.
When you have played five tournaments, you're qualified to have a chance at going to the WSOP and don't have to pay any more!
But you can (and should) still keep playing as many PSP tournaments as you can at the regular price for a chance to improve your score.
Your score will be tracked with the same system as Player of the Year points.
But your final tally will be based only your five best results between October 2009 and May 2010.
So you'll effectively have four extra chances to improve, since there will likely be 9 tournaments between now and World Series time. If I can, I'll squeeze in an extra tournament, meaning you'll have 5 extra chances!
I guarantee that with this scoring system the race will be tight, and most players will have a shot right up until the end.
The player with the highest score after the May tournament - gets to go to Vegas and enter WSOP $1500 bracelet event of his or her choice!
If the player should happen to cash (gasp) he or she gets to keep 70% of the winnings - the remaining is divided among participating players.
Sound good? Be sure to let me know when you see me next if you'd like to join in!
Obviously, if we don't get at least 12 participants then this won't happen.
Any and all money put into the fund will be fully refunded if I don't have 12 participants by January.
Likewise, if an emergency arises and you find yourself unable to continue to participate, I will allow you to withdraw and refund you in full, no questions asked.
If by some miracle we get more people than we need, the extra $ will go to the WSOPC winner to be used for travel expenses.
If by some bigger miracle we get enough participants for 2 seats (24 people) then that would be great!
I did this last year online with my friends, and it was great fun! Adding a lot of excitement to our tournaments, as well as creating a tremendously exciting time when the winner went to the WSOP! While he didn't cash, everyone agreed that it was a great experience and we will certainly do it again.
Click here for more details, and click here for the staking agreement that participants must sign to take part. The information contained in both links will answer a lot of questions that you may have.
I hope there is enough interest here to make this happen! Think about it and let me know on the 26th!
If you want to participate in the WSOPC, it's very easy! Simply tell me that you'd like to take part!
Then, play at least 5 Pepper Street Poker tournaments as usual through May of next year.
(That means you need only make 5 out of 9 tournaments).
For every tournament that you play, pay an extra $25 along with your entry fee.
This $25 will be set aside into the WSOP prize pool.
When you have played five tournaments, you're qualified to have a chance at going to the WSOP and don't have to pay any more!
But you can (and should) still keep playing as many PSP tournaments as you can at the regular price for a chance to improve your score.
Your score will be tracked with the same system as Player of the Year points.
But your final tally will be based only your five best results between October 2009 and May 2010.
So you'll effectively have four extra chances to improve, since there will likely be 9 tournaments between now and World Series time. If I can, I'll squeeze in an extra tournament, meaning you'll have 5 extra chances!
I guarantee that with this scoring system the race will be tight, and most players will have a shot right up until the end.
The player with the highest score after the May tournament - gets to go to Vegas and enter WSOP $1500 bracelet event of his or her choice!
If the player should happen to cash (gasp) he or she gets to keep 70% of the winnings - the remaining is divided among participating players.
Sound good? Be sure to let me know when you see me next if you'd like to join in!
Obviously, if we don't get at least 12 participants then this won't happen.
Any and all money put into the fund will be fully refunded if I don't have 12 participants by January.
Likewise, if an emergency arises and you find yourself unable to continue to participate, I will allow you to withdraw and refund you in full, no questions asked.
If by some miracle we get more people than we need, the extra $ will go to the WSOPC winner to be used for travel expenses.
If by some bigger miracle we get enough participants for 2 seats (24 people) then that would be great!
I did this last year online with my friends, and it was great fun! Adding a lot of excitement to our tournaments, as well as creating a tremendously exciting time when the winner went to the WSOP! While he didn't cash, everyone agreed that it was a great experience and we will certainly do it again.
Click here for more details, and click here for the staking agreement that participants must sign to take part. The information contained in both links will answer a lot of questions that you may have.
I hope there is enough interest here to make this happen! Think about it and let me know on the 26th!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tournament Report 8/22/09
As usually happens in the summer, people are busy and have plans that don't include their monthly poker game; so it was only 14 players that sat down for a return to No Limit Texas Hold-Em.
This was the first ever freeze-out at Pepper Street, meaning the first tournament with no rebuys or add-ons! A friendly reminder was given at the start of the tournament of this fact, and not surprisingly, every one tightened up substantially. So much so that it was a good two hours, well after the first break, before we lost our first player; the always gracious and often high finishing Bill K.
Once the got the ball rolling, more players fell by the wayside including yours truly who ran his AQ straight into Marc F.'s AK.
The bubble approached, and for at least the second time this year, Pepper Street resident Michael K. found himself taking home a fantastic consolation prize. A DVD of that Bill Murray classic, Meatballs! Incidentally, Mike's propensity to final table, bubble and cash frequently has put him near the top of the standings for Player of the Year.
Speaking of Player of the Year, the top candidate currently is Marc F., who put some distance between himself and everybody else last night by taking it down! Barbara N. was our third place finisher and pocketed $84, plus a bounty or two.
Mike P. was unable to bring down Marc F. despite starting with a substantial lead and being well ahead more than once with all the chips in the middle pre-flop. As Harrington says, heads-up play is typically brutish and short - and this was borne out last night. Still, Mike walked away with $126, plus at least $20 in bounty chips!
Marc F. got the trophy, $210 in prize money AND $30 in bounty chips!
A big thanks to Dan I. who stayed to help shuffle and deal.
I think last night's structure was pretty near perfect, with the last hand finishing at just before 1130 pm. Our next tournament, at the moment scheduled for September 26, will have a similar structure - with the caveat that there will be ONE optional rebuy (if felted before the break) OR an add-on (if rebuy isn't used.) This will be, I think a good compromise, between past complicated and taxing rebuy structures and last nights experimental freeze-out.
As I said, the current date is 9/26, but it could still change until the evite is sent out, which should be some time next week.
This was the first ever freeze-out at Pepper Street, meaning the first tournament with no rebuys or add-ons! A friendly reminder was given at the start of the tournament of this fact, and not surprisingly, every one tightened up substantially. So much so that it was a good two hours, well after the first break, before we lost our first player; the always gracious and often high finishing Bill K.
Once the got the ball rolling, more players fell by the wayside including yours truly who ran his AQ straight into Marc F.'s AK.
The bubble approached, and for at least the second time this year, Pepper Street resident Michael K. found himself taking home a fantastic consolation prize. A DVD of that Bill Murray classic, Meatballs! Incidentally, Mike's propensity to final table, bubble and cash frequently has put him near the top of the standings for Player of the Year.
Speaking of Player of the Year, the top candidate currently is Marc F., who put some distance between himself and everybody else last night by taking it down! Barbara N. was our third place finisher and pocketed $84, plus a bounty or two.
Mike P. was unable to bring down Marc F. despite starting with a substantial lead and being well ahead more than once with all the chips in the middle pre-flop. As Harrington says, heads-up play is typically brutish and short - and this was borne out last night. Still, Mike walked away with $126, plus at least $20 in bounty chips!
Marc F. got the trophy, $210 in prize money AND $30 in bounty chips!
A big thanks to Dan I. who stayed to help shuffle and deal.
I think last night's structure was pretty near perfect, with the last hand finishing at just before 1130 pm. Our next tournament, at the moment scheduled for September 26, will have a similar structure - with the caveat that there will be ONE optional rebuy (if felted before the break) OR an add-on (if rebuy isn't used.) This will be, I think a good compromise, between past complicated and taxing rebuy structures and last nights experimental freeze-out.
As I said, the current date is 9/26, but it could still change until the evite is sent out, which should be some time next week.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Tournament Report 7/25/09
It was a smaller, but no less enthusiastic than usual crowd of 15 players who gathered around two tables to enjoy the fairly sadistic game known as Omaha Hi-Low Eight or Better. (Also known as Omaha/8).
This tournament director has to admit, his fixed limit structure was the most perfect of his career - with the evening drawing to an excellent close at just before 1130pm, four and a half hours - just right!
The first to fall, just after the break, was Tony G., only 1 of 3 remaining Pepper St. players who still have perfect attendance in 2009. Barbara N. and Marc F. are the other two.
Players busted quickly thereafter, and a final table was drawn by 10pm.
Yours truly bubbled out in fifth place.
The prize pool was $450 of which Dave G. collected $54 for finishing fourth.
Incidentally, on his final hand Dave G. had mucked his cards and conceded the pot before realizing that he had a high straight and the pot should have been split. The other players were amicable to a long and difficult reconstruction of the pot, but Dave G. graciously (and correctly) relinquished the hand, having mucked his cards and released the chips. It is a house rule - once cards are mucked, they are dead. (The TD can intervene and reconstruct only in rare circumstances).
It was awhile longer then before the third place finisher, Dog, collected his $81 prize.
But truth be told, Bobby B. had enjoyed what is known as a prohibitive chip lead for the entire final table, and even more so in the final three and heads up. His timing was perfect all night, as he managed to get his chips in good most of the time, and even when he didn't he only sustained small losses.
In the end it was just too much for Gabor V. to overcome. After declining a chop, he ran his broadway straight into Bobby B.'s flopped boat and that was the end. Gabor pocketed $112 while Bobby B. took home $202 and the trophy!
Next month, Saturday, August 22 at 7pm - back to No Limit Texas Hold-Em! We're going to try something a bit different - $30 entry, NO rebuys or add-ons. Hopefully no one will bust before the break - but if there is room I will do everything I can to have a cash game table set up for early bust outs who still want a poker fix.
Thanks to everyone for coming out, and I'm glad more and more of you are paying attention!
This tournament director has to admit, his fixed limit structure was the most perfect of his career - with the evening drawing to an excellent close at just before 1130pm, four and a half hours - just right!
The first to fall, just after the break, was Tony G., only 1 of 3 remaining Pepper St. players who still have perfect attendance in 2009. Barbara N. and Marc F. are the other two.
Players busted quickly thereafter, and a final table was drawn by 10pm.
Yours truly bubbled out in fifth place.
The prize pool was $450 of which Dave G. collected $54 for finishing fourth.
Incidentally, on his final hand Dave G. had mucked his cards and conceded the pot before realizing that he had a high straight and the pot should have been split. The other players were amicable to a long and difficult reconstruction of the pot, but Dave G. graciously (and correctly) relinquished the hand, having mucked his cards and released the chips. It is a house rule - once cards are mucked, they are dead. (The TD can intervene and reconstruct only in rare circumstances).
It was awhile longer then before the third place finisher, Dog, collected his $81 prize.
But truth be told, Bobby B. had enjoyed what is known as a prohibitive chip lead for the entire final table, and even more so in the final three and heads up. His timing was perfect all night, as he managed to get his chips in good most of the time, and even when he didn't he only sustained small losses.
In the end it was just too much for Gabor V. to overcome. After declining a chop, he ran his broadway straight into Bobby B.'s flopped boat and that was the end. Gabor pocketed $112 while Bobby B. took home $202 and the trophy!
Next month, Saturday, August 22 at 7pm - back to No Limit Texas Hold-Em! We're going to try something a bit different - $30 entry, NO rebuys or add-ons. Hopefully no one will bust before the break - but if there is room I will do everything I can to have a cash game table set up for early bust outs who still want a poker fix.
Thanks to everyone for coming out, and I'm glad more and more of you are paying attention!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Omaha/8 Tournament Moved
I had to postpone the upcoming Omaha/8 tournament on July the 11th, moving it to July 25th.
One of my esteemed colleagues at work had to go to the ER with chest pains and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital to have a coronary angioplasty. Bummer for him, he will have to miss my company's scheduled trip to Nairobi. But guess who they found to go instead?
That's right, little ol' me.
I've been before, and will probably go again, but I'm really a bit bummed about pulling the rug out on the tournament. Still, it has to be done, for my company and my colleague who I hold in the highest regard.
The good news is, I've rescheduled for Saturday, July 25th (not August 25th as I erroneously put in the evite cancellation notice).
If you had originally planned to make it on the 11th, but now find yourself unable to attend on the 25th, fear not. Please e-mail me and let me know. In any event, I plan to have a second Omaha/8 tournament before the end of the year, that hopefully those that missed out on will be able to attend.
In the mean time, remember, you can ONLY use two cards in your hand and three on the board.
One of my esteemed colleagues at work had to go to the ER with chest pains and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital to have a coronary angioplasty. Bummer for him, he will have to miss my company's scheduled trip to Nairobi. But guess who they found to go instead?
That's right, little ol' me.
I've been before, and will probably go again, but I'm really a bit bummed about pulling the rug out on the tournament. Still, it has to be done, for my company and my colleague who I hold in the highest regard.
The good news is, I've rescheduled for Saturday, July 25th (not August 25th as I erroneously put in the evite cancellation notice).
If you had originally planned to make it on the 11th, but now find yourself unable to attend on the 25th, fear not. Please e-mail me and let me know. In any event, I plan to have a second Omaha/8 tournament before the end of the year, that hopefully those that missed out on will be able to attend.
In the mean time, remember, you can ONLY use two cards in your hand and three on the board.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Tournament Report 6/20/09
16 players sat down last night for the rousing fixed limit mixed game poker extravaganza known as H.O.R.S.E.
Although we had less players than we've had more recently (NLHE is by far the most popular tournament, sorry to everyone who wants more variety, but with this kind of attendance I've only got one or two of these a year in me at most) the din of the room was much louder than usual - as every one tried their best to sort through the complicated antes, bring-ins and constraints of fixed limit stud games.
Truthfully, this was the easiest mixed game tournament I've ever hosted, thanks mostly to everyone's enthusiasm and good natured willingness to figure out and work through the machinations of the various games. Still, my own poor play and early exit (plus a fair amount of unpleasant tilt, for which I am truly sorry) I have to attribute in at least small part to the mental gymnastics required to run a tournament as complex as the venerable poker event named after an equine.
The first out was a new player to Pepper Street, the lovely Mrs. Cindy Lou, the wife of regular Allen Q. Cindy was in it to win it and she played with gusto, accumulating a large stack quickly, then just as quickly lost it as the typically nasty game of Omaha/8 saw her drawing to the second best hand on both ends of the pot in two monster pots. She took her loss gracefully, and we very much look forward to having her back.
If I may toot my own horn, the structure was absolutely PERFECT - eliminating players at a healthy pace, while still giving folks plenty of room to splash and maneuver. Especially appreciated was the new blind timer video, crafted by yours truly at work (off the clock of course). It took a lot of work out of the equation for me, plus it provided a calming "Hal-like" voice for everyone to enjoy. (Okay, maybe not enjoy, but at least it helped everyone keep track of what we were playing).
By 11pm it was bubble time, though most players chips were dwarfed by the mountainous stack of Dog (a solid player and great guy with a very cool name). Dan I. for the second time this year was the lucky recipient of a fantastic bubble prize - a spectacular DVD of one of my favorite movies - "Dirty Harry"!
Our first to cash, and fourth place finisher, was Pepper Street local - Mike K. Once again, his solid grasp of poker carried him into the money, a tidy sum of $57.
Speaking of money, it should be mentioned that our prize pool was a healthy $480, one of the largest ever - simply by virtue of a $30 entry. (Another reason for the tournament running so smoothly I confess, was the lack of rebuys and add-ons.) I think, we might be looking at the future, as most people seemed very happy with the price and got plenty of poker for their money. I'm a little shy about implementing it in a no limit tournament, but we'll see after I ponder the possibility for awhile.
Next to fall was third place finisher Dan G., who made his short stack last a loooong time, so long in fact that he got to take home $85.
As soon as it was down to heads-up, approaching midnight, Gabor V. whose savvy play had slowly built his chips up to almost approach the same ballpark as Dog's still formidable stack, proposed an even chop. Dog graciously accepted on the condition that he retain the title and trophy, Gabor agreed and they split $345.
Although there was a chop, unlike last month where the levels were too slow, this month I think the structure was absolutely fine - and had the players continued the tournament would have ended within 30 minutes or so.
Next month - Omaha Eight or Better! Saturday, July 11 at 7pm.
You may have noticed that the date has changed, I moved it earlier for a number of reasons, but primarily because the second half of July has filled up crazy fast with weekend family activities. I expect it may be the same for a number of players on the 11th, but I really hope you can all make the effort - Omaha/8 is maddeningly fun, and don't forget that Player of the Year points are doubled! Both Gabor V. and Dog nearly doubled their entire points for the year just from this last tournament. Dog is now in 6th place over all, and Gabor is in the top five!
If you think the bracelet is out of reach, think again!
Although we had less players than we've had more recently (NLHE is by far the most popular tournament, sorry to everyone who wants more variety, but with this kind of attendance I've only got one or two of these a year in me at most) the din of the room was much louder than usual - as every one tried their best to sort through the complicated antes, bring-ins and constraints of fixed limit stud games.
Truthfully, this was the easiest mixed game tournament I've ever hosted, thanks mostly to everyone's enthusiasm and good natured willingness to figure out and work through the machinations of the various games. Still, my own poor play and early exit (plus a fair amount of unpleasant tilt, for which I am truly sorry) I have to attribute in at least small part to the mental gymnastics required to run a tournament as complex as the venerable poker event named after an equine.
The first out was a new player to Pepper Street, the lovely Mrs. Cindy Lou, the wife of regular Allen Q. Cindy was in it to win it and she played with gusto, accumulating a large stack quickly, then just as quickly lost it as the typically nasty game of Omaha/8 saw her drawing to the second best hand on both ends of the pot in two monster pots. She took her loss gracefully, and we very much look forward to having her back.
If I may toot my own horn, the structure was absolutely PERFECT - eliminating players at a healthy pace, while still giving folks plenty of room to splash and maneuver. Especially appreciated was the new blind timer video, crafted by yours truly at work (off the clock of course). It took a lot of work out of the equation for me, plus it provided a calming "Hal-like" voice for everyone to enjoy. (Okay, maybe not enjoy, but at least it helped everyone keep track of what we were playing).
By 11pm it was bubble time, though most players chips were dwarfed by the mountainous stack of Dog (a solid player and great guy with a very cool name). Dan I. for the second time this year was the lucky recipient of a fantastic bubble prize - a spectacular DVD of one of my favorite movies - "Dirty Harry"!
Our first to cash, and fourth place finisher, was Pepper Street local - Mike K. Once again, his solid grasp of poker carried him into the money, a tidy sum of $57.
Speaking of money, it should be mentioned that our prize pool was a healthy $480, one of the largest ever - simply by virtue of a $30 entry. (Another reason for the tournament running so smoothly I confess, was the lack of rebuys and add-ons.) I think, we might be looking at the future, as most people seemed very happy with the price and got plenty of poker for their money. I'm a little shy about implementing it in a no limit tournament, but we'll see after I ponder the possibility for awhile.
Next to fall was third place finisher Dan G., who made his short stack last a loooong time, so long in fact that he got to take home $85.
As soon as it was down to heads-up, approaching midnight, Gabor V. whose savvy play had slowly built his chips up to almost approach the same ballpark as Dog's still formidable stack, proposed an even chop. Dog graciously accepted on the condition that he retain the title and trophy, Gabor agreed and they split $345.
Although there was a chop, unlike last month where the levels were too slow, this month I think the structure was absolutely fine - and had the players continued the tournament would have ended within 30 minutes or so.
Next month - Omaha Eight or Better! Saturday, July 11 at 7pm.
You may have noticed that the date has changed, I moved it earlier for a number of reasons, but primarily because the second half of July has filled up crazy fast with weekend family activities. I expect it may be the same for a number of players on the 11th, but I really hope you can all make the effort - Omaha/8 is maddeningly fun, and don't forget that Player of the Year points are doubled! Both Gabor V. and Dog nearly doubled their entire points for the year just from this last tournament. Dog is now in 6th place over all, and Gabor is in the top five!
If you think the bracelet is out of reach, think again!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
H.O.R.S.E. games review.
You know them, you love them, but just in case you've forgotten - here they are and here's how to play them.
Limit Hold-Em
While it's younger and sexier sister No Limit may be the one that we all have fun with, Fixed Limit is the smart and sensible girl that we bring home to mother.
The games are virtually the same and yet VERY different.
If you know how to play No Limit Hold-Em, then you know how to play Limit Hold-Em. But do you know how to play it well?
Remember, in Limit Hold-em your bets are "fixed" (meaning you can only bet one amount).
The only amount you are allowed to bet is the big blind pre-flop & flop and twice that amount for the turn and river.
There is also a maximum of 3 raises (four bets total) for each betting round.
Same game, but quite a different flavor. And the strategies for mastering these two forms of Hold-Em could not be more apart.
In NLHE, the big pocket pairs are what you're looking for. In limit, they're still good - but not great. Suited connecters and other drawing hands are where it's at, as you often have a great price to see another card.
In NLHE a flopped set is a monster - in LHE it can be BIG trouble unless the board then pairs favorably (which only happens about 35% of the time, and less than that in your favor).
It's very likely, especially when blinds are low in a tournament (or you're playing in a low stakes cash game) that you'll have at least one nimrod who HAS to chase that gutshot straight and ends up backing into a flush or makes his hand in some other ridiculous way.
Part of the reason for this phenomenon is that you may notice, if you pay attention to pot odds, that in Limit Hold-em you are frequently "priced in" to see another card.
But Limit Hold-em is a game of very small edges (whereas NLHE is a game of big swings and decisions) - and it can be correct (especially in a tournament) to fold if you know you are beat or drawing super slim, even if you have pot odds that are seemingly crazy big.
In tournament LHE the first few levels are always kind of silly, even in the WSOP - it's very difficult to bust someone or get busted.
Then the bet amounts go up, and all of a sudden you find yourself unable to draw to the river without calling off your entire stack. It's a very different animal from NLHE that's for sure.
I was raised on it, so I love it -and see it as a different skill set to master.
Omaha 8 or Better
Pot Limit Omaha High Only is the second most popular poker game in the world these days, and the most popular game in Europe.
In America it has only recently eclipsed the Eight or Better version, which is still the Omaha variant of choice for H.O.R.S.E.
While PLO is a fun action game, I don't find it nearly as interesting as O8.
Both Omaha variants include the following:
The betting, flop, turn and river are just like Hold-Em, but you get dealt four hole cards instead of two.
And in Omaha you MUST use 2 cards from your hand and 3 cards on the board ONLY to make your final poker hand. There is no other option. Period. This is what messes people up much of the time. Even experienced poker players are prone to forget this in the heat of a hand.
Omaha/8 is played the same but with a wrinkle - it is a high-low game. Meaning you can win half or all of the pot with the high hand and up to half the pot with the low hand.
A long and detailed description of what constitutes a low hand can be found here.
In H.O.R.S.E. a low hand is always qualified by the Ace to 5 criteria, with flushes and straights NOT COUNTING against the low.
In Omaha/8 and also in Stud 8 or better, for a poker hand to qualify as a low hand - it must contain five unpaired cards, all of 8 or lower rank.
If the board only has two hands of a rank 8 or lower, there can be no low hand at showdown. The high hand will scoop the pot.
There is a long standing home game school of thought that Omaha/8 is much more complicated and involved than Hold-Em. I respectfully disagree.
In my experience, strategy in Omaha/8 is much less involved than either variant of Hold-Em. To me, decisions are much easier to make - and the key is starting cards. Looking for four cards that work well together and have the potential to be drawing to both ends of the pot is the best place to start.
After this, an 8 handed Omaha/8 game, especially in the first half of a tournament, is much more likely to go to showdown than a Hold-Em games. Hence, it becomes a card centric quest of calculating outs - and hopefully drawing to both ends of the pot and aiming for the nuts.
In general at a full table where lots of players see the flop-
If the board pairs - someone has a full house.
If the board has 3 of one suit - someone has a flush, and likely the nut flush.
To me, this makes O8 easier to play. This is not to say that the game is not brutally sadistic. In many ways, it is, even more so than NLHE. Starting cards can look so beautiful and seductive, and it can be agony (or very difficult, even impossible) to release them when the flop blanks.
It is also more fun for the math side of the brain, with twice as many hole cards, there are 6 times as many starting card combinations - a lot of card substance to chew on.
But in an Omaha/8 tournament unlike NLHE, if you don't catch cards, you're not likely to win.
Even so, the second half of an O8 tournament (and believe it or not, I've played in a few) more closely resembles NLHE, where pre-flop aggression becomes a bigger factor and continuation betting often results in the absence of a showdown.
A variant of O8 that has been growing online is played Pot Limit.
All of H.O.R.S.E. is fixed limit only - thank goodness, as calculating pot sizes and multiple side pots without a dedicated dealer can be quite a headache.
Razz
Is Stud lowball.
Click here to learn about how a low hand is determined using the Ace to 5 method.
Razz is the red-headed bastard step-child of poker, and exists today in the modern card room only as part of a mixed cash game format (typically H.O.R.S.E.) or as a single tournament found only once a year at the World Series of Poker.
I like to call it "This God forsaken game."
As with Omaha/8, it is card centric, and decisions are not the most difficult. Oh but can it be brutal.
Brutal.
When you are dealt A-2 in the hole and 4 -6 are showing, and you catch paint after paint and then pair your ace on the river.
Deeelightful.
As with other Seven Stud variants, the key to Razz is to observe what other cards are dead to you. In Stud High, you fold if you see a lot of the cards you have in other players hands. In Razz, seeing this is a good thing - you don't want to pair up.
In Razz, if you have two low cards, but then see a bunch of DIFFERENT low cards in other players hands - you may be drawing very slim.
As with all forms of fixed limit poker, especially in tournament format, there may come a time when you have to get away from a hand that you are drawing too - even though the pot may be screaming a very cheap price. What's great about Stud is that you can see a good percentage of what cards are "alive" and which cards are "dead", making the decision to chase or to give up a bit easier.
Seven Stud High Only
I don't think I'm giving away too much to say that this is my weakest H.O.R.S.E. game.
More than any other poker variant - Seven Stud requires monk-like patience to wait for a "live" set of good starting cards.
For example, if you have AK in the hole, and you see nothing but aces and kings face up in other players hands - then you have what is referred to as - dead cards. Most of what you need, is plainly unavailable, and likely an easy fold.
This also applies not only to pairing up, making two pairs and boats, but also to drawing to straights and flushes.
In Hold-em, we know if we need to catch one card for a flush we MAY have 9 outs. I say "may" because we never know exactly what other players are holding. In stud, you get to view a big percentage of cards that are already unavailable, making decisions to chase or not that much more clear.
Eight or Better Seven Stud
I want to love this game, I really do. It seems pretty interesting, combining all that is good and interesting about Seven Stud and Razz together.
Alas, even the major wrinkle is not enough to make this game action packed. It, like Razz and Stud High, is a game of patience and observation.
The wrinkle is that Stud/8 is a high-low game, but the low hand must qualify by having five unpaired cards, all with a rank of 8 or lower.
Again, straights and flushes do not count against this low qualifier.
One thing to keep in mind is that a qualifying low hand will be made with seven randomly dealt cards less than 40% of the time. With this knowledge, you want to be sure that you are not drawing only to the low end of the pot, where you are likely to get quartered anyway.
In either Stud/8 or O8, you should always be looking to scoop, as winning half the pot doesn't put you much higher than where you were before you started the hand. And if you only get a quarter of the pot - unless by some miracle the majority of players at the table have stayed in until the river, you've certainly lost money.
I'm very much looking forward to this mixed game tourney. I would certainly do this more than once a year if they weren't so difficult to run, and if they were more popular. As of this point in time, where a NLHE tournament would have 16+ players for sure, our H.O.R.S.E. event in just over 2 weeks has only 11 people signed up. Ah well, it'll still be fun.
Limit Hold-Em
While it's younger and sexier sister No Limit may be the one that we all have fun with, Fixed Limit is the smart and sensible girl that we bring home to mother.
The games are virtually the same and yet VERY different.
If you know how to play No Limit Hold-Em, then you know how to play Limit Hold-Em. But do you know how to play it well?
Remember, in Limit Hold-em your bets are "fixed" (meaning you can only bet one amount).
The only amount you are allowed to bet is the big blind pre-flop & flop and twice that amount for the turn and river.
There is also a maximum of 3 raises (four bets total) for each betting round.
Same game, but quite a different flavor. And the strategies for mastering these two forms of Hold-Em could not be more apart.
In NLHE, the big pocket pairs are what you're looking for. In limit, they're still good - but not great. Suited connecters and other drawing hands are where it's at, as you often have a great price to see another card.
In NLHE a flopped set is a monster - in LHE it can be BIG trouble unless the board then pairs favorably (which only happens about 35% of the time, and less than that in your favor).
It's very likely, especially when blinds are low in a tournament (or you're playing in a low stakes cash game) that you'll have at least one nimrod who HAS to chase that gutshot straight and ends up backing into a flush or makes his hand in some other ridiculous way.
Part of the reason for this phenomenon is that you may notice, if you pay attention to pot odds, that in Limit Hold-em you are frequently "priced in" to see another card.
But Limit Hold-em is a game of very small edges (whereas NLHE is a game of big swings and decisions) - and it can be correct (especially in a tournament) to fold if you know you are beat or drawing super slim, even if you have pot odds that are seemingly crazy big.
In tournament LHE the first few levels are always kind of silly, even in the WSOP - it's very difficult to bust someone or get busted.
Then the bet amounts go up, and all of a sudden you find yourself unable to draw to the river without calling off your entire stack. It's a very different animal from NLHE that's for sure.
I was raised on it, so I love it -and see it as a different skill set to master.
Omaha 8 or Better
Pot Limit Omaha High Only is the second most popular poker game in the world these days, and the most popular game in Europe.
In America it has only recently eclipsed the Eight or Better version, which is still the Omaha variant of choice for H.O.R.S.E.
While PLO is a fun action game, I don't find it nearly as interesting as O8.
Both Omaha variants include the following:
The betting, flop, turn and river are just like Hold-Em, but you get dealt four hole cards instead of two.
And in Omaha you MUST use 2 cards from your hand and 3 cards on the board ONLY to make your final poker hand. There is no other option. Period. This is what messes people up much of the time. Even experienced poker players are prone to forget this in the heat of a hand.
Omaha/8 is played the same but with a wrinkle - it is a high-low game. Meaning you can win half or all of the pot with the high hand and up to half the pot with the low hand.
A long and detailed description of what constitutes a low hand can be found here.
In H.O.R.S.E. a low hand is always qualified by the Ace to 5 criteria, with flushes and straights NOT COUNTING against the low.
In Omaha/8 and also in Stud 8 or better, for a poker hand to qualify as a low hand - it must contain five unpaired cards, all of 8 or lower rank.
If the board only has two hands of a rank 8 or lower, there can be no low hand at showdown. The high hand will scoop the pot.
There is a long standing home game school of thought that Omaha/8 is much more complicated and involved than Hold-Em. I respectfully disagree.
In my experience, strategy in Omaha/8 is much less involved than either variant of Hold-Em. To me, decisions are much easier to make - and the key is starting cards. Looking for four cards that work well together and have the potential to be drawing to both ends of the pot is the best place to start.
After this, an 8 handed Omaha/8 game, especially in the first half of a tournament, is much more likely to go to showdown than a Hold-Em games. Hence, it becomes a card centric quest of calculating outs - and hopefully drawing to both ends of the pot and aiming for the nuts.
In general at a full table where lots of players see the flop-
If the board pairs - someone has a full house.
If the board has 3 of one suit - someone has a flush, and likely the nut flush.
To me, this makes O8 easier to play. This is not to say that the game is not brutally sadistic. In many ways, it is, even more so than NLHE. Starting cards can look so beautiful and seductive, and it can be agony (or very difficult, even impossible) to release them when the flop blanks.
It is also more fun for the math side of the brain, with twice as many hole cards, there are 6 times as many starting card combinations - a lot of card substance to chew on.
But in an Omaha/8 tournament unlike NLHE, if you don't catch cards, you're not likely to win.
Even so, the second half of an O8 tournament (and believe it or not, I've played in a few) more closely resembles NLHE, where pre-flop aggression becomes a bigger factor and continuation betting often results in the absence of a showdown.
A variant of O8 that has been growing online is played Pot Limit.
All of H.O.R.S.E. is fixed limit only - thank goodness, as calculating pot sizes and multiple side pots without a dedicated dealer can be quite a headache.
Razz
Is Stud lowball.
Click here to learn about how a low hand is determined using the Ace to 5 method.
Razz is the red-headed bastard step-child of poker, and exists today in the modern card room only as part of a mixed cash game format (typically H.O.R.S.E.) or as a single tournament found only once a year at the World Series of Poker.
I like to call it "This God forsaken game."
As with Omaha/8, it is card centric, and decisions are not the most difficult. Oh but can it be brutal.
Brutal.
When you are dealt A-2 in the hole and 4 -6 are showing, and you catch paint after paint and then pair your ace on the river.
Deeelightful.
As with other Seven Stud variants, the key to Razz is to observe what other cards are dead to you. In Stud High, you fold if you see a lot of the cards you have in other players hands. In Razz, seeing this is a good thing - you don't want to pair up.
In Razz, if you have two low cards, but then see a bunch of DIFFERENT low cards in other players hands - you may be drawing very slim.
As with all forms of fixed limit poker, especially in tournament format, there may come a time when you have to get away from a hand that you are drawing too - even though the pot may be screaming a very cheap price. What's great about Stud is that you can see a good percentage of what cards are "alive" and which cards are "dead", making the decision to chase or to give up a bit easier.
Seven Stud High Only
I don't think I'm giving away too much to say that this is my weakest H.O.R.S.E. game.
More than any other poker variant - Seven Stud requires monk-like patience to wait for a "live" set of good starting cards.
For example, if you have AK in the hole, and you see nothing but aces and kings face up in other players hands - then you have what is referred to as - dead cards. Most of what you need, is plainly unavailable, and likely an easy fold.
This also applies not only to pairing up, making two pairs and boats, but also to drawing to straights and flushes.
In Hold-em, we know if we need to catch one card for a flush we MAY have 9 outs. I say "may" because we never know exactly what other players are holding. In stud, you get to view a big percentage of cards that are already unavailable, making decisions to chase or not that much more clear.
Eight or Better Seven Stud
I want to love this game, I really do. It seems pretty interesting, combining all that is good and interesting about Seven Stud and Razz together.
Alas, even the major wrinkle is not enough to make this game action packed. It, like Razz and Stud High, is a game of patience and observation.
The wrinkle is that Stud/8 is a high-low game, but the low hand must qualify by having five unpaired cards, all with a rank of 8 or lower.
Again, straights and flushes do not count against this low qualifier.
One thing to keep in mind is that a qualifying low hand will be made with seven randomly dealt cards less than 40% of the time. With this knowledge, you want to be sure that you are not drawing only to the low end of the pot, where you are likely to get quartered anyway.
In either Stud/8 or O8, you should always be looking to scoop, as winning half the pot doesn't put you much higher than where you were before you started the hand. And if you only get a quarter of the pot - unless by some miracle the majority of players at the table have stayed in until the river, you've certainly lost money.
I'm very much looking forward to this mixed game tourney. I would certainly do this more than once a year if they weren't so difficult to run, and if they were more popular. As of this point in time, where a NLHE tournament would have 16+ players for sure, our H.O.R.S.E. event in just over 2 weeks has only 11 people signed up. Ah well, it'll still be fun.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tournament Report 5/16/09
21 poker players squeezed into the garage for what would be an epic, fun and fairly grueling evening of NLHE play.
The action was hot and heavy and it wasn't long after the break that Robert A. was the first to fall.
Others fell in quick succession, including yours truly who busted out 8th.
The final table however, which formed when we reached 9 players just before 11pm, proved to be a different beast altogether.
It was almost 90 minutes before the bubble burst, with new player Bobby B. excitedly collecting his King Kong DVD prize.
It then was awhile before David M. took down 5th place money - and then even longer, much longer, for the final results.
1am approached, and with the stacks nearly even and the players exhausted, for the first time ever the final four agreed to chop the winnings!
While all four players collected $100 for their efforts, Player of the Year Points were still awarded accordingly according to chip counts at the chop.
New player Stuver was 4th in points, Allen L. 3rd, John S. 2nd and Marc F. 1st - also collecting the trophy!
While through the evening, everyone seemed pleased with the new stack structure and absence of unlimited rebuys, in the end it seems that the blinds simply don't escalate quickly enough in the later stages.
Rest assured, this will be fixed in the next NLHE tournament.
But as of now the next NLHE is not till August, next month we'll be playing H.O.R.S.E.! Stay tuned for the evite!
REMEMBER: Since there are NO rebuys or add-ons in this fixed limit event, the buy-in will be $30 instead of $20.
I'd also like to thank Noah P. for bringing in a new player, his better half, the delightful Ardelle.
Thanks also to Marc F. for introducing us to the affable Stuver and to Allen L. for bringing along the boisterous Bobby B.
It was really great to see some new faces, I hope they all had fun and will come back again.
The action was hot and heavy and it wasn't long after the break that Robert A. was the first to fall.
Others fell in quick succession, including yours truly who busted out 8th.
The final table however, which formed when we reached 9 players just before 11pm, proved to be a different beast altogether.
It was almost 90 minutes before the bubble burst, with new player Bobby B. excitedly collecting his King Kong DVD prize.
It then was awhile before David M. took down 5th place money - and then even longer, much longer, for the final results.
1am approached, and with the stacks nearly even and the players exhausted, for the first time ever the final four agreed to chop the winnings!
While all four players collected $100 for their efforts, Player of the Year Points were still awarded accordingly according to chip counts at the chop.
New player Stuver was 4th in points, Allen L. 3rd, John S. 2nd and Marc F. 1st - also collecting the trophy!
While through the evening, everyone seemed pleased with the new stack structure and absence of unlimited rebuys, in the end it seems that the blinds simply don't escalate quickly enough in the later stages.
Rest assured, this will be fixed in the next NLHE tournament.
But as of now the next NLHE is not till August, next month we'll be playing H.O.R.S.E.! Stay tuned for the evite!
REMEMBER: Since there are NO rebuys or add-ons in this fixed limit event, the buy-in will be $30 instead of $20.
I'd also like to thank Noah P. for bringing in a new player, his better half, the delightful Ardelle.
Thanks also to Marc F. for introducing us to the affable Stuver and to Allen L. for bringing along the boisterous Bobby B.
It was really great to see some new faces, I hope they all had fun and will come back again.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
SUMMER MADNESS IS COMING!
Get ready!
Yes, this is the bracelet that will go to the Pepper Street Poker Player of the Year! (Along with the even more priceless bragging rights.)
If you've fallen back in the points race, fear not!
The summer is heating up with a whole grip o' poker, featuring three tournaments with DOUBLE POINTS for Player of the Year!
This is your chance to catch up, and prove your prowess in games other than the vaunted No Limit Hold-em.
The dates are tentative at this moment, but should be confirmed soon - so pencil them in!
Saturday, June 20th at 7pm our first and only classic H.O.R.S.E. tournament of the year! This is a fixed limit event with a $30 buy-in and no rebuys or add-ons.
Saturday July 18th at 7pm our first and only Omaha/8 tournament of the year! This is a fixed limit event with a $30 buy-inand no rebuys or add-ons.
SUNDAY, August 16th at 12 NOON will be our first ever annual No-Limit Hold-Em Deep Stack Extravaganza and Barbecue!
Come for the poker, stay for the meat!
More details to follow on this, what is sure to be a sensory overload of gaming and gastrointestinal delights!
Getting excited! How about you?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Tournament Report 4/18/09
16 players enjoyed a new 3 table setup last night, complete with 2 octagon suited speed-cloth tables that were a big hit and marked the beginning of the end of the "dealing from across the table" era at Pepper Street.
Tables started 6 and 5 handed, so there was a lot more poker for people to play (though the blinds did come around quicker).
One of the top players in year long points was the first out, Gabor V., who was drawn out on twice - one was a particularly brutal 3 outer his opponent hit on the river.
A final table was reached before the third break. Nine bodies squeezed around the table which was made for eight - and it was actually quite a while before one player finally did drop.
The bubble burst shortly after 11pm - Tony G. took it in stride, and took home a fabulous bubble prize, a "Jaws" anniversary DVD, courtesy of the house fund and Costco's amazingly low prices.
Tom S. had perhaps the most improbable run of the night. Twice, he was down to literally less than one big blind, and both times he doubled up and then doubled up again to get himself right back into things. When the dust finally cleared, he cashed for $40!
Yours truly finished in third for $60, my brother David M. finished second for $120 and Dan I. took down his first tournament with $175 in his pocket.
It was a great final table, but especially amazing was the final battle of the top three. Below you'll see how it all ended - on a single hand! The stack sizes are approximate, and the suits are probably not accurate (it didn't play in the hand). Also, for some reason it shows David M. and myself "checking" after all the chips are in. Just ignore that part.
Amazing!
A special thanks to Robert A. and Marissa C. who stayed and helped shuffle and also to Marc F. who graciously handled the dealing duties once the bubble burst.
Mark your calenders! The next tournament is Saturday, May 16 at 7pm.
REMEMBER! THERE IS A BUY-IN CHANGE FOR THE NEXT TOURNAMENT! CLICK HERE TO LEARN ALL ABOUT IT!
Tables started 6 and 5 handed, so there was a lot more poker for people to play (though the blinds did come around quicker).
One of the top players in year long points was the first out, Gabor V., who was drawn out on twice - one was a particularly brutal 3 outer his opponent hit on the river.
A final table was reached before the third break. Nine bodies squeezed around the table which was made for eight - and it was actually quite a while before one player finally did drop.
The bubble burst shortly after 11pm - Tony G. took it in stride, and took home a fabulous bubble prize, a "Jaws" anniversary DVD, courtesy of the house fund and Costco's amazingly low prices.
Tom S. had perhaps the most improbable run of the night. Twice, he was down to literally less than one big blind, and both times he doubled up and then doubled up again to get himself right back into things. When the dust finally cleared, he cashed for $40!
Yours truly finished in third for $60, my brother David M. finished second for $120 and Dan I. took down his first tournament with $175 in his pocket.
It was a great final table, but especially amazing was the final battle of the top three. Below you'll see how it all ended - on a single hand! The stack sizes are approximate, and the suits are probably not accurate (it didn't play in the hand). Also, for some reason it shows David M. and myself "checking" after all the chips are in. Just ignore that part.
Amazing!
A special thanks to Robert A. and Marissa C. who stayed and helped shuffle and also to Marc F. who graciously handled the dealing duties once the bubble burst.
Mark your calenders! The next tournament is Saturday, May 16 at 7pm.
REMEMBER! THERE IS A BUY-IN CHANGE FOR THE NEXT TOURNAMENT! CLICK HERE TO LEARN ALL ABOUT IT!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Buy-In Change of Heart
After getting some passionate feedback from a few PSP vets, I've decided to only slightly alter the buy-in structure for Pepper Street instead of drastically overhauling it.
It seems in my haste to fix what wasn't really broken, I've gotten quite a number of vocal concerns that I will be bringing what used to be an ultra-low stakes ultra-mellow tournament into the realm of other more serious and potentially combative home games.
I still want to end the spectacle of me racing around the garage - and I want to end the practice of rewarding people who get felted while punishing those who bust them.
But I also want to keep things low cost and keep encouraging newer players to come and enjoy.
So I will compromise -
$20 gets you 4000 in chips. A lot more play and a deep-stack format for the same price as the old buy-in and add-on.
If you are felted before the break - you may re-buy ONE TIME ONLY. $20 for 4000 in chips.
This will discourage ultra-loose play, but also allow those that get unlucky to keep playing.
If you do not rebuy, you may add-on, but only up to 5K max. $5 for each 1K in chips, and you may not exceed 5K total.
So it works out-
If you have 4K or more you may not add-on.
If you have 3-4K you may add-on 1K for $5.
If you have 2-3K you may add-on 2K for $10
If you have 1-2K you may add-on 3K for $15
If you have less than 1K you may do a full add-on, 4K for $20.
This will start for our May tournament - April will stay the same old $10 rebuy structure.
It seems in my haste to fix what wasn't really broken, I've gotten quite a number of vocal concerns that I will be bringing what used to be an ultra-low stakes ultra-mellow tournament into the realm of other more serious and potentially combative home games.
I still want to end the spectacle of me racing around the garage - and I want to end the practice of rewarding people who get felted while punishing those who bust them.
But I also want to keep things low cost and keep encouraging newer players to come and enjoy.
So I will compromise -
$20 gets you 4000 in chips. A lot more play and a deep-stack format for the same price as the old buy-in and add-on.
If you are felted before the break - you may re-buy ONE TIME ONLY. $20 for 4000 in chips.
This will discourage ultra-loose play, but also allow those that get unlucky to keep playing.
If you do not rebuy, you may add-on, but only up to 5K max. $5 for each 1K in chips, and you may not exceed 5K total.
So it works out-
If you have 4K or more you may not add-on.
If you have 3-4K you may add-on 1K for $5.
If you have 2-3K you may add-on 2K for $10
If you have 1-2K you may add-on 3K for $15
If you have less than 1K you may do a full add-on, 4K for $20.
This will start for our May tournament - April will stay the same old $10 rebuy structure.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Cash Game 4/3/09 Mini-Report
Last Friday night 6 players sat down in the living room, not the garage, of Pepper St. Poker HQ.
The game was small but lively. Jason H. ended up as the big winner, taking away over a full buy in profit and 5 bonus PSP Player of the Year points.
The remaining players, including yours truly who eked out $30 profit, all received a single bonus point for attending.
A great variety of games were played, including for the first time ever - 5 card stud! It was surprisingly exciting, as we tried to wrap our minds around the concept of Ace high being a very good hand for showdown.
Both Razz and Crazy Pineapple made appearances, a good time for the poker sadists among us.
The dreaded 2-7 Triple Draw was also pulled out of the placard bin, and proved to be great fun in a maddening sort of way. More than one player found themselves forgetting that Aces were always high in this - the true bastard red-headed step child of poker games.
All in all a great night, which ended by midnight, with all players exhausted but happy.
The host, that would be me, is a bit concerned at such a low attendance. Interest always seems to be high at tournaments, but there isn't a lot of follow through considering the PSP evite is now nearly 60 names long.
I'll try again in June, but if interest is still lagging - there may not be another cash game anytime soon.
The game was small but lively. Jason H. ended up as the big winner, taking away over a full buy in profit and 5 bonus PSP Player of the Year points.
The remaining players, including yours truly who eked out $30 profit, all received a single bonus point for attending.
A great variety of games were played, including for the first time ever - 5 card stud! It was surprisingly exciting, as we tried to wrap our minds around the concept of Ace high being a very good hand for showdown.
Both Razz and Crazy Pineapple made appearances, a good time for the poker sadists among us.
The dreaded 2-7 Triple Draw was also pulled out of the placard bin, and proved to be great fun in a maddening sort of way. More than one player found themselves forgetting that Aces were always high in this - the true bastard red-headed step child of poker games.
All in all a great night, which ended by midnight, with all players exhausted but happy.
The host, that would be me, is a bit concerned at such a low attendance. Interest always seems to be high at tournaments, but there isn't a lot of follow through considering the PSP evite is now nearly 60 names long.
I'll try again in June, but if interest is still lagging - there may not be another cash game anytime soon.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tournament Buy-In Structures
For NLHE tournaments -
$25 gets you 5000 in chips.
There is a one time only, entirely optional re-buy (if felted before the first break) OR add-on during the first break.
Either option is $20 for 5000 in chips.
Being on time, your face in my garage by 7pm (the time according to my laptop) not a minute later, gets you a 500 bonus chip.
If a tournament has 25 or more players, then the buy in is $40 for 10K in chips and the tournament is a simple freeze-out.
Fixed limit tournaments are freeze-outs, with a one time entry of $40.
For Fixed Limit tournaments -
$40 gets you 5000 in chips.
$25 gets you 5000 in chips.
There is a one time only, entirely optional re-buy (if felted before the first break) OR add-on during the first break.
Either option is $20 for 5000 in chips.
Being on time, your face in my garage by 7pm (the time according to my laptop) not a minute later, gets you a 500 bonus chip.
If a tournament has 25 or more players, then the buy in is $40 for 10K in chips and the tournament is a simple freeze-out.
Fixed limit tournaments are freeze-outs, with a one time entry of $40.
For Fixed Limit tournaments -
$40 gets you 5000 in chips.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Tournament Report 3/21/09
A tremendous night of tournament poker took place last night at Pepper St.
21 enthusiasts squeezed into the garage and a record number of rebuys (20!) along with a first ever 100% add-on participation, propelled the prize pool to an as yet unheard of $620! Wow!
First out was Jason H., a tremendous poker player who took losing two races in stride.
It was another hour and a half before the final table was set, with yours truly busting out early this time in 6th place.
The aggression that had been rampant all night suddenly receded as the money approached.
On the bubble was David M. who got a nifty double prize - a brand new Excalibur Las Vegas hat (from my recent trip there) and a sweet deck of Elvis Presely playing cards direct from Dog's trip to Graceland.
Once the money was made, the table continued to play tight, and we ended up finishing near 1 in the morning - another record for Pepper Street.
Tony G. finished in fifth place and collected $55.
Dog was next, pocketing $70.
Barbara N. returned to form, finishing third for $93.
Gabor V. had to face monster blinds and a bit of bad luck that put a first place finish out of reach. Still, he took home $155, an amount bigger than many first place finishes at Pepper Street.
And finally, there was one! Robert A., a brand spanking new player at Pepper Street, brought along by Marc F., played a solid game and put a stranglehold on first in the end - taking away a whopping $250! A record at Pepper Street that will be hard to beat!
A big thanks to Marc F. for bringing Robert. Big thanks also to the UCLA medical consortium for introducing us to Hugh B. And finally, big thank you as well to Allen Q. for bringing Longmont Colorado resident (the town in which I was born) Tony P.
Along with Thomas P. (a swell guy and fellow editor from my workplace) we had FOUR great new players! Pepper Street is growing fast!
It was a true pleasure having all of you, and I hope you all had fun and will return again!
With so many new players, I realize the potential for having too many bodies in the garage is getting very real.
For the next tournament I will have to CAP the total number of seats at 24. Be sure to reserve your seats early in the next evite! Responding "maybe" is fine, but it does not reserve you a seat. Only a "yes" locks it down.
If the tournament is full, the "maybe" list will be used a list of alternates, and those on the list will be called in the order in which they responded if there are any last minute cancellations on the "yes" list.
I'm afraid I'll have to be strict on this, as the game has literally grown too big for the room! Please do your best to respond promptly and honor your commitment.
Also, don't forget that the player of the year race is tightening up! Marc F. and Dave M. are now tied for first, and believe it or not, with 9 more tournaments scheduled, most of the group is still within striking distance! I'm cooking up a special prize along with the priceless bragging rights that go along with this honor. Good luck to all.
One final note, I will be polling again as to what kind of tournament people prefer - last month we had a 60% preference for No Limit Hold-Em, so that's what we'll keep doing for now! Remember, if you'd like to mix it up, the power is in your hands! Also keep in mind that we are scheduled for a classic H.O.R.S.E. tournament in June, and an Omaha/8 tournament in July.
Our next tournament, which will be NLHE, is scheduled for Saturday, April 18 at 7pm. The evite will be out shortly. See you there!
21 enthusiasts squeezed into the garage and a record number of rebuys (20!) along with a first ever 100% add-on participation, propelled the prize pool to an as yet unheard of $620! Wow!
First out was Jason H., a tremendous poker player who took losing two races in stride.
It was another hour and a half before the final table was set, with yours truly busting out early this time in 6th place.
The aggression that had been rampant all night suddenly receded as the money approached.
On the bubble was David M. who got a nifty double prize - a brand new Excalibur Las Vegas hat (from my recent trip there) and a sweet deck of Elvis Presely playing cards direct from Dog's trip to Graceland.
Once the money was made, the table continued to play tight, and we ended up finishing near 1 in the morning - another record for Pepper Street.
Tony G. finished in fifth place and collected $55.
Dog was next, pocketing $70.
Barbara N. returned to form, finishing third for $93.
Gabor V. had to face monster blinds and a bit of bad luck that put a first place finish out of reach. Still, he took home $155, an amount bigger than many first place finishes at Pepper Street.
And finally, there was one! Robert A., a brand spanking new player at Pepper Street, brought along by Marc F., played a solid game and put a stranglehold on first in the end - taking away a whopping $250! A record at Pepper Street that will be hard to beat!
A big thanks to Marc F. for bringing Robert. Big thanks also to the UCLA medical consortium for introducing us to Hugh B. And finally, big thank you as well to Allen Q. for bringing Longmont Colorado resident (the town in which I was born) Tony P.
Along with Thomas P. (a swell guy and fellow editor from my workplace) we had FOUR great new players! Pepper Street is growing fast!
It was a true pleasure having all of you, and I hope you all had fun and will return again!
With so many new players, I realize the potential for having too many bodies in the garage is getting very real.
For the next tournament I will have to CAP the total number of seats at 24. Be sure to reserve your seats early in the next evite! Responding "maybe" is fine, but it does not reserve you a seat. Only a "yes" locks it down.
If the tournament is full, the "maybe" list will be used a list of alternates, and those on the list will be called in the order in which they responded if there are any last minute cancellations on the "yes" list.
I'm afraid I'll have to be strict on this, as the game has literally grown too big for the room! Please do your best to respond promptly and honor your commitment.
Also, don't forget that the player of the year race is tightening up! Marc F. and Dave M. are now tied for first, and believe it or not, with 9 more tournaments scheduled, most of the group is still within striking distance! I'm cooking up a special prize along with the priceless bragging rights that go along with this honor. Good luck to all.
One final note, I will be polling again as to what kind of tournament people prefer - last month we had a 60% preference for No Limit Hold-Em, so that's what we'll keep doing for now! Remember, if you'd like to mix it up, the power is in your hands! Also keep in mind that we are scheduled for a classic H.O.R.S.E. tournament in June, and an Omaha/8 tournament in July.
Our next tournament, which will be NLHE, is scheduled for Saturday, April 18 at 7pm. The evite will be out shortly. See you there!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Next Tournament
Saturday night, March 21st at 7pm.
It's been awhile, can't wait! Be sure to check the links to the right for all the info on buy-in and structure.
Pepper Street Poker is always first and foremost a super friendly and drama free micro-stakes home game!
See you there!
It's been awhile, can't wait! Be sure to check the links to the right for all the info on buy-in and structure.
Pepper Street Poker is always first and foremost a super friendly and drama free micro-stakes home game!
See you there!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Tournament Report 2/07/09
The rain couldn't keep 17 players away from Pepper Street Poker!
Perhaps it was the cold, but this month was decidedly tighter than last month's re-buy frenzy. Though the prize pool wasn't as large, a great time was still had by all, and the action was still intense (albeit slightly less aggressive).
Ryan H. was the first one out, and was gracious as always, even in the face of having to wait for his ride, a new Pepper St. player, Brian K. A big thanks to Ryan for his good spirits and bringing in new blood!
The final table formed up just after the second break, and it wasn't long before the bubble approached.
Pepper Street resident Mike K. had the fine distinction of claiming a fantastic bubble prize - a miniature Texas Hold-em kit, complete with teeny chips, cards, and button! Okay, maybe not fantastic, but kind of neat.
The final four had a pretty intense fight. Aggression, mostly absent throughout the night, finally came into play in a major way.
David M. took home $44 in fourth place. Gabor V. snagged $67 for third, plus 4 bounty chips for an additional $20! Finally, it was down to a new Pepper Street player Allen L. (a big, big thanks to Dan I. for bringing along such a cool guy, and damn good player as well) and yes, yours truly.
In the end, with no small amount of luck - and after nearly 4 years of hosting, I managed to take down my first Pepper Street tournament! Allen L. got $93 and I got $166.
Special thanks to a bunch of folks who stayed late to rail and shuffle, especially Marissa C. who did the most shuffling and Allen Q. who took on dealing duties.
Our next event isn't for awhile. Mark your calenders for March 21st. The date is technically tentative until the e-vite goes out on the first of March, but it's looking very likely.
March's tournament will be NLHE again, but there will be a poll in the e-vite asking for opinions on hosting a mixed game or Omaha/8 for the month of April. I got a lot of calls for it last night, so the power is in YOUR hands! Make your vote count!
Perhaps it was the cold, but this month was decidedly tighter than last month's re-buy frenzy. Though the prize pool wasn't as large, a great time was still had by all, and the action was still intense (albeit slightly less aggressive).
Ryan H. was the first one out, and was gracious as always, even in the face of having to wait for his ride, a new Pepper St. player, Brian K. A big thanks to Ryan for his good spirits and bringing in new blood!
The final table formed up just after the second break, and it wasn't long before the bubble approached.
Pepper Street resident Mike K. had the fine distinction of claiming a fantastic bubble prize - a miniature Texas Hold-em kit, complete with teeny chips, cards, and button! Okay, maybe not fantastic, but kind of neat.
The final four had a pretty intense fight. Aggression, mostly absent throughout the night, finally came into play in a major way.
David M. took home $44 in fourth place. Gabor V. snagged $67 for third, plus 4 bounty chips for an additional $20! Finally, it was down to a new Pepper Street player Allen L. (a big, big thanks to Dan I. for bringing along such a cool guy, and damn good player as well) and yes, yours truly.
In the end, with no small amount of luck - and after nearly 4 years of hosting, I managed to take down my first Pepper Street tournament! Allen L. got $93 and I got $166.
Special thanks to a bunch of folks who stayed late to rail and shuffle, especially Marissa C. who did the most shuffling and Allen Q. who took on dealing duties.
Our next event isn't for awhile. Mark your calenders for March 21st. The date is technically tentative until the e-vite goes out on the first of March, but it's looking very likely.
March's tournament will be NLHE again, but there will be a poll in the e-vite asking for opinions on hosting a mixed game or Omaha/8 for the month of April. I got a lot of calls for it last night, so the power is in YOUR hands! Make your vote count!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Tournament Report 1/17/09
19 players (the most yet?) showed up for the first tournament of the year; a NLHE event that was a grand time for all.
Barbara was the first one out, though not from losing her chips. She was feeling under the weather and so had to depart for some rest. Get well soon Barbara!
With the bounty chip side game in place, of which most players partook - the evening proved to be a very aggressive affair, with rapid fire bust-outs all around after the break.
Before I had time to blink we were down to 1 table of 9 players, before 11pm!
Danielle was on the final table bubble, and I should stop to say a special thank you to her for bringing two new players to Pepper Street, Donna and Ed. Though they were new to Hold-em, they seemed to have a good time, and I hope they'll return.
The quick bust outs continued, and before midnight, we had our champion.
Yours truly went out on the bubble in fifth place.
Noah P. made the first cash of the evening with $50 to his name.
Jason H. was next finishing third for $75.
Finally, it was heads-up. Marc F. and Marissa C. had a short but intense battle to finish second and first respectively, with $100 for Marc and $180 for Marissa.
Special thanks to David M. for helping with the shuffling after the bubble burst, and to the cashing players entire who graciously helped tidy up a bit.
A big congrats also to all cashing players, and especially to Marissa for taking down her first trophy.
Our next tournament is actually the first Saturday of next month, February 7th at 7pm.
See you there!
Barbara was the first one out, though not from losing her chips. She was feeling under the weather and so had to depart for some rest. Get well soon Barbara!
With the bounty chip side game in place, of which most players partook - the evening proved to be a very aggressive affair, with rapid fire bust-outs all around after the break.
Before I had time to blink we were down to 1 table of 9 players, before 11pm!
Danielle was on the final table bubble, and I should stop to say a special thank you to her for bringing two new players to Pepper Street, Donna and Ed. Though they were new to Hold-em, they seemed to have a good time, and I hope they'll return.
The quick bust outs continued, and before midnight, we had our champion.
Yours truly went out on the bubble in fifth place.
Noah P. made the first cash of the evening with $50 to his name.
Jason H. was next finishing third for $75.
Finally, it was heads-up. Marc F. and Marissa C. had a short but intense battle to finish second and first respectively, with $100 for Marc and $180 for Marissa.
Special thanks to David M. for helping with the shuffling after the bubble burst, and to the cashing players entire who graciously helped tidy up a bit.
A big congrats also to all cashing players, and especially to Marissa for taking down her first trophy.
Our next tournament is actually the first Saturday of next month, February 7th at 7pm.
See you there!
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