Once again, the time was nigh for another epic day (and night) of poker in The Garage Around back!
First up, before the usual No-Limit Hold-Em only tournament nonsense, there was real poker to play, in the form of our standard Big Mix cash game! Games O' Plenty! 19 in all, not including minor deviations! One alt version is to play Crazy Pineapple Sour! And play it we did, the Pineapple variety where you expose your discard - good times!
We also indulged in a spirited round of Badugi, high and low variations of Stud (yes, that included the widely beloved/despised Razz) and of course the requisite rounds of Omaha. The game culminated in a monster orbit of SOHE (Simultaneous Omaha & Hold-Em) - where hearts were broken and fortunes made.
No doubt you notice in the pictures, the return of the one and only Mr. M.C. in the pics. He came into the yard so fast I didn't have time to open the big garage door - and he didn't need it! Instead of a wheeled elaborate walker with arm braces, he sauntered in with just a cane! Wow! That's what I call a speedy recovery! He told me he still has a fair amount of rehab ahead of him, but he is all but pain free (at least compared to where he was pre-surgery) and ready to tackle replacing the other hip when the time is right.
M.C. not only just had a cane, but he was also carrying in a beautiful (and enormous) Flamingo Flower plant as a gift for the PSP homestead. Wow! Just beautiful, and very much appreciated! We will do our very best not to kill it right away.
Your humble host struggled throughout the game to get much going; I wasn't big unlucky or anything - just some days there aren't as many good cards or good spots. I managed to not punt it all off in frustration, rather I treaded water...
Other players did much better. Spinning up stacks. Cashing checks and breaking necks or something. Firstly, the stack of Mr. Allen R.
And next, Mr. Ian, who was the afternoon's biggest winner (his stack was another $100 plus bigger after the below pic was taken) when the dust settled.
Yours truly was stuck about $30. Others were similarly down a bit or up a bit - no one really took it on the chin as far as I remember. No players had to leave early, which is always good for the game.
And then before we knew it, it was 430 and time to pause for food and setting up the tournament!
For a long time we had just 12 players coming, but then in the last week the number shot up to 21 - and then a last minute game over at the Moose saw us lose a couple of players, so we ended up with 19. A slightly smaller than usual, but still solid, number.
Action was fairly big from the get go - with chips flying at both tables. We had more than a few re-entries at table 1 before the break. Curiously, only one re-entry at table 2.
Your humble host found himself in better shape than the cash game early on. I managed to spin up a hefty stack by the time the second break approached.
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| Can't remember who was in this hand - which is probably for the best. |
Just after the second break, it was Final Table time!
A bunch of stacks were tiny, so it was bubble time in fairly short order. Unfortunately Mr. Dan G. was the unlucky winner of the bubble-boy title. And then there were four, in the money!
Four handed play actually lasted longer than bubble time. Mr. Ross, who is very new to the game (playing only once before I believe) had rocked his big ass stack for awhile, but then the ran into a flopped full house by yours truly. No real way to escape and he was down to fumes.
Ross did manage to spin it back up a bit, so much so that it was actually Mark S. who ended up succumbing in 4th place for $120.
And then it was shortly thereafter that Ross did indeed have to settle for 3rd place and a decent $240 payout.
Alan S. had not fared the best in cash - but he managed to expertly maneuver his short stack like no one's business at the tournament Final Table and parlay it into a very nice payday.
I had maybe a 3 to 1 chip lead when heads-up play was set to commence, and it was Alan who suggested a chop. I was ecstatic to offer him an even money split and secure the TOC 5K bonus chip.
We each took home $350, and I locked up my second title of this extended year.
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| Blind Squirrel found another nut. |
A monster thank you to everyone who came out and braved the rain (or rather the sprinkles) and made it a great fun time as always.
Thanks to Mr. Ian who stayed late and helped with clean up, as well as snapping the pics with me in them. You are a mensch of all mensches Mr. Ian!
As always, when I manage to win one, I am deeply touched and humbled to have a chance to run so good among so many good friends. These garage wins, even the chops, are the most meaningful to me - as I understand that poker is a ferocious and humbling game. To be able to come out on top among the people who I hold in high esteem, who I respect as poker players and friends, it means a lot!
Our next poker game will likely be Big Mix Cash next Friday night. After that I am pondering a Saturday day tournament on May 17 - branded as a World Series of Poker Warm-Up!
If it does happen, it won't be a satellite - but rather a chance for everyone to come and get their feet wet in a slightly deeper and longer event for a little bit more of an entry fee. Ideally a warm-up for Vegas, but also fun for folks who aren't going to summer camp this year.
$80 for 25K, with $60 re-entry. We would likely start at 1pm. Not sure if it's a go for sure, but pencil it in and expect the Evite in a few days if I do decide to pull the trigger.
In any case, wether it happens or not, I am very much looking forward to our next foray on the felt!
Until then, peace and we out!
