December 29, 2011
December 22, 2011
December 15, 2011
December 08, 2011
December 01, 2011
November 24, 2011
November 17, 2011
November 10, 2011
November 03, 2011
October 27, 2011
October 20, 2011
October 13, 2011
October 6, 2011
September 29, 2011
September 22, 2011
September 15, 2011
September 08, 2011
September 01, 2011
August 25, 2011
August 18, 2011
August 11, 2011
August 04, 2011
July 28, 2011
July 21, 2011
July 14, 2011
July 07, 2011
June 30, 2011
8 players this week. This time I was late (forgot to register) but I was in good company as Jim & Barb arrived late as well. Must be the holidays. Play was good with everyone making it to the first break and only two out at the 1 hour mark. Two more dropped out before the second break. Kathy fell out just after the second break and it was Jon, Jim and me working for that top spot. The winner would get the top position for the year. This really didn't matter because we ended the season earlier, but there were bragging rights at stake. At the 2 hour mark, we had each had had the lead and each been the short stack. It was anyone's game. Jon lasted another ten minutes, leaving Jim and me heads-up. Two hands and it was over. I had stolen another one.
Top7 players - Not bad for being so close to the holidays. A lot of solid play and everyone made it to the first break. Then the river started killing everyone. It seemed like everyone was getting beat on the river. At the one hour mark it was down to 4. Six minutes later, it was just Lecia, Barb and Harry. All with respectable chip stacks. Ten minutes later Lecia dropped out leaving Barb and Harry heads-up. Harry had a better then 2 to 1 lead, but we know how tough Barb can be. Just before the second break, the river struck once more giving Harry a flush and the game.
Harry hasn't supplied a paypal account
Top8 players - although Kathy was a little late. Even though this game didn't count toward the championship, everyone really wanted it. At the one hour mark the field had dwindled down to 4. Five minutes later Bruce dropped out leaving Jim, Jon and me. Jim had a big lead, but Jon and I were determined. A few minutes later Jon's flush fell to my full house. (which I hit on the river) At the second break, Jim had an almost 4 to 1 chip lead over me. I battled back and at the 2 hour mark, I managed to knock Jim out for first.
Top9 players. Jim was the only one who could take the championship away from Jon. When he went out in 6th place, Jon locked up the championship. Of course there was still first place to battle for. Just after the one hour mark it was down to 3 players. Lecia, Jon and me. Lecia fell out just before the second break. This left Jon and I heads-up. Fortunately I had a large chip advantage and when I ended up with a better 2-pair it was over. I took the battle (game), but Jon won the war (season).
Top10 players. After waiting through the customary PokerStars confusion, play went quickly. 4 players out by the first break. Another out just after the break, leaving 5 players with pretty even stacks. Lecia went out at the 52 minute mark. Kathy left quickly after, leaving Jon, Jim & me all with healthy stacks. I fell out at the 1:13 mark. Jon had Jim out-chipped three to one. (sounds familiar) At the second break, Jim had fought back, but Jon still had him by two to one. After 45 minutes of heads-up Jim had nearly tied it. Then he hit a straight to cripple Jon. Jon fought back and re-took the lead just before the third break (yup THIRD). He continued building his lead and, after 2 hours and 43 minutes (and an hour and a half of heads-up), it was over and Jon had won another one.
This puts Jon a little further ahead going into the final next week. But anything can happen! Check in Thursday to see how it ends.
THE LAST GAME OF THE 2011 SEASON WILL BE DEC. 8TH. THE STANDINGS AFTER THAT GAME WILL DETERMINE THE 2011 CHAMPION!
Top5 players this week, not bad considering nearly everyone was out of town. Jim got another brother to play (we may have to rename this to the AllBillesCardClub). Todd and Kathy both fell out before the first break, leaving Jim, Jon & I to battle it out. At the 43 minute mark Jim dropped out to let Jon & I settle it heads-up (the fact that I backed into a flush may have had something to do with it). 2 minutes later I had a better kicker to take out Jon
Top9 players started this week. This confused PokerStars (it doesn't seem to like full tables). Soon it got back on track and the play began in earnest. Jim and Barb jumped out to an early lead. At the 1 hour mark it was Barb, Jim and Lecia. Jim took out Barb with a higher full-house (he'll be on the couch tonight). Lecia then battled back to take a 2:1 chip lead over Jim. Jim evened it back out and they played through the second break. An hour and 45 minutes in Jim had the 2:1 advantage. And, after nearly an hour of heads-up play, Jim was able to grind out the win! Well done Jim!
TopA record 11 players started. Not bad considering we only have 12 members registered. Play was good and at the second break we still had 5 players left. Kathy had a healthy lead, but it looked like there was a lot of poker left to play. It took 1 hour and 54 minutes to get down to the top 3. Lori, Kathy and Jon were virtually tied with about 7000 chips each. Four minutes later Kathy was the first to blink, leaving Lori with a 2:1 chip advantage over Jon. The battle ended after 2 hours and 9 minutes (another record). Jon had overcome the chip deficit to take first place. Good Job!
TopNine players started this week and, as usual, PokerStars was very confused. It settled down after the first round of blinds and the game was on. The Billes jumped out to an early lead. Jim held strong, but Barb faded as we approached the second break. She fell out a few minutes before the break, leaving Jim with a commanding lead over David and Lecia barely hanging on. Lecia dropped 2 miutes before the break, leaving Jim with a 5:1 lead over David. David battled valiantly, but Jim's lead was too great. Barely 15 minutes after the 2nd break it was over - Congratulations Jim!
TopTen players started the game, including two out-of-towners! Play went quickly though and at the 1:07 mark we were down to 3 players. David and Jon were struggling to keep Barb in sight. She'd been a powerhouse all night. Jon dropped out in third after 2 minutes, leaving David and Barb to play heads-up. David caught up, and there was good back-and-forth play. At the second break David was still hanging in there, but Barb had built a big lead. A few minutes after the break - it was over. Barb won another one!
TopSeven players started this week. The play was fast and furious. We were down to three in in 52 minutes. Kathy had as many chips as Jon & I put together. I lasted until just before the second break. Jon had Kathy out-chipped at this point, but she battled back. Even coming from less than $250 to re-take the chip lead! Then she beat out Jon's AK to win! Congratulations Kathy
TopWe broke the record again this week with 10 players starting. Steve has joined us this week (welcome Steve). PokerStars handled the two tables much better this time. It seems to like it if everyone signs up in advance. At the second break we were down to 3 and 1/2 players. (Harry was still in, but disconnected). It took 13 minutes for Harry to blind out leaving Jon, Lecia and me. Lecia lasted almost to the 2-hour mark. Jon & I battled for about 15 minutes. I started with a huge lead, but Jon battled back to take the lead. I got lucky in the end and rivered a straight to beat his two pair.
TopWe started with a record 9 players. Bruce ran out of play money and needed to refill before he could play. For the record - you can do this by going into a regular play money game and clicking on the dealer's chips. He joined a little late and the SW had a little trouble getting every seated. Eventually PokerStars figured it out and we had a great game! At the second break it was the battle of Brassfield. The Billes had a lead over the Scespx, Szcendxxx, Spendxxx- Lecia and David, but they were hanging in there. Lecia was the first to fall. David lasted a little longer, but he also fell to the mighty Billes. The chips flew and when the dust settled, Barb had taken another one! Congratulations Barb!
TopSeven players started the game including our out-of-town player TechHdHnter. After an hour the field has dwindled down to 3. Bruce had a huge lead, Harry was holding down second place,and Lecia was hanging on for dear life. Despite a nice triple-up, Lecia wasn't able to hold on and it was Harry and Bruce heads-up. Bruce had Harry out-chipped about 4-1. At the second break Harry had improved but was still down about 3-1. Bruse was just too much and Harry finished in second again. Congratulations Bruce!
TopThe All Aces Card Club has it's first out-of-state member. Jim's brother in Ohio signed up so he can play in the Thursday night games.
In Game action, we had 8 players (Bruce couldn't make it). Just after an hour of play the field had narrowed to 3. Lori, Harry & I were fighting for first. After the break we were stil battling it out. Lori was the first to blink - she fell to Harry's pocket Qs. This left Harry & I heads-up with about the same amount of chips. (Have I mentioned I HATE heads-up?) After 20 minutes of furious betting, I lucked into a flush and managed to steal a victory away from Harry
TopSeven players again this week. Three players made it to the hour mark. Then Jon took Barb out with an ace on the river. This left Jim vs Jon for the game. They hadn't gone heads-up since the first two weeks. They were evenly matched and I expected a long battle. I was wrong. It was over in 3 minutes. And, just like the first two games, it was Jim taking the game.
TopOnly seven players this week (Where were you Harry?) Three players made it to the hour mark. Barb was holding her own against Jon & Jim. At the 2nd break the Billes were ahead, but Jon was making a comeback. Jon continued his come-back until almost the 2 hour mark, then Barb took him out leaving it the "Battle of the Billes"! The "battle" lasted one hand. Barb took her second win in a row!
TopOnly two players made it to the second break. Once again the ladies dominated and it was Kathy and Barb going heads-up for the title. 6 minutes later it was all over. Barb won her first Thursday night game!
Top8 players again this week. Most players lasted well past the hour mark. Then the blinds started taking thier toll. After 85 minutes, only Kathy, Jim, and Jon were left. Jim dropped out leaving Kathy and Jon to battle it out heads-up. The battle lasted 15 minutes but it seemed MUCH longer. In the end there can be only one, and that one was Jon! Congratulations
I'm willing to put a PayPal "donate" button on this page (and the archive) to make it easier to pay up. This will also allow us to expand to players that we aren't able to see frequently. The only down-side is that PayPal takes $0.30 + 3% for each transaction. Stil this is less than a stamp (and the winner has to pay ;-) Let me know the email address of you PayPal account and I'll set a button up for you (when you win!)
TopAnother 8 players this week. This time is was the boys' turn. At the hour and 1/2 mark, it was Jim, Jon, & I battling it out. Jon dropped out to leave me heads-up with Jim. I had a pretty good chip advantage and managed to press it for a win. I guess the secret to heads-up is having a huge chip stack. 1 hour 45 minutes - this includes the two breaks. Pretty good. BTW the Sept game is full, but there's plaenty of room at the on-line game. Spread the word!
TopThis week we had 8 players. This seems to be the average, but I wouldn't mind a few more. Barb took another third. Kathy & I battled it out for 1st. So, of course, she won. She is on fire! I made a (slightly) more respectable showing than last time. I managed to drag the game out to an hour and 55 minutes. This included 2 five-minute breaks. Let me know what you think about the breaks. We'll keep them in for next week, but after that it's up to you.
TopThis week we had 7 players. Three ladies started and the three ladies finished it. Barb went out in third, leaving Lecia and Kathy to battle it out. Kathy fought bravely, but couldn't manage the repeat. Lecia took the win. Next week we'll add a 5 minute break after every hour of play. It shouldn't extend the game much and will probably make the finalists more comfortable.
TopThis week we had 8 players. We also had our first female winner. Half the starting field were women (we're not biased here!). It came down to a good heads-up battle between Kathy & Lori (Lori's first time online). Why is it always a good heads-up battle except when I play? Anyway, Kathy had the chip lead going into heads-up and kept the pressure on. Lori battled to stay in it but eventually fell to the pressure. This was a longer game lasting 1 hour 50 minutes. Still, it finished before 10:30 so I don't think it was too long. What do you think?
TopThis week we had 7 players. Jim did NOT finish first. Neither did Jon. In fact, I went heads-up against Harry for the match. I hate heads-up. Harry made short work of me by winning the last 10 hands in a row. Did I mention I hate heads-up? He did have me well out-chipped due to some very good 4-handed play. The game lasted 1 hour 20 minutes (20 minutes less than last time). I think this is a good duration for this game.
P.S. No breakfast betThis week we had 8 players. Jim did NOT finish first. Barb made a great showing in her first online tournament (with us). She and Jon went into heads-up a little over an hour into the game. After another well-played heads-up battle (can everyone play heads-up but me?), Jon was victorious! The game lasted 1 hour 40 minutes (10 minutes less than last time). So even with more players it was still under 2 hours.
TopThis week we had 7 players. Jim & Jon were the final two again. After a long (and well-played) heads-up battle, Jim won AGAIN! The game lasted 1 hour 50 minutes (10 minutes less than last time). I think this was due to a LONG heads-up match.
P.S. No breakfast bet
TopThe first online tournament was played by all 7 members of the PokerStars online club. When the dust settled, Jim was the winner! Congratualtions Jim! It lasted just over 2 hours. Mostly due to some really good heads-up play between Jim & Jon. Hopefully, more people will sign up for next week's game.
P.S. I got breakfast!
I'm looking for feed-back from those who played. How was the structure? Did we need a break? Did the blinds go up too quick? too slow? Let me know what you think.
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