2015

Not too many changes in 2015 - the Tournament of Champions system worked like a dream and I'm very much looking forward to crowning a winner on the 10th of January.  Cards are in the air at 1pm.  If you're not playing feel free to drop by and rail our champs or take their money in the cash game afterwards, which should get going around 5pm.


There are a few minor changes for next year...

One change, for 2015 and beyond, is I am altering the TOC qualifying process slightly.

This year I decided at the last minute (but before the tournament started) to exclude December's tournament winner from the TOC because I already had a full table of 10, and 11 just seems so awkward as to hardly make it worth it.  The winner, Michael K., still gets a free roll seat but it will likely be in 2016.  I say likely because here's how it will work from now on -

From now on the TOC will take place in the month after we have crowned 10 unique champions.  This is what Garner's game does, and it works very well - as there are typically multiple winners and the prize pool can grow larger and larger.

As with before, if a player wins more than one tournament, they get an extra 5K in chips, so there is still an incentive to win more than one tournament.

This might make the perpetual plaque thing a little weird, as we potentially have more than one grand champion in a year, or potentially none in a year, but I think it will still be fine.  Every tournament winner gets a seat, and when we have 10 winners, we have the TOC the following month.

Another change, that has actually already occurred, I have tweaked the blind structure yet again, but this is the last time, really.  I have FULLY conformed the format to the structure at the Aria in Vegas.  We will now play their EXACT structure (almost), which is widely seen as the very best structure of all the daily tournaments in Vegas.  Check it out HERE.

There are however, still four major differences -

1) We have no antes.

2) Our levels will be 20 minutes instead of 30.

3) We start with 20K in chips instead of only 10K

4) I have actually ADDED two extra levels, a 75/150 and a 150/300.

So three of those four differences actually give us even MORE play, the second difference does take away a bit - 20 minute levels instead of 30.  But with the extra levels, extra chips and no antes I truly believe this structure is at a minimum as good as Aria's and more than likely a better value.  SO I NEVER WANT TO HEAR AGAIN THAT THIS STRUCTURE IS A "TURBO."  IT HASN'T BEEN A TURBO FOR 3 YEARS, AND IT CERTAINLY ISN'T NOW.

Another biggish change is the trophies - we are eliminating the big honking plastic trophy in favor of this smaller but much more kick ass custom metal coin.  Talk about slick!  Not only is it cool as hell, but it will take up a lot less space in your house and be just as impressive as the trophy.

Other than that - we really aren't changing anything.  The "Show-Em" chips have been a big success and aren't going anywhere, the Bounty game will also remain.

This year I'm hoping to continue with having roughly half a dozen cash games and about the same number of single table tournaments, as well as a handful of satellites for larger L.A. events and the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

So that's it for changes worth mentioning.

Also on the horizon...

An idea that has been germinating in my brain for awhile is to have a Pepper Street Poker Main Event tournament, which would be held during the day and have a slightly larger buy-in and a bigger trophy for the winner.

I'm thinking a $60 entry for 20K in chips, plus an optional $40 rebuy if felted OR an optional add-on at the break for 30K in chips!  This means we would likely have close to half a million chips in play, which would make for a long and very exciting event.  Obviously I would lift the player cap for this event as well as turn it into a barbecue event with a cash game for bust outs and perhaps raffle or door prizes.

I'm not sure when or if this will happen - ideally I would love to do it around World Series of Poker time, but it may be too hot for a daytime activity.  An alternative would be in the spring, say April or May before it gets too warm.

I am very excited to get going on the new year, can't wait for you to join me!

2014.12

It was a surprisingly cold December evening in Burbank that found 15 of it's sharpest poker minds sitting down for a fine evening of Yuletide degeneracy; kicked off with these delightful stocking stuffers.

Fifteen frantic coin scratchings later, nobody had won anything except yours truly.

Ship it!

So with that bit of gambool out of the way - the evening kicked off and the cards and chips flew.

There were plenty of big pots early on, but miraculously everyone managed to hang on until well after the first break when Julie A. became the first to hit the rail.

As always, the mounting pressure of the blinds did the job - and what was first a trickle of bust outs became an avalanche until we had our final table at about 10:30 or so.  To everyone's delight, all final table participants who didn't cash got a little something something.  A sammich!

Eat Fresh!   

The final table got whittle down fairly quickly, until it was bubble time.  This time around it was Barbara who got the honors - but the pain was eased a bit because of the sammich, plus she also got another scratcher and this time...

Boom!

And then there were four.  Dog busted first, taking his buy in back and a couple bounties.

That don't impress me much...

He, like the other two players remaining, had to contend with Michael K.'s mountain...

$40 in bounties and a gang o' chippies.

But in the end, for yours truly, it was Dan G. who busted me with his AQ besting my QJ by spiking a broadway straight on the river.

And then there were two...

Once again, Dan found himself in contention for a trophy and a seat...   And once again...

Yes, once again Dan had to settle for second place, $180 - and only his 10th cash in 2014.  The good news is Dan, if we were still under the old points system, you would be player of the year.  As it is, you get nothing, though you do get a grip o' monies.  Mike K. gets the trophy and a seat to our $1000 free roll.

Utterly thrilled.

The free roll that Mike will play in likely won't be until 2016, as this year's tournament of champions is already full.  I decided before we played last night to cap it at one table, as 11 is an awkward number.  No worries Mike, there will still be a mountain of cash waiting for you - eventually.

Everyone is welcome to come on down and cheer on our champions on January 10th at 1pm.  I will likely send out an evite for a cash game for later in the afternoon, hopefully we can get enough bodies as well as a few bust outs from the TOC to partake.

As I do every year, I have to take a moment here to say a huge thank you to each and everyone of you, old players and new, who came out this year to the garage and helped make this little game the best and friendliest one I know of.  It truly humbles my heart to have you all drop in every month for a bit of low drama degeneracy and fun.  I can't wait to do it all again in 2015.  Our first regularly scheduled tournament is on Saturday, January 24th at 7pm.  I hope to see you there, if not sooner at the TOC.

Until then, peace and we out!

2014.11

At one point last week we were down to a mere 11 players, it looked like we might have our first one table monthly tournament in years.  But by the time Saturday night rolled around the number was back up to a very respectable 15, and so it went.

There was only one bust before the break but it was a doozy.  Barely one orbit into the evening Daniel L. ran his King high flush into Julie's Ace high nut flush.  Boom!

Things settled down after that, with each table rolling along in typical fashion.

It was well after the first break that we had our next bust, and it was just after the second break that we reached our final table.

Yes, I did make the final table - but I had a nub of a stack which eventually was whittled down even further and I had to call off my chips blind!  Needless to say, my 7-2 off suit did not hold up against pocket jacks.  Two more players went out and then it was bubble time.

Julie A. was the unlucky bubbler, but recovered some of her buy in back with bounty chips.

Next to bust with a spectacularly unlucky turn of the cards - his AA lost to AK off suit, AIPF - when four clubs peeled off, was Dan G., returning to form with yet another cash, a fourth place finish and his buy in back.

Finishing third for $100, playing her short stack perfectly was Barbara N.

And then there were two - and it was quite a battle.

New player Tommy (thanks so much Andrew for bringing him in) had almost a 2 to 1 chip lead to start, but as both stacks were deep there was plenty of poker to play.  Tommy lost a big race with AK as it did not hit against Jason's 22.  And then there was this whack-ness...

Yes, that would be a fuzzy royal flush.

Heads up play lasted almost an hour, but in the end Tommy had to settle for second place and $200.  Jason took home first place monies of $260 plus bounties and his second trophy of the year.  Well done dude!

Twice bitches.

So this means Jason gets an extra 5K in chips in the Tournament of Champions, plus he eliminates one seat, which gives everyone a boost.

The final chance to win a seat in the T.O.C. will happen next month, Saturday night December 13 at 7pm.  Hope you can make it!

Until then, peace and we out!

2014.10

The harvest moon welcomed 16 enthusiastic players into the surprisingly warm confines of the Garage Around Back on an absolutely lovely October evening.

Ready to go.

The deeper structure of the last few months was just perfect for the gang, as we had only one bust out (Josh F.) before the break, and that bust was on the very last hand.  The money bubble burst just before midnight, but before that there was lots of groovy poker action, helped along by the sugar highs inflicted by the latest Oreo abomination.

Surprisingly tasty, but oh so wrong.

Hot and heavy autumn action.  Also slightly fuzzy.

The green table at one point had quad 8's, but the sexy blue table had this baby.  Squint your eyes and you can indeed see a straight flush.

As 11pm approached, so did the final table.  Most stacks were short, but there was still plenty of poker to play.

The good Doctor is indeed back in the house.

The hour was nigh and the cards were nasty as the money bubble burst with Julie A. snagging fourth place and her money back.

Then there were three - with Jerry C. using his short stack to maximum effect until yours truly woke up with an ace which held.  Jerry collected third place monies of a hundred bucks, plus bounty action and has now cashed in three of his three total PSP tournaments!

Finally, it was heads up time.  I had about a three to two chip lead over Allen Q. who proposed that I get first place cash if he could get the seat.  As one bad beat would easily reverse our fortunes, I happily locked up the first place prize, which came to over $300 after bounties.  Allen pocketed $180, but he was far more excited about the trophy and the seat in the January T.O.C.

But it was soooted!  Therefore it clearly dominates J4.

A big thanks to everyone who came out for the pre-Halloween fun.  Our next one is coming up quickly as I want to avoid conflicting with Turkey day - November 8th, the usual time and place.  Hope to see you there!  Until then, peace and we out!

2014.09

No video this month, just wasn't feeling it.

So there it was - 100 in Burbank outside and inside the oven that is known as The Garage Around Back it was positively nasty.

120 anyone?

So once again it was going to be a poker al fresco kind of night.  No doubt it would be delightful.

Except - it wasn't.

Rather than a pleasantly cool and dry California evening, we instead had an utterly hot and inexplicably sticky Georgia kind of night.   Blech.   Worst of all, the root-beer float Chips Ahoy cookies were grosser than gross.  Apologies for that blunder.

But while the weather was yucky - the poker was sexy.  We had two bust outs before the break, Barb was first - she had her aces cracked and kicked the gate open on her way out barely half an hour into the tournament.

Didn't even get a picture of her!

At one point we had 20 players lined up, but we ended up with 15.   Some flakes up in this beatch!
Still, it was a raucous enough time, with plenty of exciting hands.  Including at least four or five more times that aces were NO GOOD.

We had one of our earliest final table draws ever - 930!  Only two and a half hours in.

It was another two and a half hours though before we reached the bubble, and 15 minutes after that when it finally broke, with the estimable Colin H. taking the hit and taking home nothing but a smile after five hours of hard work.

Eric T. was the first to bust out after that - taking home double his buy in, plus another $20 in bounties for fourth place.

Tony G. saw his stack go up and down and up and down before finally busting in third place for $100 and an odd bounty or two.

And then it was heads up - two playas from the west side (well at least from Garner's game which is well over yonder) Jerry and Garner.   The final battle was fairly short and sweet as Garner had found himself behind a mountain of chips.  Jerry was gracious in defeat and took home $160 plus more in bounties.  Garner K. snagged $260 plus bounty action plus the best thing of all, the trophy!

Rock on!

Well done sir, well deserved and long overdue.

Thanks to everyone for coming out and making it such a great evening, despite the oppressive heat.   Our next monthly is guaranteed to be much cooler as it isn't until the end of October - Saturday the 25th.  Hope you can make it.  Until then, peace and we out!

2014.08

July saw us out on the patio, but August found players back in the garage under a groovy new lighting system that set a seriously sexy tone to the whole evening.  It was one of three things that made the evening super amazing.

Also, panoramic facial distortion.

The second thing that made the night super groovy was this glorious addition -

Yeah, this happened.

And to balance out the junk food.  Also, the light in Los Angeles is amazing.

And finally, this - was the third thing that sent the gambling into overdrive.

Not troll dolls - these are Zelfs.  Get it right.

My kid "rented" out these card protectors to many players who were happy to pay big bucks for a chance at Zelf magic.

Dad is not so sure.

So with a trifecta of magic in place; 19 playas, including new guy Jerry - he of Garner's game, bore down and ground it out until the final hand before the break when Julie A. became the night's first casualty.

Yep - Royal Flush.

The structure has been tweaked yet again, and this fine evening players enjoyed 5 rounds between breaks instead of 4, as well as the return of the long beloved 150/300 and 800/1600 levels.  Now we are fully conformed to the Aria structure in Vegas, but with 20 minute levels instead of 30, BUT - there are no antes.  No one can ever call this structure a turbo again, at least not without me flying into a white hot rage and flipping a poker table or two.

So with slightly deeper play, it was a bit later when the second table finally broke, thanks to this catastrophe of a hand - with all the money going in pre-flop.

Gotta be that Zelf magic.

Last month's champ Stephen B. had the AA and took a mountain of chips with him to the final table.  Alas, as midnight approached, he bubbled just out of the money. Allen Q. busted out next in 5th place and collected his buy in back, which almost but not quite payed for the gas he used driving back to Palmdale.

Next out was Jerry C., who doubled his buy in while finishing in 4th.  Glad to have you on board Jerry, hope you had fun and hope you'll be back - though honestly you really do talk too much.  You should try to be more like Allen.

Finishing in third for a hundo was yours truly - I should have been out way earlier in the evening, from a combination of bad play and bad beats (mostly bad play) so I was happy to free roll my way into some cash.

And then there were two - Mike P. had a substantial chip lead over Marc F., but Marc smartly proposed that Mike get all the first place monies if he could get the seat.  Mike, being the swell guy that he is (also realizing that one double up would put Marc right back in it, and with his seat already secured) agreed and that was that.

Biggest winner's stack EVAH.

All in all it was a reasonable deal - Mike's chip lead could indeed evaporate with one bad beat - so he was happy to lock up the cash.  As you can see from the pic, Marc was not too displeased either.

Once again, another great night.  Thanks to everyone for coming out and keeping it fun - our next monthly will be on Sept 13, stay tuned for the evite.  Until then, peace and we out.

2014.07

'Twas a delightfully hot afternoon that saw the garage reach temperatures upwards of a hundo or so.  So, I made the executive decision to kick off the annual migration of the poker stuff out to the patio.

A nature-ey and stuff.

This does involve quite a bit more work, especially on the lighting and moving the chairs, but hey, I'd do anything for my players after all.

The evening kicked off in fine style, under the stars, with 17 cheerful poker enthusiasts, including two new players.  Todd, brought in by Marc, and Damon, he of Eric's old game, brought in by Jeff W.  Glad to have you both on board fellas.

It was well after the first break when we had our first bust out, alas, it was new guy Todd.  Boo.  We hate that.

On the brighter side, Allen Q. brought the first ever good tasting novelty Oreo cookies to the game - Rootbeer Float Oreos, believe it or not.

Obviously this is what Oreos should have been from the beginning.

As the bust outs continued, players dug the special music play list - 50 songs about all 50 states.  The normally boisterous energy of the Pepper Street gang was kicked  into overdrive as the dulcet tones of John Denver (singing "Rocky Mountain High" for Colorado and "Country Road" for West Virginia) whipped players into a gambling frenzy.

'Round about 1030pm it was final table time....

Action was hot and heavy.  Well, it was hot.  Okay, maybe very lukewarm.  Well anyway, the money bubble burst as midnight approached.  Tony G. was the lucky recipient of this nasty broom handle.

Tony has to learn how to fade 2 outers better.

Tony got  it in massively ahead and then get bitch slapped on the turn as a 92% favorite.  So instead of a massive chip lead and a great shot at first place, he got what the birds ate, jack and shit.  Why do we play this game?

The lucky of recipient of this gift from the poker Gods would go onto win the tournament.  I won't show his face yet, but maybe you can guess from the artwork.

Hmmmm.... is it Barbara?

Squeaking into the money to get his buy in back was Jeff S.

Doubling his buy in, finishing in 4th was the cash monster - Dan G.  Who has set an all time PSP record this year by cashing in every monthly tournament but one so far.

Busting out in third place, for a $130 including bounties, was poker rock star Garner K.

And finally, there were two.  One had an ENORMOUS chip lead and offered the other an even money chop, if he got the seat.  The hour was late and the chip difference was pretty effing big, so Allen Q. said yes to Stephen B.  Each player got $200 plus more in bounties, and Stephen B. will be playing in the T.O.C. next January.   Well done Stephen!

Final five, in tha monies.

Cards selected in a just for fun flip after the chop was agreed to.  They held up.

All in all, another great evening, and I'm happy we could continue the tradition of Poker al fresco.  Hopefully we can do so in August as well.  The monthly event will be on Saturday night at 7pm on August 23rd.  Hope you can make it!  Until then - peace and we out.