Final Table Chips

Starting chip counts for the Final Table below.

Porqchop - $34,500
Ice Man - $31,100
Double D - $29,100
Spacejam - $27,700
Hirp - $27,100
Kepler - $26,600
Irish1 - $26,200
Marneus - $24,600
The Face - $23,000

Play-in/Bonus Game

The Face took down the play-in game, becoming the final qualifier for the Final Table this year.

Hirp finished +110 points, Porqchop finished +5 points and Marneus lost 40 points at the bonus game.

Details for Final Table as well as starting chip counts coming soon.

Results for OST 10

A pretty light (i.e. "weak") turnout for our final game of the season will likely lead to little shuffling in positions when the final standings are announced. Winners tonight:

1) Marneus - $220
2) Porqchop - $110
3) Giggity - $40

Results for OST 9

He's baaaaack! Hirp takes the second-to-last game of the 2010 season. It's looking like a horse race between Ice Man and Porqchop for the points championship, but there are a couple of dark horses that could steal the show.

1. Hirp - $220
2. Kepler -$110
3. GusBall - $50
4. Porqchop - $20

Believe It Or Not...

I fought my way back to win this tournament after this brutal hand (both all-in pre-flop). Blinds went north of $3k/orbit with only $15k in play. I dropped down to $200 in chips three-handed before I chewed my way back. Bad Beats represent!

New Blind Levels

We've been discussing potential changes to the blind schedule for the last couple of seasons. It seems like the game always becomes a "ship" fest later in the evening, so we would like to make a change to eliminate the $50/$100 blind level (also eliminating the need for a $50 chip in play) as well as inserting two additional blind levels later in play. This should provide for a more effective transition to higher blind levels without extending gameplay on into the night. Note new and old blind schedules below. Unless anyone has a significant beef with this change, we will look to implement tomorrow evening.

New blind levels:
$100/$200
$200/$400
$300/$600
$400/$800
$500/$1,000
$700//$1,500
$1,000/$2,000
$1,500/$3,000
$2,000/$4,000
$3,000/$6,000
$4,000/$8,000
$5,000/$10,000

Results for OST 7

Here's your top three from tonight. Not sure if we had enough players to round out for the fourth place bonus.

1. Jack Chaser
2. Marneus
3. FNG (non-league)

Results for OST 6

Here's the top 3:

1. Double D - $220
2. Skrawg - $110
3. Porqchop - $50

Results for OST 5

Great game last night. Quads, Boats and power outages (oh my!). We also saw the return of Hirp to the top 4 and Ice Man continue his astounding run of Bonus finishes.

1. The General - $240
2. The Face -$120
3. Ice Man - $60
4. Hirp - $20

Sick

Results for OST4

Your top 4 from last night were:

1.  Irish1: $260
2. Giggity: $130
3. Plains Moses: $60
4. Guest: $30

An interesting read on the legality of poker

Pulled from the following blog:

http://craakker.blogspot.com/. I don't know the author, but he is an excellent writer that provides a very interesting read.

Tilting at Poker Windmills

April 04, 2010

Quixotic—impractical: motivated by an idealism that overlooks practical considerations.

—Encarta Dictionary

The ongoing legal debate regarding whether poker is a game of chance or a game of skill took another turn recently as the Pennsylvania Superior Court (an intermediate appellate court) ruled that poker was indeed a game of chance, making home poker games illegal under the state’s gambling laws. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Dent, 2010 PA Super. 47 (Mar. 25, 2010). The interesting legal issue raised in the case was that prior Pennsylvania case law requires a game to have chance as a “predominate factor” in determining the winner of a wager for the game to qualify as illegal gambling. This legal test requires “the court [to] determine the relative amount of chance and skill present in a game, and if the element of chance predominates, the game is a gambling game.” (Dent, p. 6, para. 11). In other words, rather than merely requiring an element of chance, however small, Pennsylvania requires chance to play a larger role than skill in order for a game to qualify as illegal gambling.

Now, for those of us who play poker with some degree of seriousness, it seems axiomatic that skill plays a greater role than chance in determining who wins at poker. The record before the court, as well as the lower court’s references to outside sources, would seem to have made this an easy win for the defendants; the evidence established that skill was a greater factor than chance, at least for serious players. In fact, the state’s evidence apparently was limited to observations by the undercover agent who orchestrated the bust of the home game: “You don’t have to know anything. You could go there as an idiot and you may get lucky but over the course of time it would be beneficial to know the game of poker[.]” (Dent, Colville, J., dissenting, at p. 3, para. 6, n. 1).

Despite the favorable evidentiary record, the appellate court nonetheless ruled that poker was a game of chance. Writing for CardPlayer.com, Stephen Murphy expressed surprise at the court’s decision:

So yeah, if you’ve been making a living through poker, consider yourself blessed. Because according to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, you’re one lucky guy (or girl). Or, at least, you’re winning at a game that is primarily luck.

So, how did the Pennsylvania court arrive at the conclusion that chance predominates over skill in poker? The court looked at a series of prior cases from other jurisdictions which held that poker was a game of chance, including several fairly old precedents (1904-1935), and some more modern decisions (1971, 1995, and 2007). The court seemed to find particularly persuasive the recent North Carolina Court of Appeals decision which also found poker to be a game of chance while applying the same “predominate factor” test:

"[W]hile all games have elements of chance, games which can be determined by superior skill are not games of chance. For example, bowling, chess, and billiards are games of skill because skill determines the outcome. The game itself is static and the only factor separating the players is their relative skill levels. In short, the instrumentality for victory is in each player’s hands and his fortunes will be determined by how skillfully he use (sic) that instrumentality.

Poker, however, presents players with different hands, making the players unequal in the same game and subject to defeat at the turn of a card. Although skills such as knowledge of human psychology, bluffing, and the ability to analyze odds make it more likely for skilled players to defeat novices, novices may yet prevail with a simple run of luck. No amount of skill can change a deuce into an ace. Thus, the instrumentality for victory is not entirely in the player’s hand."

—Dent, p. 11, para. 21 (quoting Joker Club, L.L.C. v. Hardin, 643 S.E.2d 626, 630-31 (N.C. Ct. App. 2007).

The Dent court essentially adopted the reasoning of the Joker Club decision, rather summarily concluding:

While … skill can determine the outcome in a poker game, players are still subject to defeat at the turn of the cards.

—Dent, p. 14, para. 23.

It appears, then, that neither the Dent court nor the Jokers Club court actually attempted to make any determination of the relative impact of skill and chance on winning at poker. Rather, both courts simply evaluated whether chance (or “luck”) is an intrinsic or inherent element of the game; not surprisingly, both courts found that it was.

The courts’ analytical approach is probably correct, despite the apparent legal requirement that the elements of skill and chance be weighed against each other. After all, how does one assign a meaningful weighting to the effects of skill and chance in a poker game? As a counterexample, let’s look at blackjack, where we know the house edge (depending on rules) is roughly 0.4% - 2.5%. We also know that card counting can give a player an edge over the house of roughly 0.5% - 1.5%. So, the skill element in card counting is roughly 1% - 4%, which is rather miniscule, yet great enough to be profitable over the long term. Does this make blackjack a game of skill? Not according to any legislature, court, or regulatory agency.

Turning to poker, then, how does one quantify either chance or skill in any meaningful manner? One can look at an isolated hand and determine the mathematical odds of winning for each player preflop, on the flop, and on the turn. But if the hand ends with a winner who had the worst of the odds at any stage, is that result the effect of luck (e.g., hitting a two-outer) or skill (e.g., a well-timed bluff)? We could also look at a player’s results over the course of a large sample of hands, and see whether he played each hand “skillfully” (i.e., in accordance with mathematical odds and game theory). Yet a “skillful” player might still lose even over a large number of hands due to chance, while an “unskilled” player (even a total donkey) might win over a large number of hands, again due to chance.

Looking at the skill/chance issue in this manner, poker begins to appear a lot like blackjack—a game where skilled play can adjust the statistical odds in a player’s favor, yet still leave that player’s actual results subject to the vagaries of chance, no matter how skillfully s/he plays. This inherent element of chance does distinguish card games (including poker) from games of pure skill, such as chess. Pull Joe Schmoe off the street—Garry Kasparov will beat Joe every time at chess (probably with his eyes closed), yet Joe stands a reasonable shot at beating Phil Ivey in poker, at least in one tournament or during one session of a cash game.

The Pennsylvania court also based its ruling on an argument I predicted earlier when discussing efforts to legalize online poker in Iowa:

A potential problem for Iowa's online poker players is that the explicit legalization and regulation of online poker would likely mean that any online poker outside the state-approved system would be deemed illegal. I suspect the state would assert that online poker is currently illegal in the state, but the existence of a legal state-approved system would remove any potential ambiguity about the legality of unregulated online poker play.

In the Pennsylvania decision, the court used the same line of reasoning, observing that the Pennsylvania legislature had recently legalized various table games for casinos, including poker:

This conclusion [that poker is illegal gambling] is buttressed by the recent passage and signing of the amendments to Pennsylvania Horse Race Development and Gaming Act, to allow for the authorization of table games, specifically naming poker as one, in certain licensed commercial facilities. The amendment further gives the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board general and sole regulatory authority over the conduct and playing of table games, including poker, among others. There would have been no reason for the legislature to act to authorize playing of poker in certain facilities if playing poker did not constitute “unlawful gambling” prior to said authorization.

—Dent, p. 15, para. 26 (citations omitted) (emphasis added).

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), which has been at the forefront in pushing the “poker is not gambling” legal theory, issued a press release bemoaning the adverse ruling:

We are disappointed by the result, which we believe is contrary to not only the better reasoned decisions around the country, but also to the wealth of scientific research that shows poker is a game of skill rather than chance.

Short-Stacked Shamus, posting over on Pokerati.com, observed “poker players have come to expect high variance when it comes to state courts’ attempts to decide the issue of whether poker is a game of skill or chance.” What Shamus and the PPA gloss over, though, is that all of the recent legal victories in the “skill vs. chance” debate have been at the trial court level. To this point, no favorable trial court ruling has been affirmed on appeal, and no state appellate court has entered a favorable ruling finding that poker is legal because it is a game of skill. This is an important distinction because trial court rulings are generally binding only on the parties to the case, while appellate decisions are binding on all trial courts in the state. In other words, poker players are winning a few small battles, but are definitely losing the poker legalization war.

Now, appellate cases on the “skill vs. chance” issue are still pending in the supreme courts for Colorado and South Carolina, though the deck seems stacked against poker-favorable rulings in both cases—Colorado law explicitly provides that poker is illegal gambling (except in certain social settings), while South Carolina has a draconian anti-gambling statute barring all card games played for money, without reference to any element of chance. If poker is illegal under the relatively lax legal tests applied by the Pennsylvania and North Carolina appellate courts, a decision in either Colorado or South Carolina finding poker to be legal and exempt from gaming statutes seems less likely than hitting a one-outer (or winning with Yaks).

The “poker is a game of skill” meme is entirely correct. The continuing campaign using that meme to exempt poker from gaming laws is utterly quixotic. The PPA (and poker players in general) need to understand that the battle to legalize poker will not—indeed cannot—be won in court. At its core, the poker legalization debate is not about “skill vs. chance” at all. As a practical matter, poker is firmly entrenched in the public’s mind as a form of gambling. Look again at the Pennsylvania decision—it cites cases from nine states covering more than a century of legal decisions, all concluding that poker is gambling. In states with legalized gambling, poker is treated as just another casino table game, subject to the same general gaming regulations as blackjack, baccarat, craps, and roulette. Popular culture depicts poker players as swaggering gamblers and/or con men (e.g., The Sting, The Cincinnati Kid, Maverick, the new Casino Royale, and yes, even Rounders); to those not familiar with the game, poker as depicted in these movies is really indistinguishable from blackjack in 21, or baccarat in several James Bond flicks. Heck, look at the 2009 WSOP final table—anyone watching the ESPN coverage would come away convinced that poker routinely involves players winning hands against long odds (just ask Antoine Saout if he feels his final table results were due to skill or chance).

Given the publicly ingrained view of poker as gambling, attempting to persuade appellate courts to declare that poker is not gambling is ultimately a fool’s errand. Courts are inherently conservative institutions, reluctant to issue decisions that contradict a community’s long-standing and widely-held beliefs and values, absent some compelling argument. “Poker is a game of skill”—even though logically correct—is not particularly compelling beyond the insular poker community. Poker players probably gain some psychological boost from being able to convince their friends and family (and themselves) that their game is really different from other casino games. Poker books and websites benefit from persuading poker players that they can learn to win (if only they purchase specific products, of course). But setting aside laws that are more than a century old? If the PPA’s best argument is to parse the differences between Hold ‘Em and Let It Ride, they’ve already lost. Better for the PPA to spend its resources lobbying state legislatures and Congress for explicit legalization and regulation of poker, including provisions for low-stakes, not-for-profit home games.

It’s time to stop tilting at the “poker is not gambling” windmill.

Results for OST 3

Recap for the last game (in case you hadn't heard):

1) Porqchop - $240
2) SpaceJam - $120
3) The General - $60
4) The Face - $20

Results for OST 2

Pretty sure this is how things shook out last night... could have 3 and 4 reversed.

1. Plains Moses - $220
2. Kepler - $110
3. Ice Man - $50
4. Holy Mohly - $20

We're moving next month's event back one week due to St. Patrick's Day.

World Series of Poker Europe

Just wanted to be sure everyone was aware that this is being televised on ESPN2 on Sundays.

Here is the upcoming schedule as far as I can tell:

February 15 -- 12 a.m. - 1 a.m., ESPN2

WSOP Europe Episode 7 and 8

February 28 -- 9 p.m. - 10 p.m., ESPN2

WSOP Europe Episode 9 and 10

Results for OST 1

WaterBoy brought a big stack to the final table last night, and he effectively used it as an enema to flush out the detritus that surrounded him. The player with the lowest points total from last season is now the man to beat. Good luck.

1. WaterBoy - $230
2. SpaceJam - $120
3. Ice Man - $50
4. Devil Down - $20

The Syckness

I'll go ahead and play the role of Sammy Farha tonight. Just sayin...

2010: New Crew

Recapping players for this season. Looking forward to getting our first game off the ground next week. Please remember to bring an extra $40 for league buy-in.

Returning:
1. Porqchop
2. MoeCephus
3. Irish1
4. Jack Chaser
5. Skrawg
6. All In (late scratch, now out)
7. Holy Mohly
8. Kepler
9. Marneus
10. Flush
11. Devil Down
12. Pfizer
13. Waterboy
14. SpaceJam
15. Plains Moses
16. Giggity
17. Hirp
18. The Face
19. Ice Man
20. McDaddy
21. Drifter
22. Kepler

New:
1. Nasty Nate
2. Mrs. The Face
3. The General
4. Buffalo

A December to Remember

Holy Mohly followed up his Final Table haul of around $900 by pulling about that same amount from a cash game with Giggity's crew. His final hand at the final cash game of the year at Porqchop's house is also shown above. A Royal Flush with AK in your hand aint a bad way to cap a good December run.

I didn't thing anyone could be having a better December than Mohly until I received an email from Space Jam this evening. It seems he took down a little over $4k for finishing third in an $11 re-buy tournament on PokerStars.com. He could have gone further if it weren't for the chip leader sucking out when his QQ los to AQ hitting a straight.

A nice month boys!

Live Blog of Final Table

Posting info as I get it from Marneus.

9:00 - MoeCephus was first out, Jack Chaser followed shortly thereafter.

9:15 - Marneus doubles through SpaceJam.

9:35 - Double D knocked out by the other DD (Devil Down), SpaceJam chip leader at $85K.

9:45 - SpaceJam at $105K in chips.

10:00 - SpaceJam doubles up Marneus again. AA vs AK.

10:20 - All knotted up. Holy Mohly making a move at $60K. Devil Down at $60K. SpaceJam still around $75K.

10:45 - All-in and Marneus out. Holy Mohly chip leader.

11:00 - Holy Mohly and Devil Down heads-up. Chips pretty even.

11:15 - Lost my feed to updates when SpaceJam went out. We'll have to see if Devil or Mohly post an update when it's complete.

- Signing off.

Morning update - Holy Mohly wins it heads-up!

League Membership for 2010

Keeping a live recap of who's interested in playing next year. Let me know if I missed you on this list or included you when you'd like to opt out.

In:
1. Porqchop
2. MoeCephus
3. Irish1
4. Jack Chaser
5. Skrawg
6. All In
7. Holy Mohly
8. Kepler
9. Marneus
10. Flush
11. Devil Down
12. Pfizer
13. Waterboy
14. SpaceJam
15. Plains Moses
16. Giggity
17. Hirp
18. The Face
19. Ice Man
20. McDaddy
21. Drifter
22. Kepler

Out:
1. Ace of Hades
2. Grunt
3. pSpice
4. Swag

Interested:
1. Mrs. The Face
2. Marneus + 1
3. Devil Down + 1 Nasty Nate

Final Table Starting Chip Counts

Gentlemen, I present your December Douchebags. Thinking we need to change Devil's handle to the "Darvin Down" with that chip stack. Can Marneus play Joe Cada? Stay tuned...

Devil Down: 42,200
All-In: 31,900
MoeCephus: 31,500
SpaceJam: 29,400
Iceman: 25,200
Double D: 23,800
Jack Chaser: 24,400
Holy Mohly: 23,700
Marneus: 17,800

OSTs 9 and 10, Play-In Game

It's not been a good season for keeping current on updates, but no one visits this site, so it really shouldn't matter. Here's where the last few games net out.

Play-In Game: Marneus
Bonus Game: Devil Down
OST 10: Irish1
OST 9: Jack Chaser

Good luck to all Final Table players. I hope you do realize you're all dead money to Devil Down.

Did You Hear That Sound?

It was the sound of the Devil (44) sucking out on Waterboy (KK) and SpaceJam (QQ). All three all-in pre-flop. Flop is 2-3-4. The rest is history. Ugly poker played here boys.

Sick

Typical Bad Beats play. Not.

League Message

Reminder: For those who chew, please police your spit cups during and at the end of games. If you can't make it to the trash can with your jug o' filth, please take it with you on the road. Thanks.

OSTs 5 through 8

I don't believe anyone reads this blog other than The Devil, but I've been requested to continue to make updates. If you jokers don't start making comments, we're going with email updates only next season. The power is in your hands.

So we've had a few tournaments since my last update, but All In is really the only story here (other than Devil Down coming in a close second a few times over). Here's the wrap-up:

OST 5: Holy Mohly drowns Water Boy for the win
OST 6: All In takes the Devil by the horns
OST 7: Jack Chaser takes the Devil to task once again
OST 8: All In beats Kepler heads-up

There you have it. Time is getting short on this season, and we have a log jam in the middle of the pack. Giddy'up.

WSOP updates

http://www.bluffmagazine.com/tournaments/tournament-updates.asp?tid=7283&grid=607

The World Series is under way...

...and here are a few links to interesting blogs/updates:

http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop-blog
http://www.cardplayer.com/

A few photos as a preview of my upcoming weekend in Mecca

OST 4: The Devil, You Say

He's in it to win it, and we're all just Satan's little bitches this season. Devil Down's a lock for the Final Table, and perhaps another coveted regular season points championship.

It was a late night for the Bad Beats crew, as the final three players ran the $5k/$10k blind level for close to 60 minutes before the final pitchfork jab to Skrawg's eyes and Porqchop's spleen. The old farts are back.

1) Devil Down - $240
2) Skrawg - $120
3) Porqchop - $60
4) Mrs. The Face - $20

Look for the old school to continue teaching class to the noob freshman in OST 5. Game on for Tuesday, May 19.

OST 3: Sorry, You Guys Got Jacked!

Just noticed that I didn't post the results from last month's game. Here's the finishing order for the March event:

1) Iceman
2) MoeCephus
3) Mrs. The Face
4) McDaddy

It's not that I didn't care, more that I didn't win. Sorry guys.

OST 2: Noobs PWN Veterans... Again

Another OST, another FNG wins the game. At this rate, we're going to see a brand new set of faces (note: not "The Face"s) at the Final Table.

Here's how the night rounded out, in the Devil's own words:

"All In and I got to heads-up with me having about 140K and him having about 80K. He got about 40K of Flush's chips through random raises and I got about 20K. Anyway, he was going all-in constantly when we got heads-up. I screwed up when I threw away A 7 to one of his raises, I am sure he had A crap or K crap.

He finished me off when we were about dead even and I limped with A K. Instead of raising all-in like he had the last two times that happened,
he checked. Flop was 10 7 3, he bet 25K and I shipped it for another
60K. He called with 9 3 and that was that."

Apparently his name rings true. The Final Table of the night didn't come together until just before 11:00, with the blinds hitting at $1/$2k.

OST 2 winners:

1. All In - $240
2. Devil Down - $120
3. Flush - $60
4. Skrawg - $20

Next month's game will be held a week early due to St. Patrick's Day falling on our regular night. Look for an eVite soon.

Something for the Noobs

OST 1: Busting Out

You're kidding me, right? An FNG wins our first game of the season. This certainly sets the tone for some of our supposedly seasoned league veterans.

Last night was a tremendous start to what we're hoping will be another great year of Bad Beats play. With all but one league player in attendance, it's safe to assume that we've dropped a lot of the more casual league players from the past couple seasons and that we'll average much better numbers for OSTs. We could see record points set for whomever ends up being the regular season points champion, so buckle up.

In the money last night:

1. Double D - $280
2. Marneus - $140
3. Giggitty - $70
4. Swag - $40

Our next game will be on Tuesday, February 17. Also, the Hall of Fame has now been updated (so quit your bitchin Devil Down).

One last point of business. Congratulations to Hirp for eclipsing his point total from all of Season 4 just one game into this season. He's a lock to win it all this year.

Just trying to figure out if I'm the donkey or not. Playing at Harrah's, under the gun, raise the pot to 10 with A Q off. One caller (thought about it, middle position, seemed to play very few hands). Flop is A A 3, rainbow. I bet $22 into a $23 pot and got called. Blank on the turn, throw in my remaining $75 (into a $45 pot), get called by pocket treys. How crappy was that play (I had played very few hands myself to that point)?

Final 2009 Season Roster

Here's our final roster for the season. As you can see, we have a lot of new blood this year. See everyone next week.

Dead Money:

Skrawg
Marneus
Porqchop
McDaddy
Devil Down
Holy Mohly
MoeCephus
Hirp
Plains Moses
Giggitty
The Face
Jack Chaser
Swag
SpaceJam
WaterBoy
Ferg
Drifter

Fresh Meat:

Iceman
Grunt
Flush
Kepler
pSpice
All-In
Irish1
Pfizer
Ace of Hades
Double D

Flights to Vegas

Are 1/2 price if booked today or tomorrow on Southwest. Dates the flights are good are from January 13 through mid-March. Anyone interested in slapping something together? I can get a good price on rooms...

2009 Membership Drive

This will be a fluid post, capturing the names of league members who opt-in for 2009. If your name's not on the list, you will not be considered a league member.

Back for More:
1. Hirp
2. Porqchop
3. Marneus
4. Devil Down
5. Holy Mohly
6. Jack Chaser
7. Skrawg
8. McDaddy
9. SpaceJam
10. The Face
11. MoeCephus
12. Plains Moses
13. Drifter
14. Ferg
15. Giggity
16. Waterboy
17. Swag

Opting Out:
1. Flops
2. Ron Mexico
3. Tayjack
4. Chappy
5. Bronco
6. WhoDogg
7. Dakota Skye
8. GunButt

The Devil Wins

The Devil's pair of 6s took out Holy Mohly's flush draw heads-up. Good game played by all. Congrats to the Devil.

Heads-up... of Biblical Proportions

Holy Mohly vs. The Devil. Evil vs. evil. We will have a repeat champion tonight.

Marneus Out

All-in shorter stacked against the Devil with A8 off suit. Devil had J9 off suit, ended up getting a higher straight when his 9 hit the top end of the straight on the board. Down to heads-up with the Devil and Holy Mohly.

McDaddy Out

Three-way all-in. The Devil flopped the nut straight, Marneus flopped a flush draw and McDaddy flopped two pair. Marneus was short and hit the flush on the River to double up. McDaddy got no help and lost to the Devil. Stacks are pretty even. Lots of game left.

Porqchop and SpaceJam Out

On the same hand. The Devil did it. Space had KQ, Porq had A6 suited and the Devil had them chipped with 99. No help to anyone.

Ferg Out

Ran into McDaddy's pocket JJ when he had A9 suited. McDaddy big stacked again.

MoeCephus Out

SpaceJam laid a big ole suck out on our regular season points champ when he hit his lower under card. both had an Ace on the flop.

11:00 Update

8 players still alive. McDaddy, Mohly and Marneus have the big stacks. Everyone else is getting short.

$1k/$2k

MoeCephus is short stacked. McDaddy's rush continues. Can anyone stop this jack-o?

Blinds at $500/$1,000

Mohly just took another big pot from MCDaddy. Starting to look like these two mind end up playing heads-up.

Blinds Up Again

Holy Mohly just took a big pot from McDaddy, but Daddy is still in the lead. SpaceJam and Marneus are the short stacks, but still very much in the hunt.

Blinds Up Again

McDaddy still chip leader. Milk Duds and Whoppers nearly gone.

Pushing It Around

Blinds finally up to $200/$400. Still not a ton of action. McDaddy big stack. Ferg is short.

We Have A Chip Leader

McDaddy is large and in charge. The cost of poker just went up.

Jack Chaser Out First

McDaddy took him out when both hit a straight on the River. McDaddy's was higher.

Game Underway

Nearly asphyxiated everyone with the fireplace. The Devil took charge.

Live Blogging of Final Table

Sending this test message from my phone, but if this works... we'll have live blogging from the Final Table tonight. Be sure to tune in even if you couldn't turn out.

The Trophy's Here

And it isn't leaving my house. Come try to take it from me on Tuesday, December 16. Get your game on boys, this one's gonna be a grinder.

Congrats to all league members on another great season. We only dipped below 20 players for two OSTs this season. I'm anticipating that we may have a couple of open slots for next year, so be thinking about what players we may want to add to the league. We typically take folks who have played as guests for one or two events, or past players who would like to rejoin.

We might also all consider upping the OST entry fee in complement to the league entry fee increase we saw last year. A little extra scratch for the winners in a recession wouldn't be a bad thing.

Happy holidays to all.

Chips Ahoy

Because the Devil bitched.

1. MoeCephus - $31,500
2. Porqchop - $31,250
3. Marneus - $30,750
4. SpaceJam - $29,500
5. Holy Mohly - $28,250
6. McDaddy - $27,250
7. Ferg - $27,000
8. Devil Down - $26,750
9. Jack Chaser - $17,000

Post Season Play: Make Room for McDaddy, Hirp Gets Jacked

McDaddy swept the play-off and bonus games last night, while Jack Chaser survived a major short-stack move by Hirp to win the play-in game. It was suck-out city for Ferg and McDaddy at the bonus game table, please us the Comments section to share any big hands at the play-in table.

Three official games in one night? The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has nothing on Bad Beats league play.

The Final Table is set. Here's the crew:

1. MoeCephus
2. Porqchop
3. Marneus
4. SpaceJam
5. Holy Mohly
6. McDaddy
7. Ferg
8. Devil Down
9. Jack Chaser

Chip stack allocations forthcoming. Congratulations to everyone on a great season!

Shut Out No Moe

An outright OST victory may still elude him, but MoeCephus has proven that this is not a requirement for the Hall of Fame. Slow and steady is now the way to win a regular season points championship, and a solid footing in the top tier of chips to start the Final Table (at least until after the Bonus game).

The Final Table:

1. MoeCephus
2. Porchop
3. Marneus
4. SpaceJam
5. Holy Mohly
6. Ferg
7. Devil Down
8. The Face/McDaddy (heads-up tiebreak winner)
9. Winner of the play-in game

Chip totals will be determined after the November game has determined final tallies. Good luck to everyone!

OST 10: Out of the Doghouse

Ron Mexico's doggy style, come from behind victory took the bite out of the hopes of a number Bad Beats bubble boys hoping to grind their way to a Final Table spot on Tuesday night. But Mr. Mexico's big win was overshadowed by the impact of MoeCephus' second place finish, which propelled him to a regular season points championship.

Congrats to Moe on a great season.

OST 10 Winners:

1. Ron Mexico - $180
2. MoeCephus - $90
3. Holy Mohly - $30

The play-in and bonus games are up next, and will be held on Tuesday, November 18. If you haven't already earned a seat at the Final Table, you're not finished yet... but your odds are narrowing. As the chips will be distributed at the play-in game based on your current league points as of OST 10, it is imperative that you RSVP in advance for this game. We will have a hard cut-off for announcing your intentions for this game. More info to come via eVite.

Sitting Out

It feels weird to be missing my first OST, but good luck to all (and congratulations to whoever overtakes me for the points lead).

How was Vegas, Chop? I'm guessing it didn't look like what I've affixed above...

OST 9: A Return From Exile

Ho Chi McDaddy won a marathon final table last night, marking the first time in 3 months a league member has won an OST. Thank God for that.

The final table was a marathon, with the short stack doubling-up almost every time they pushed in. The blinds hit their cap at $5/$10K well before it was down to heads-up. In the end, McDaddy won it all with pocket AA and a slight chip lead.

Your top four:

1) McDaddy - $220
2) Holy Mohly - $120
3) MoeCephus - $50
4) The Face - $20

We're back at Skrawg's next month for the final game of the regular season.

OST 8: Rollin' With The BenzO

A Mercedes should never win the Cadillac of poker. Another OST, another non-league winner. The Bad Beats Boys are definitely not representin' this year.

We ended up with only 15 players last night (one less than the number of years ultra-snack gymnast Shawn Johnson's has been on this Earth). It all came down to McDaddy and BenzO grinding it out heads-up over some soft-porn on Skinemax (or was that actually the Haitian version of Reservoir Dogs on TV?). You already know how it ended.

Top tier for this event:

1) BenzO - $190
2) McDaddy - $80
3) Iceman - $30

Two OSTs left. Lots of points still available. Even if you're short-stacked, you're still in the game. But you've to SHOW UP to win.

Busting My Online Cherry

Two weeks ago, the good folks over at PokerStars.com decided to throw me $5.00 in *real money* to jack around with. I'd been playing in the *play money* games for a few weeks, and had clicked on the *make a deposit* tab a few times to see what the process looked like to get in the game for real. My inquiries likely peaked after I accepted and invitation to play in a *free roll* tournament with about 2,000 players the week before (top prize was $100). Their marketing folks are good.

Since receiving the free stake, I've made a nice little run and had a blast playing in the 1/2 cent micro-level no limit hold'em games as well as 10 cent no-limit hold'em tournaments with *turbo* blinds (360 players/40 tables/$1,500 to start/blinds up ever 5 minutes - it is INSANE). The tournaments generally pay-out the top 10 percent of the field.

As of tonight, after winning my first real money tournament, I'm sitting at $16.50 available for real money play. Plenty to keep playing at the micro level for a while, and well on my way to entering some $2.00 + .20 cent higher pay out games.

If you're looking to get in on some online play without making a deposit, try taking the path that I took above. I'll likely make a larger real money deposit to take advantage of the deposit bonus, but I'm truly enjoying playing with the house's money for now!

You can find me playing under *Porqchop*, with SpaceJam playing online as *SpaceJam08* (he plays in higher stakes games than I do!). Hope to see you guys out there.

This is how you crack Aces: (click image to enlarge)


Heading into heads-up play: (click image to enlarge)


Representing the Bad Beats boys: (click image to enlarge)

This Is How We Roll

OST 7: The Iceman Cometh

For the first time since league play started, the top three finishers were non-league members. As Marneus would say, "that's weak sauce." Only Porqchop scored in the bonus for this event (and it was the ass-end of the bonus structure at that).

Everyone's homework assignment for next month is to repeat the following phrase before bed every night, "Not in our house... Not in our house... Not in our house..."

Our newest Cooler, the Iceman, carved his way through a large field of players beating T-Bone in a grind-it-out heads up match. Look out for him if he joins the league next year.

OST 7 top four:
1. Iceman - $240
2. T-Bone - $120
3. Mrs. The Face - $60
4. Porqchop - $20

There are still three regular season games left, and plenty of time to go on a nice rush to make the Final Table. See you all next month!

Louisiana Hold’em

I was cleaning-up my hard drive, and stumbled upon this game variant from some time back. Lets give it a shot at our next cash game.

There’s a new game in town… and it’s chock-full o’ suck outs. As you burn your way through a single deck at a time, and the River rises quickly, this game’s designed for insanely fast play… and some mighty fine pots.

During our traditional weekly post-game email exchange, Hirp, Marneus and I stumbled upon an idea for a new game that’s turned out to be quite fun. As we waxed poetic about the seemingly endless string of River suck outs we’ve all endured at one time or another, we pondered whether or not we should devise a game where you skip the Flop and the Turn… and head straight down to the River to deal with the inevitable draw out.

Hirp and I had a chance to try this new gem of a game out through two rounds of tournament play on Saturday night (the lil’ beyotch owes me $2).

Here’s how you play:

- With it’s limited betting opportunities, the game absolutely has to be played no limit to enable bluffing and sizable pots.
- Similar to traditional Texas Hold’em, you start out with two cards down, bet and wait for the Flop.
- What’s different between this game and how it’s played in its neighboring Texas is, that the Flop consists of one card, which also serves as the River and the last round of betting.
- The game is played with a single deck at a time, so Blackjack players and card counters will have a slight advantage over those with short-term memory disabilities.
- The game can be played in either cash or tournament formats.
- In tournament play, the blinds go up each time you burn through a deck.
- In cash game play, you play through a deck and reshuffle when you don’t have enough cards for another round. It’s recommended that you burn through at least three decks before the end of the game and the pass of the deal to a different format cash game.
- Information is king in this game. With a single deck in play at any one time, knowing what cards have been played will allow players to make better decisions later in a round.
- If all players check at the River, all must show their cards. If a bettor is not called, he need not show his cards (nor would the players who folded their hands).
- With three cards, Full Houses and Quads are not possible, nor are simple straights or flushes honored. However, to add some spice, the Straight Flush is in play – and as such beats Three-of-a Kind, a Pair and High Card.

OST 6: Resistance Is Futile

You people really should listen to me more. I don't bluff.

Yesterday afternoon I called a Marneus/Holy Mohly heads-up match to end the night, and that's exactly what we got. If only I could see the future of my own cards so well.

If you have any recap to offer on the night's play, feel free to use the Comments section below.

Your top four for OST 6 were:
1) Marneus -$250
2) Holy Mohly - $130
3) Space.Jam - $60
4) Skrawg - $20

OST 7 will be back at my place on Tuesday, July 15.

Rock God

Okay, so this is a bit of a change of pace. But you've got to check this kid out (and watch all the way to the end).

I suck bad at Guitar Hero, but I can appreciate those that can throw the silicone hammer down. This kid supposedly holds the Guiness World Record for highest single Guitar Hero score at 97% and some insane number like 840,000 points for strumming to this song from a band called Dragonforce ("Through The Fire And The Flames"). He breaks that record, hard.

Mad, stupidly sick skills. I've got my work cut out for me if I'm going to put Guitar Hero God on the resume for the job search.

OST 5: Back From The Dead

Another weak turnout brought new life to many players seasons, and lead to Porqchop's first win of the of the year.

We only had 16 players in total this evening, two of those being non-league players. Let's all hope that we get better representation from all league members as we head closer to the dog days of summer.

Tonight was definitely the night of the quads, with at least four players hitting them in pots that played all the way to The River. Porqchop hit a set of sixes on the flop that turned to quads to take out Holy Mohly and Jack Chaser in one of the larger pots of the night. Crazy stuff!

Top three:
1. Porqchop - $190
2. Giggity - $90
3. Holy Mohly - $40

OST 6 will be played on Tuesday, June 17. Put it on your calendars boys!

OST 4: Space.Jam Goes All The Way

After making a dozen or so Final Tables and bonus point finishes, Space.Jam finally popped his OST champ cherry last night, beating Skrawg in a grind-it-out heads-up match.

Ferg was bubble boy in what seemed like an endless four-way match to get to the cash and bonus level. There may have been more money in the cash game last night than the main event. McDaddy, The Devil, Jack Chaser and Giggity all finished with a net positive cash flow. Up and Down the River definitely won the ugly game of the night award, followed closely by The Devil's subjective rules version of Razz.

I'm not sure of the payouts as there was some discrepancy over the player numbers for last night, but here are the top three finishers:
1. Space.Jam
2. Skrawg
3. MoeCephus

Skrawg will be in Europe next month, so OST 5 will be played at Porqchop's place on Tuesday, May 20.

Bad Beats Open : 7 Top

It was a disappointing turnout for the Spring Bad Beats open last night. 48 invitations went out, seven players showed up (and only four were league players). I think that's pretty lame. Especially when the NCAA basketball regional finals are on TV.

In the money:
1. Devil Down - $90 (chopped heads-up)
2. Mrs. The Face - $80 (chopped heads-up)
3. RayFull - $20

The Devil and I ended up playing two $10 buy-in heads-up tournaments after the first game ended. I'm expecting much better league attendance the next time out!

Projected Final Table Redline

So what does everyone think the magic number will be as the cut-off for the Final Table this year? Last year, it was right at 1,000 points.

I'm projecting that if you have 1,150 points this season... you're in!

OST 3: The Devil, You Know

Devil Down finally returned to Season 1 form at last night's game.

The dry aces were hitting hard, and he caught the dream hand (pocket rockets) on a big blind as the blinds were creeping towards the $1,000/ $2,000 level.

You'd better plan on hitting junk if you're going to beat The Devil this year.

Your top three for OST 3:
1. Devil Down - $220
2. Chappy - $110
3. Ron Mexico - $50

Drifter and Rog4Gov have decided to sit out this season.

Last night also marked the first time we've had under 20 players in over a year. Let's try to make a better showing for the April game!

One More Thing...

Devil Down's new infatuation seems to be focused on Jennifer Tilly. His taste buds must have become totally numbed by that incessant chewing at the table. That, or he's fallen in love with a spit/dip cup.

OST 3: Update

Still playing when I left at 11:15: Ron Mexico, Chappy, Devil Down and McDaddy. Still a lot of chips in play, but it appeared that Ron Mexico had the chip lead. Only 19 players total tonight. A weak league turnout.

Error Correction

If you've checked the standings out here in the last couple of days, they were wrong. We inadvertently doubled-up on Holy Mohly's score, and shorted MoeCephus. All is good now, and the standings to the right are accurate. Sorry for the F-up.

The Devil's Plaything

You were right Devil Down, she's smokin' hot. She's hotter than scat. I don't know what I was thinking.

But the sheer magnitude of hottness displayed in the photo above is dwarfed by the level of class displayed in this photo (warning don't view at work, or with a full stomach). What a skank hole.

If you dare to view, spend some time with the Comments section. "Was she a man?" and "It looks like a stitched up clam" are two of my favorites.

Hilarious.

OST 2: Ron Mexico, Back From Siesta

Ron Mexico tattooed his trademark Filthy Sanchez on a majority of the players last night, enabling him to pull an OST victory out in his first trip back to the league since last season. Muy bien, bendeho.

I think we had three players out before the second set of blinds ended, and five players left with blinds at $3,000/$6,000. What began as a wild night ended up as a slow, grinding dry hump of a poker game.

In the money:

1. Ron Mexico - $230
2. Porqchop - $120
3. Ferg - $50
4. Dakota Skye - $20

Our next league game is set for Tuesday, March 18. Hope none of you screwed yourself by making some kind of lame-ass spring break plans. Updated stats will be posted when available.

Skrawg On The Prowl

Thought I'd share some pics from Skrawg's big family outing to the Magic Kingdom in advance of our next game. Apparently, OSTs aren't the only place Skrawg's fond of showing he's playa'. The only question I have is whether Snow White's writing down her number... or giving him directions on how to get in touch with the other Six Dwarves (I'm sure she assumed that he already had Hirp's digits).

Grinding It Out

If we're all still playing together in 20 years, it feels like a name change might be in order. How 'bout the Bad Livers? Other ideas?

Courtesy Wipe

If you're ever faced with the decision of either raking a pot you just won, or cleaning the mess you just created by spilling your beer in your over exuberant victory celebration, here's a tip... clean up your mess. And then tip your dealer.

OST 1: Marneus Reclaims Throne

The Hordes of Marneus swept through The Plains of Moses to take OST 1 of season 4 last night. Overall, it was a sparsely attended game that introduced two new players to the league (Water Boy and Ferg), and marked the exit of two players from last season (Flushed and Worm Boy).

With four players out within the first hour, there was a lot of action early. Things slowed considerably until the blinds hit $1,000/$2,000, but we made it all the way to the $3,000/$6,000 blind mark for the heads-up match between Marneus and Plains Moses

The four-player cash game started just before midnight and provided 90 or so minutes of $2-limit Follow The Queen and Pick Your Poison w/Black Mariah thrown in for good measure. We definitely need to see some "manning-up" for the cash game as the season moves forward.


Top 4:
1. Marneus - $220
2. Plains Moses - $110
3. Ferg - $50
4. Johnny B. - $20

Our next game will be on the third Tuesday of February, which I believe is the 19th. Look for the rules docs we reviewed last night to be posted on this site soon.

Upping The Ante

We have officially decided to increase the league buy-in from $25 to $40 beginning with this season. Individually OST buy-ins will remain $20 for each event.

Don't sweat bringing the entire amount tomorrow night, but please plan to pay the league treasurer (Skrawg) no later than OST 3.

We'll see those of you playing in OST 1 on Tuesday night!

Time Is Running Out

Reminder: If you haven't already done so, please confirm by EOD today via email or the eVite for OST 1 if you plan to participate in league play this year. If you don't, we may pass your seat along to another player. Thanks!

Confirmed players include:
Porqchop
Skrawg
Hirp
Marneus
McDaddy
Holy Mohly
MoeCephus
Giggitty
Ron Mexico
Bronco
Tayjack
SpaceJam
Dakota Skye
The Face
WhoDogg
Devil Down
GunButt
Jack Chaser
Swag

Dropped players include:
Flushed

In limbo:
Drifter
Chappy
Flops
Rog4Gov
Worm Boy
Plains Moses

Proposed additional players:
T.C. (Skrawg's neighbor)

League Confirmation eMail

You should all be receiving an email today inviting you to the league for 2008. By way of this email, please confirm that you are interested in league play again this year.

We're anticipating a few adjustments to the rules with regard to late arrivals and related blinds penalties, but there shouldn't be any other significant changes other than that (we'll cover all of this at our first game). We're looking to keep games on the third Tuesday of every month, keep the play-in game in place, keeping the league buy-in at $25 and individual game buy-in at $20 (unless everyone's ready to up the ante).

To provide ample time to adjust membership if necessary, our first game this month will be on Tuesday, January 15th. Please confirm by Wednesday, January 9 that you are indeed interested in league play to allow us time to find alternates if you'd like to opt-out.

Looking forward to another great season!

Moses Wins Final Table!

More to come tonight.

The Trophy Has Arrived

And you're going to have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Final Table Chip Stacks

At $250K, here's what it looks like.

Plains Moses: 1635 pts > 13.3% > $33,300
SpaceJam: 1610 pts > 13.1% > $32,800
WhoDogg: 1440 pts > 11.7 > $29,300
Marneus: 1340 pts > 10.9% > $27,300
Giggity: 1310 pts > 10.6% > $26,500
Jack Chaser: 1270 pts > 10.4% > $26,000
Hirp: 1245 pts > 10.1% > $25,300
Bronco: 1230 pts > 10% > $25,000
Porqchop: 1185 pts > 9.6% > $24,000

Total Points: 12,265
Chips in Play: $250K (rounded $50s up to the next $100)

There it is... all you can eat!

Play-In Game: Pulled Porq

Porqchop won the season 3 play-in game last night, becoming the first ever wildcard ("party crasher") player for the Final Table.

All-in, there were only nine players for the play-in game (a disappointing showing). The night definitely had a Final Table feel with players trading chips in small amounts early, setting the stage for the bigger blinds later in the evening.

The night ended with complete suck-out by Porqchop. Bboth players were all-in pre-flop with MoeCephus looking to double up on pocket Kings, and Porqchop looking to draw-out with pocket 6s. Things would have been back to even in terms of chip stacks, had Porqchop not pulled a Devil 6 on the River.

Marneus, PlainsMoses and Hirp all showed for some side action, but the grinding nature of the feature event never provided another player for the kiddie table. Top three at the play-in event were:

1. Porqhcop - $110 + seat at the Final Table
2. MoeCephus - $50
3. Holy Mohly - $20

Porqchop will host the Final Table. Details to come.

Play in

Any details on the play in? Or have I missed that e-mail?

The Eager Eight

The Final Table qualifiers are listed below. Feel free to kick them in the gonads the next time you see them.

Unfortunately, it's the play-in game for the rest of us. Feel free to take some solace in knowing that these eight players will have to wait a month to find out which play-in scrub will be embarrassing them at the championship game.

The players: Plains Moses, SpaceJam, WhoDogg, Marneus, Giggity, Jack Chaser, Hirp and Bronco

Oh yeah, one more thing... "Go Bearcats!"

OST 10: The Tenth Commandment

A commanding performance, indeed. Plains Moses parted the sea of grinders at OST 10 , likely solidifying his position (and prize) as the season 3's points leader, and potentially taking the chip lead at the Final Table.

Porqchop failed to pull-off a coup when his pre-flop all-in with A-Q was called by McDaddy with 7-8 suited. Needless to say, much sucking ensued. PChop needed a third place finish to bump Hirp from the Final Table, but finished in fourth. The final hand of the night came down to McDaddy ($98K) and Moses ($102K) all-in pre-flop with two dry Aces. In the end, the weaker kicker prevailed as Moses' 7 played with the board over McDaddy's 5.

OST 10 top four:
1) Plains Moses - $220
2) McDaddy - $110
3) The Face - $50
4) Porqchop - $20

Official results noting who's set for the Final Table and who's relegated to the play-in game should be available sometime today. The play-in game will be held on the third Tuesday in November, which looks to be the 20th. Skrawg or Porqchop will host.

My Disappointment

On the eve of the biggest game of the season, there's absolutely no chatter out there. If none of you want this that bad, then why don't you just give it to me? I'm planning on taking it myself, regardless. Bitches.

Mr. & Mrs. WormBoy Take The South

Big news coming out of Savanah this morning, WormBoy's wife (previously referred to at The Chophouse as Pageant Queen, but heretofore referred to as Captainess Cook) took the Grand Prize in Southern Living's 2007 Cook-Off. If you can't read the numbers on the check, that's $100,000!

Here's a recap, in WormBoy's own words:

Mrs. WormBoy (my edit) won the Southern Living Contest tonight. She can hardly believe it, but she smoked the competition with her ice cream dessert. I got some funny looks trying to stuff the big check in my pants. Anyway, I am sure she will fill you all in on the contest when we get back. PS Guess I shouldn't of complained so much about cleaning up after her cooking episodes in the kitchen......

Congrats to the entire clan. I'm looking forward to dining at the Chateau de Croissant when you get it openend!

Hats Off To GunButt

Everyone's favorite league gunslinger (GunButt), now has a couple of hats to go with those fancy Colt sidearms. Check out this article in the Kansas City Star for more details.

Either of these would make one Hell of a card guard!

OST 9: Non-League Winner

Just finding out tonight that we had our first non-league (though he's certainly regular player) winner of the season. Holy shit.

Benz pulled out a major victory in one of the most crucial OSTs of the season. Shutting many a bubble player out of some serious bonus points, and shielding the points leaders from any players that may have potentially shot up from the rear.

Cashing in:
1. Benz - $220
2. Dakota Skye - $110
3. SpaceJam - $50
4. Plains Moses - $20

Two games left. The potential for much shuffling still pending.

Giggity's Game

Rumor has it that Holy Mohly and Devil Down did the Beats proud at Giggity's big mid-year tournament. I'm not sure how much they won, but they took 2nd and 3rd (respectively) in a 30-man/$50 buy-in game.

Congrats to both!