2014.01

Last year at this time it was the perfect night for this...

This year it was more like this...

Sooooo sexy.

As the night wore on it certainly wasn't warm, but it wasn't freakin' 35 degrees either! Players entered the temperate garage and immediately discovered the previous years champeens laid out before them.

Some players also discovered that the night's tournament was a free roll AND they also got $25 extra in cash!  Mainly because they collected their stake from this guy....

Andrew R. made it rain dolla dolla bills y'all - with his winnings from the Bike's Mega Millions VIII series last week.  $1400 in cash made for everyone getting their satty buy-ins back plus a little more, plus Andrew got almost $900 for himself!   It PAYS to play the satellites y'all!

After we took our money bath, Mike P. carried out a long standing PSP tradition - as the 2012 Player of the Year he said a few words and awarded the 2013 POY bracelet to the latest winner, Jeff S.!

The 2103 POY.
Jeff plans to win at least 3 trophies this year, just so's you know.

After all this pomp and circumstance, the night finally got underway with 25 degenerates eager to get their 2014 on.

I sat down in my usual spot and then realized something CRAZY.   At my table to my left was Dan and Dan...

Then Jeff and Jeff...

And then Allen and Allen.

And to their left was Mike P. - now if we had had Mike K. next to him I probably would have killed myself right then and there.  But as it was, I was disconcerted enough to play terrible and be one of the first players to bust out shortly after the break.  This was both bad and good - bad because it sucks to bust in a tournament, good because I had a tournament to run and it was a lot easier without having to play.  Also, I could fool around with my camera and discover that it could do stuff like this...

Oooooh!  Artsy shit!

The other tables didn't have any cosmic seating arrangements, but there was still plenty of gambool all around.

The third table broke at about a quarter to 10.  Just over an hour later we had our final table.

The few, the proud, the lucky.

Slowly, inexorably, the money approached.  Along the way, yeah - this happened.

AK vs. AQ.  Diamonds are a poker players WORST friend.

As midnight approached Barbara N. was the money back bubble.  Blinds then reverted back from 15 to 25 minutes, so that those who had made the cash could play a bit more poker.

Multiple POY bracelet winner Marc F. was next to fall with double his buy in for fifth place.

Allen R. returned to form with a fourth place finish and $120.

And Dan G. was next, cashing yet again with $140 for third.

At this point it was just after midnight, and Mike P. had a bigggus stackus maximus - and generously offered an even money chop to Daniel M. who eagerly accepted; they each received $260 in cash monies.

But they still had to play for the trophy and for the seat in next January's Tournament of Champions.  In the end, the gargantuan mountain of chippies was too much for Daniel and yet again Mike P. took it down!  Well done Mikey!

Next Jan it will be Mike holding up his champion pic of Mike holding up his champion pic.

All in all another fantastic evening and a great way to kick off the year.  In one respect it was the end of an era at Pepper Street -

Pour one out for the homies.

As I have resolved to give up diet soda I will no longer be providing Coke Zero for the game.  Boo!  But it looks like we will have this deliciousness at least....

Well okay, maybe that doesn't look delicious - but the point is that the popcorn was cleaned out, and lots of people asked to have it back.  So we all have that to look forward to.

A big thanks to all who came out and made it so fun.  A special thanks to Marc who stuck around to shuffle - which always helps tremendously.

Our next monthly tournament is Saturday, February 8 at 7pm.  Stay tuned for the evite.  Hope to see you there!