Multi-Table Tournament! Just for fun!

 No points, no bounty, no seat for the TOC - this one was just to get our feet wet!

Originally my plan was to cap the entry to two tables - 18 players total.  Then I saw just how many people would be missing out and I expanded it to 20 players.  Then I set up my garage and saw how cramped it would be to play 10 handed - and counterintuitively it made more sense to add a third table so that people could have more elbow room.   I opened the list back up on the day, and did manage to snag one more player, so we started 7 handed at 21 players which was darn near perfect!

The next tournament will very likely be a three table, 8 handed event - meaning 24 players total.  This is looking like the sweet spot going forward for giving everyone enough space but still opening up the invite to as many as possible.   More on the next tournament later.

So action was underway precisely at 5pm, and it was exhilarating! To have so many friendly faces come into the garage that I haven't seen in over a year - all excited and happy to be there, and then to just blast off into poker bliss shortly thereafter - so awesome!

We also had a special guest - a visitor from up north that we all had met via Zoom in our online poker league that is being run by my grade school friends in Berkeley.   Michele came into the garage having traveled over 300 miles just to play in the garage!  Well, and I guess there was some family visiting stuff going on also ha ha.

Action was fast and furious right from the start, with several re-entries before the break.  After the traditional pizza munch-down and social yammering (I can't tell you how GREAT it feels to do these simple things!  Just behaving NORMALLY is VERY gratifying) we got back to grinding and it wasn't long before we had our first exit and then quite a few more to follow.

We combined to two tables at 16 players, and in very short order after a couple others had busted a wonderful thing happened - a CASH GAME sprung to life!   I was especially happy because our out of town visitor was able to continue on playing poker into the night after her exit from the tourney.  I joined them also after I stone cold bubbled - and had fun even though I punted away my stack.  

You know it's been a long time since you've enjoyed a poker tournament when bubbling and then lighting chips on fire in the cash game don't really feel bad at all!

Final Table

In the Money Gang!

After I finished in sixth - Mike K. succumbed in 5th to collect $80.  His run-good, which had been tremendous all tournament, finally left him and he had to depart with a mere double his buy-in.

Four handed play continued for quite awhile, maybe another 45 minutes or so, and eventually, after several exciting big stack battles, Mike P. was next to stand up - collecting $120 for fourth place.

And then there were three - 

Blinds were high and stacks suddenly were short - after a series of successful shoves, our dear Barbara finally got looked up and couldn't out run her opponent.  She finished off her final tournament of the year in the garage with a third place finish of $140.

Wait, whaaaat?  Final tournament?   That's right - Barbara moving to New York City!  She will be greatly missed!   It is bittersweet for this host as I hate to lose her, she is the heart and soul of the game, but I also want her to rock it in NYC and I absolutely wish her all the happiness and success in the world on her new adventure!

And then there were two - I completely spaced out on getting a pic of the winner - but take my word for it, it was Andrew!   Emanuel had to settle for 2nd and $220, while Andrew didn't win a trophy or a seat or POY points - but he did snag $360!  Well done the both of youse'!

Looking ahead to more poker, I've scheduled a cash game for next Saturday night at 7.  The Evite went out to everyone, if you didn't get it be sure to email me or text and let me know.

The next tournament is looking like Saturday June 12 at 5pm.   There will be three tables, each will be 8 handed, for 24 seats total.    As always, players who show up for the previous cash game will get guaranteed seats, then the list opens to our Legacy players, and after that the general population.   24 seats is a lot so there's a good chance wherever you fall in those groupings you will be able to get a seat, but you never know!  Poker sure is popular these days!

Until our next gathering, I wish you all the best - peace and we out!

                          

Inducted last year over Zoom on his birthday - made it official in person last night!

Cash Game Good Times!

Pepper Street Poker is well and truly Back!   We had a cash game last Saturday night, and even though I only finished just a little bit higher than even, I still had the absolute best time!  So, so FUN!

The Evite was open to everyone, so we got a good mix of longtime veterans and more recent enthusiastic degenerates.  Yes, degenerates - more than one of them said that word as they marched in through the big open door.

There were 13 of us in all, and all played from 7 to 1030pm, at that point we took a small break and some players (both people who were down and those that were up) cashed out.  The rest of us consolidated to one table and played for almost another two hours!

When the game finally broke it was Mr. Eric from Long Beach who was the night's big winner, booking over a hundred bucks in profit.  Lately he has been tearing it up in our online cash game (if you haven't joined us yet be sure to email me about when and how gamble it up on the web with the Pepper Street Poker crew as well as a nice bunch from up in Nor Cal) and he continued to crush it here in the garage without missing a step.

We played most of the games in my giant stack of plaques - including Badugi with several players at the table who had never played it before!  Awesome!  It's that kind of openness and enthusiasm that I just love.  

Speaking of openness and enthusiasm - I hope you give cash games a chance in the future because Pepper Street Poker is going to ramp up the poker by a lot in 2021 and most of it is going to be like what we had last weekend.

Low stakes cash with a healthy mix of all the games you can find at the WSOP.  That means a dizzying array of Hold-Em, Omaha, Stud and Draw variants!  Whether you're up or down, you're bound to have fun - and remember the ratio of people who are up versus down in a PSP tournament is 1 to 4, meaning 3 out of 4 people walk out empty handed. The ratio reverses in a cash game, meaning 3 out of 4 in a typical PSP cash game are either a tiny bit down ($5 or less), break even or up! Sometimes WAY up!  I like those odds!

As we sat down to play I asked "Who here wants to come to the tournament on May 22?"   10 out of 13 players raised their hands  So on Sunday morning when I drew up the Evite, I locked up the 10 players seats.  Then, I added the remaining Legacy players (about 10 additional players) plus a handful of longtime players who I knew weren't vaccinated in time for the cash game but had wanted to come, and sent the Evite out.

In less than 2 hours the tournament was full. 

If you didn't get the Evite, don't despair.  There is a guaranteed way to make sure that next time you will not only get the tournament Evite, you will have your seat already secure when you get it!

Come to the next cash game!

For the next cash game I've got my eyeball on Saturday, May 29 at 7pm.  Pencil it in!   An evite to the entire PSP roster will go out on Sunday May 23 between 8am and 9am.   Lock up a cash game seat and you are guaranteed to secure your place in the next multi-table tournament which will likely be on June 12.

Hope to see you both weekends!

We are BACK! Recap and new invite system for tournaments.

After well over a year of no live poker - we had our first single table tournament on April 24th!

I was first out after I promptly punted off my chips about a half hour after the first break.  I then took over dealing because I still wanted to be around live poker!  It's been so long!

Kyle bubbled, Stephen B. finished third for $100, Dan G. landed in second for $200 and after a lengthy heads-up battle, Mike P. picked up right where he left off and took down another tournament for $300.

It was SO GREAT seeing everyone and I know there's lots more poker to come in 2021 and beyond so that's a WONDERFUL thing!

New chips also!

This was not a poker night that everyone was invited to - I wanted to keep the group small for our first foray back into the garage.  Looking at the list of who to invite, it was pretty overwhelming, so I honestly didn't think too much about it.  I simply fired up my phone and texted people until it was clear there was enough interest.  Once I had a mostly full game I threw up the evite just so I could keep track.

I tried to pick not just the most senior players but those who had played the most in 2019 as well.  I passed over folks who weren't vaccinated yet, so that helped narrow it down also.

This Saturday night we're having a cash game - for this I sent an Evite right away, to about 80% of the PSP contacts - and it filled up fast.  There were quite a few people who aren't vaccinated yet still, and then there's quite a few more who aren't interested in cash at all.

It is very apparent to me that the strong preference for tournament play that was in PSP in 2019 is still very much the same post-pandemic (yes, I know we're not quite out of the corona woods yet).

Alas, I feel the opposite these days - while I still LOVE tournaments, I do actually prefer cash (especially mix games) for a home poker night.  Tournaments are a lot more work for the host - and also, when I punt my chips off (light them on fire, donk off my stack, etc.) I have to sit around watch other people play which is not nearly as fun as being in the game myself!

But fear not!  I will still be hosting tournaments every month in the garage - up to twice a month for awhile, and yes they will be multi-table (to an extent) - but in between the tournament madness it will be all cash games.

I'm thinking for the months of June through August - PSP tournaments will be restricted to two tables of 9, meaning 18 players total. I really want to ease back into things and be mindful as well that we are still technically in a pandemic.  

I don't think cramming 30 players into my garage is the best idea right now.  

I just don't need drama or difficulties of any kind - and while 18 players in the garage I think will be perfectly fine, I have a sinking feeling that 30 players squeezed into a 20 x 20 space (not to mention all the parked cars next to my house) could easily be an issue with either players or my neighbors.

Hopefully by the fall, this corona thing will finally be at flu-like numbers.  We are already close in the United States, but deaths per day still have to drop a bit more before we reach that mark.   

When we do - PSP will open back up again to a 30 player capacity.  I will also welcome back our friends who choose not to do the vaccine thing.

Once we are at full capacity - the PSP Player of the Year race will resume as well as the road to the Tournament of Champions - until then, these tournaments will all be just for the cash prizes and for fun of course.

Until that happens - I'm afraid I must limit the seating in the garage for tournaments to 18 maximum, with absolutely no exceptions.

This means that seating for tournaments is going to be EXTREMELY limited - read on for how I am going to be choosing who gets invited.  I know it sucks, but this is the best way I think I can make it the most fair.

********************

Intermixed with tournament play over the summer will be cash games - LOTS of cash games!

All cash games will be dealers choice from the plaques provided.

The cash game night Evite will be open to 100% of all the PSP roster, and will feature room for 16 players max.   Max at a table is 9 players, when we hit 10 players we will go to 2 tables of 5 players each.

Tournament Evites initially will only be open to Legacy players AND to anyone who attended the most recent cash game at Pepper Street. 

This means if you are not a Legacy player, your best chance for seeing a tournament invite is to show up and play a cash game in the garage.   If you do, you will be included on the first Evite that goes out for the tournament - meaning you will have an excellent chance of grabbing a seat!

It's less than ideal I know - but it is what it is!  Show up to poker night and you'll keep getting invited back.  Pass on the cash games, you likely won't see a tournament invite until the Fall.