2025.27

 

Once more into the breach!  It had been almost 2 months since our last super-fun / torture-fest known as a tournament, so the time was right to pony-up and throw down in the no-limit  donkament streets!

This time around there would only be 13 hearty souls who would gather 'round the felt to duke it out.  It makes me a little sad (well maybe more melancholy) that our tournament numbers these days just aren't what they used to be.  But someone, actually a few people, pointed out to me that MANY regulars have gone by the way side.  In a few years we've lost Eric L, Jeff S, Mike P, Joe S, Julie A and Babs - they've all moved away and all six were die hard regulars. You can automatically subtract four from every event based soley on these half dozen.  And then there's a handful of others who never missed, who now have other priorities - and that's all good.  Life moves on, people change, priorities shift.  Marc F, Jason H. and Jerry C. were once as reliable as the sun coming up, these days they've got other shit going on.  All good.

In any case, I'm super grateful for our massively successful cash games, we have full tables (typically two tables) three Friday nights a month.  And I'm also grateful for those who still take time out to join us for our monthly tournaments.  They're still a heck of a lot of fun, even with a few less peoples.

Speaking of a heck of a lot of fun - the always affable Ken brought with him treasures from the wondrous world of his wife's baking universe.  Edible Pepper Street Poker cookies!  Holy moly! 

The poker game you can EAT.

Just amazing!

We started right on time, and six and seven handed play blasted right off!

Yours truly spun it up quick, nearly doubling up through the almost as large stack of Mr. Dan L., who ran into an unlikely two pair from me.  He elected not to re-enter and we had our first casualty.

My big stack however was not to last, as I ran into it - two hands in a row, against the only other stack that could damage me and then felt me.  The one and only Priya!  I flopped top and bottom pair in the first hand and she took me to value town with her flopped top two pair.  The very next hand I over played my pocket queens and ran them right into her KK.  Boo!

All good.  I was the final table bubble and could now concentrate on hosting.  We final tabled a bit earlier than usual, it wasn't even 9pm!

FT play was intense of course, but it did seem to last longer than usual as stacks were deeper and the hour was earlier.  Allen R., Wiz, Colin and Art gradually busted (I think in roughly that order)

With a smaller than usual prize pool ($800 total) we were only paying four.  The estimable Mr. Andrew (another regular who was a never miss, who now makes it probably half of the time) was our unfortunate bubbler.

Busting in fourth for $100 and a hearty handshake in his very first tournament at PSP, (after playing cash earlier in the month) Jeffrey M. was happy enough - sure beats bubbling!

Three handed play lasted longer than expected, with Ms. Priya eventually relinquishing that monster stack and busting in third place for $160.

And then there were two...

This one truly could've gone either way - Jeff looked poised to do it yet again as he stacked his towers.  But this time the poker gods had other ideas.  After Lea Anne offered a chop and Jeff declined, she started swinging for the fences and Jeff was back on his heels pretty quickly.  

In the end the final hand was a close decision for Jeff, but a correct one I think, and he alas ended up dominated and Lea Anne's hand held!  $220 for second place for Jeffy and $320, her first jumbo card protector (though not her first tournament takedown)  and a guaranteed seat in the TOC for the one and only Lea Anne!

Nicely done and well deserved, champ!

Our next tournament is about a month from now - Saturday, Oct 25 at 530.  Since the weather will for sure be cooler, I'll try to get a cash game going at 1 as well.

In the meantime we have several Friday night cash games ahead of us - be sure to let me know if you're not on the evites and you want to be.  We play a lot so I don't want to bug people who are not interested.

A big thanks to all of you who still come to PSP Monthly Tournaments, it truly is a great time and I am super grateful that we are still going - 18 years down the line!

Very much looking forward to seeing you again soon on the felt - until then, peace and we out!

2025.26

 

The weather was mercifully mild on a mid September Friday, so that meant your host could enjoy a much easier set up inside the Garage Around Back - and a single table of 10 would be the format for our Big Bet format.  No-Limit Texas Hold-Em for 3 hours, followed by 2/1 orbits of NLHE and the mighty PLO.

Right from the jump there was something in the air - this night would be one of the biggest and wildest cash game evenings in the history of our little game - in terms of action, cash on the table and heartbreaking coolers.

Ian, Art, John, Jeff, M.C., Colin, Peter, Lea Anne, Allen and yours truly made up this mighty crew - and though we were in the realm of full-ring (a full 10 handed table) which is not my favorite format by a lot, we still got a TON of action, multi-way pots and wild swings!

One of the biggest pots of the night!

Yes that last photo was a whopper, with Jeff on the wrong side and Mr. Allen dragging the chips, a $240 swing for the unfortunate el Jeffe.

This was only one of several massive pots through the night that saw all 3 racks of red chips ($1500) and a full barrel and a half of $20 yellow frisbees ($600) in play - plus another $100+ in dollars.  Easily the biggest amount we've ever had on a single table in 18+ years of PSP.

And yet, it didn't feel out of control or scary - at least to your humble host.  It seemed perfectly natural to 3 bet someone to $18 and get 3 callers lol.  It was fine.  I didn't have an especially winning night, though I was up almost $40 in profit.

At least 3 other players left with dust, a few more were up or down just a bit (I'd put myself in that category) and then there were the big wieners - and the biggest of all was this fine fellow -

Allen R - also one of the big stacks at the nights end.

M.C.'s $500+ profit is for sure close to whatever the record is in PSP cash.  It was really great to see him not only flush with winnings at the end of the night, but more importantly looking and feeling in tip top shape after his ordeal with his hip replacements.  Both hips are now brand new titanium, and he is pain free and strutting in and out of the garage.  

Our next poker in the garage is our monthly NLHE Tournament, two weeks from today - Saturday, Sep 27 at 530.  Evite is out so be sure to let me know if you don't see it.

Following that will of course be more cash - Big Mix, Fix Limit and Big Bet in the month of October, in that order every Friday.  Very much looking forward to a lot more poker for the rest of this year - until we meet again on the felt, peace and we out!

2025.25

 

Once again it was Friday night, and once again it was time for more pokering!

This time it was our monthly Friday Fix Limit Fiesta - a 10 game fixed rotation of 100% fix limit only poker variations.  Always a great time for the SPEED at which it's played, which is roughly three times as fast as big bet games.  I love any game where players already have calling chips in hand as the action approaches them and it doesn't matter.

Our numbers were looking good for a long time at 12, then we had a player add, then drop last minute and THEN we had two of our favorites, Ms. Priya and Mr. Art add a few hours before showtime and another player show up that I had forgotten had responded on my ill fated experiment with the Mixly invite app - so we were a joyous 15 when action got underway!

As already mentioned, action was super fast - almost frantic, as pots ballooned at the normal 2/4 levels and especially when a FULL kill (4/8) was underway!  Allen R, Stuver, John L., Ian, Colin, Lea Anne, Wiz and yours truly made up the red table, while Art, Vito, el Jeffe, Rich, Alan S, Priya and new to the garage (though I've played with him at the moose for years) Mr. Jeff M. joined the parade over at table blue.  Long overdue to have you sir!

Mr Wiz spun it up right away in our first orbit of the lowball that is Razz - followed by a total decimation of his opponents in 2-7 Triple Draw.  The "Bud-Saw" was roaring early!

Lowball games are KING in the Fix Limit realm

The other table was raucous as well - with apparently new guy dragging piles, something we always like to see.  Nicely done Mr. Jeff!

Over the course of the night there were quite a few reloads - we dipped a bit less than halfway into a $2000 rack of $20 yellow chips!  Definitely a record for the Fix Limit Fiesta!  I would say there were definitely more people departing with dust than usual, though I'm sure they had smiles on their faces and a song in their hearts all the same!  At least I hope so...

A Baduci hand from yours truly - not a number one, but wow all the same.

Most of the gang racked up just after midnight.  Lea Anne had her usual 1030-11 departure, but finished up as I recall.  The rest, as I mentioned left up or down a bit or empty handed.

I didn't get a picture but there were five of us who soldiered on after most departed - Vito, John, Ian, Wiz and your humble host hung in there - and played until after 2am!  Probably a record!

The big winners on the night were the aforementioned Mr. Jeff M, and Wiz - and although he was not the biggest winner - Mr. Ian definitely had an amazing showing, starting off down almost two full buy-ins, he recovered and did a magic spin and expertly played his stack up to a remarkable tower by the end of the night.

LFG

I myself had a very fun night, I was well up early on, then ran into Bud-Saw and the Allen R-Saw more than once to be well under my buy-in; only to come back just before midnight in a stirring double punch round of Badacey and Baduci!   After midnight I had a few setbacks again, with Mr. Vito playing the role of nemesis and besting me mightily in Stud-8.   When the dust cleared I was still up almost $80 in profit so I will absolutely take it!

Another great night in the books!  I'd like to give a special shout out to El Jeffe for dealing at the blue table - your service is very much appreciated sir! 

I'd also like to extend my thanks to everyone that showed up to throw down in this, probably my favorite poker format ever.  Lighting fast fixed-limit is truly a great roller-coaster of fun!

Our next poker night is coming up fast - we will be slowing down the speed but keeping the excitement with our Big Bet format.  No-Limit Hold-Em for three hours followed by 2/1 orbits of NLHE/PLO.  Bomb pots, the Nit Game and the chance to stack off in a single hand means the thrills will be many!  Keep your eyes peeled for the evite - and ping me if you don't see it by the end of the day.  Evite has been pissing me off for not showing up in people's emails, but unfortunately it seems like it's still the best option.  Oh well.   

After next Friday we will be taking a week away from poker, as I'll be knee deep in the directing gig (for which I am very grateful) - but we are back the following Saturday, the 27th at 530pm, for our monthly tournament thingy.  Very much looking forward to that as well.

Until we meet again, peace and we out!