2012.09

It was a warm and sultry (okay, muggy) night on Pepper St. so once again the garage was forsaken for the cooler (but still sweaty) confines of the patio.  20 players gathered round and from the start the action was just as hot and heavy as the air.  We had multiple stack-offs before the break.

First to hit the rail, busting after the break, was new player Felix R., brought into the game by yours truly.  Felix got a full 2+ hours of play and also joined in the second chance tournament, so I hope he had some fun and will be back!

Speaking of the second chance tournament (which Mike P. and I chopped for $25 each), I think it is a great idea, but I think it was a bust.  We only had 5 players and got started after 10pm, even though a dozen players had busted by then.  Apparently all the departing players had really important stuff to do at 9 o'clock at night, so there it is.  In the future a second chance tournament will be an option, but I won't be setting up a full table.  A chip carousel and structure sheet will be available, y'all can set it up on your own.  And of course there's always the cash game option as well.

The structure has been tweaked, yet again, and I think I've cracked it pretty well.  Rounds have to stay at 15 minutes, but we have five rounds between breaks, giving us the same amount of time of continuous play (minus 5 minutes) as we had before.  The ante free format is definitely the way to go when I'm the only one who has to really pay attention.  Be sure to check out the full structure here, it is unlikely to change again.

At 10pm we were down to a final table of ten, and the bubble burst half an hour later with a double knockout of Tony G. and Wisnick L. by cashing machine Dog D.

First out after that, collecting $40 for a refund on his entry was Marc F.

Next to fall was Allen R. whose AK lost to AQ (always a nice feeling) - he collected $80 for 5th.

Also taking $80, for finishing 4th, was former chip leader Dog D. who couldn't fade a bad run of cards and was out next.

Third place went to rock solid Allen Q. who managed to hold long enough for a $20 jump and a $100 third place payday plus bounties.

At 11:50 we were heads up, Jeff G. had a sizable chip lead over John S. but that would change - five times!  The chips flew fast and furious, and when the dust finally settled it was John S. who got the $300 first place prize and the hardware (trophy) to go with it.  Jeff G. pocketed $200 for second place.

A big thanks to Allen Q. who stuck around for moral support and to my lovely wife Beverly who did the lions share of shuffling when we got heads up.

Also, a special shout out and thanks to R.J. for bringing his father in law David T. along for the fun.  David was visiting from out of town, hopefully when he comes back our way he'll stop on by for more degeneracy.

Speaking of degeneracy - our next tournament is Saturday, October 20 at 7pm.  I have decided to award an extra 2000 in tournament chips if you show up in full costume.   Halloweenie treats and spookiness will also be on hand.

Can't wait!

Second Chance!

Our tournaments lately have been running smooth as silk.  Yes, I have tinkered with the structure a bit, but I think most people are happy with more chips and no antes.

But with more chips, comes a faster structure and hence - faster bust outs. I couldn't help notice last month that we had nearly ten bust outs by 9:30 pm.  That's less than three hours of poker play for a good amount of folks that look forward all month to coming out.  A short amount of action after such a build up of anticipation.  True, this is tournament poker, and quick bust outs do happen on occasion and often they can't be avoided.

But several times last tournament I couldn't help but notice the looks of disappointment on the faces of the early finishers.  I too have felt the sting, two tournaments ago I was first to bust after getting my money in as a 70% favorite.

To soften the potential blow of a speedy exit, Pepper Street Poker is now proud to announce the addition of a Second Chance Poker Tournament, to run every tournament poker night!

Here's how it works.

A dedicated table will be set up ahead of time, eight seats and eight stacks.  After you bust from the main tournament, draw for your seat and put $10 in the small lockbox provided.  At 9:30pm take your seat, shuffle up and deal!  I'll even have a poker timer with blinds on my i-pad for easy reference!

Eight seats maximum, if you bust out too late to get a seat you've likely already had your fill of poker for the evening and you can drive home content that you've gotten a good value for your $40.  But if you're like me two months ago or Jason last month, 90 minutes after seven you find yourself heading for your car, dig deep for another saw buck instead and play some more pokerz.

Now I know what you're saying, what about a cash game?  That's still an option of course, but frankly, after tourney cash games go only when the field is exceptionally large (25 players at least) and even then it's not guaranteed.  This tournament I think will be much more likely to go for sure.

The second chance tournament is a turbo, so you'll still be out by 12:30am at the latest - but you start with 5K in chips and have plenty of room for some play early on.  It's also winner take all, which for sure makes it worth sticking around, you're just $20 shy of doubling your investment if you take it down.

If we only have a dozen players or so, then the second chance won't run.  But if we have 16 or more, you can be sure I'll have the table set up and ready to go.

Should be a blast!  (Especially when I bust out early again!)