Some friendly advice.........

Normally, in our regular TNP contests, we tend to play slow and easy until a few are eliminated. Remember, this tourny is heads up. Sudden death! So, pre flop raises are not only allowed, they're encouraged. Plus, with best 2 out of 3, you can play fast & loose and lose once without it costing you the tourney. This format should make for some exciting games.

Who's bringing what?

I've had one or two of you tell me what you're bringing for our Mexican stack Thursday night. However, you know how bad my memory is, so.....

I'll provide the spicy chicken. Adam said he's bringing a cookie. The rest of you leave me a comment and let me know what you're bringing. I'll post it here so it'll be easy for everyone to see what's been spoken for. As we did last time, we'll start eating about 6:30 so we can get everything done in time.

Jeff__________chicken
Adam__________cookie
Nick__________rice
Deb___________lettuce, tomatos, cheese & black olives
Markus________tortilla chips
Stevie & Tanner__Guacamole, sour cream, salsa

A word of caution!

With the heads up tourney coming up, I thought I'd mention this before game night. The format will allow for spectators to be watching the heads up matches. Usually, when the game comes down to the final 3 or 4, we'll show our hole cards to those spectating. You might want to reconsider that for this week. I'm not saying anyone will intentionally give your hand away. However, the possibility exists that a deep breath or facial expression could give away a hand. A smart opponent will be looking for just such a tell to try and gain an advantage. Just something to consider.

May 1 Heads-Up Tournament Bracket/Schedule

Hey, here's the link to the bracket. I've also posted a schedule for Thursday Night's matches.

May 1, 2008 Heads-Up Bracket and Schedule

Casino Royale

Great Ceasar's Ghost, what a night at TNP. The hand of hands, struggling back from near elimination, nail biting action and concessions were the hallmarks of last night's contest. One table was volatile, with an explosion possible at any time. The other, calm, cool, collected. Crystal, absent from play, did observe late in the contest, yet we did have 2 boobs there, Adam & Nick, to play. So, without further ado, let's jump right into the narrative.


CALM TABLE
Jeff
Deb
Jake
Markus
Adam

VOLATILE TABLE
Mark
Stevie
Justin
Tanner
Nick


Continuing a trend he'd just as soon end, Markus, for the 3rd week in a row, was the first to leave although he played well and was able to concentrate more on the game and less on Jake, even though they were seated next to each other at the same table.

Mark was next to leave the contest, capturing 2 points for his efforts.

Wouldn't you know it, Justin was eliminated next with 3 points, assuring a tie between he and Mark.

Struggling early on, yet finding ways to stay alive, Adam was next to leave, sacrificing LOST in the process, for 4 points.

Playing strong at the calm table, Deb's luck ran out when we joined the VOLATILE table and left the game with 5 points. Much to her chagrin, this left me assured of the top spot.

Lasting until the final 5 were determined, Jake was the next to take home his points for the night, adding 6 to his total.

Having achieved my goal when Deb was eliminated, I was satisfied to end in the top 4, but my exit was done in grand fashion which I'll epand upon shortly. I added 7 points to reclaim a very slim lead over Deb.

Making the top 3, Tanner was in for quite a fight. But, as in a few weeks ago, the real contest here was for second place. He and Nick-o-lot-a-pus battled back and forth, but it was soon resolved when Tanner was finally defeated with 8 points as a reward.

Upon Tanner's removal, Nick, as Mark did a few weeks ago, conceded the match immediately and added 10 points to close to within 1 of Adam, and leaving Crystal in the distance. His ADD wasn't too bad, he didn't expose himself last night. But he did fold a decent diamond flush that could have garnered him quite a number of chips and might have made him more competitive against the chip monger, Stevie.

The winner of the night, in grand fashion, was Stevie. Having accumulated quite a chip lead, he was far ahead of anyone else and that's why Nick called it a night. I mentioned my demise being done with flair earlier. Well, to put me out, Stevie already had a straight to kill my pair of kings, but just before the river card was turned over, he called for and got the king of aces, giving him a
ROYAL FLUSH!!!! If I'm going to get beat, I want to be BEAT, and Stevie certainly did that. So, adding his second victory, along with 12 points, Stevie is closing in on Tanner and distancing himself from Adam and Nick. Congrats Stevie!

So there you have it. The Casino Royale is closed until next week, when rivalries will continue in a new contest. A heads up tourney is scheduled, along with a buffet of Mexican pile on. We've already had our first casualty for next week, as Mark, rather than risk disharmony at home, has conceded his seat and will not participate. The rest of the pack eagerly awaits the new format. The seeds are set, the chips are ready and the points waiting to be apportioned. Here's the break down from last night.

NAME__________POINTS__________PLACE
Markus_____________1_____________10
Mark_______________2______________9
Justin_____________3______________8
Adam_______________4______________7
Deb________________5______________6
Jake_______________6______________5
Jeff_______________7______________4
Tanner_____________8______________3
Nick______________10______________2
Stevie____________12______________1

Now, how did the polls do? Well, I barely came out on top, so that one was correct. Crystal's boobs remain deflated, her inability to play last night costing her a lot, so that's 2 that were right on. Justin and Mark are tied, so that will be determined next week. Actually, it already is, since Mark has withdrawn. 3 right. Nick didn't expose himself, so we missed that one. Tanner's 16 points out of 1st place, so that one has yet to be determined. Stevie's put off buying a house for the forseeable future, so that one is correct. Adam suffered whiplash Wednesday night at Hasting's, so that one is a given. Markus & Jake weren't so inseperable this week, so their disability seems to be in remission. Be sure and look for new polls coming soon.

Until next week, may all your cards be live and your pots be monsters!

ADDENDUM
Adam reminded me, in a comment, about the risk players run of folding 6-3. Suited or not, you fold this combo at your own peril. Since Mark folded this unlikely winning combination, forfeiting a full house, it has come back to haunt others. Adam, folding these now magical two cards while playing an online tournament, let slip a winning straight. Now, that was bad enough. But to repeat this same mistake, as he did last night, with the same results, calls his judgement into question.

Hey Mr. Tally Man

One way or the other, there will be 1 sole leader after tonights TNP. Deb & I are tied, and tomorrow will find one of us alone at the top. The other one likely in second place. Tanner will try to add to his current lead, as far as number of wins, and keep closing in on the top point spot that he once dominated. Will Stevie & Mark show up to defend their positions? If not, this will allow Adam to close in on Stevie and Justin to more than likely surpass Mark. The next contest to watch will be Crystal & Nick. With only 1 point seperating them, can Crystal summon up the reserve mammary power we all know she has, or will Nick be able to avoid exposing himself and put a little more distance between them? Finally, will Markus resist the urge to climb into Jake's pants long enough to finish above last place? And as if this weren't enough, tonight's placements will deterine the brackets for next weeks heads up tourney. Oh the drama! Oh the excitment! How much anticipation can a person take? Find out the thrilling outcome tomorrow!
......
......
.....
THIS JUST IN
CRYSTAL HAS TO WORK TONIGHT, SO NICK WILL INCREASE HIS LEAD, NO MAMMRY GLANDS TONIGHT BOYS!

Who would you like to play?

In a comment, tell me who you would most like to play, or the two people you'd like to see play, in next week's heads up tourney.

Heads up tourney

Here's a link to a preliminary bracket structure. Also, Adam's current thinking as to how the game goes.

So I was thinking about the rules we should put in place for the heads-up tournament. Here's what I'm thinking. It will be single-elimination, but there will be consolation matches to determine final rank and so that everyone gets to play all night. Each match will be best two-out-of-three games, first to win 2 games will advance to the next round. I'm still trying to figure out what would be a good chip stack, I'm thinking maybe 500 in chips per player per game. Blinds start at 10/20, then 25/50 after 15 minutes each game.

Assuming we use the finish from Thursday as the seeding for May 1, I'll have the bracket for you as soon as we're done. I think 500 in chips per game will be good, because we won't want a match taking longer than an hour if we're going to be done at a decent time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:AmarilloLostFan

About San Antonio

The question about our trip to San Antonio and how it will affect TNP has come up. Adam & I discussed this about 2 weeks ago. Mark & Justin have volunteered to host for Thursday, June 19th. Results will be official and entered into the record.

Uno de Mayo Heads Up Tournament

Since Mark, Justin & Crystal will be in Vegas on ocho de Mayo, we're moving up the monthly feast. So, if you have a birthday, anniversary or some other event worth celebrating, this food is for you! Also, we'll be trying something new this night, a heads up tournament. Adam is in charge of this and if you have questions, get with him.

MEXICAN PILE ON
I'll be making some spicy chicken. Here is a list of other ingredients you might bring, but if it's not on the list, let me know. You can put just about anything on these things!

seasoned taco meat
lettuce
cheese
tomato
olives (green or black)
onion
jalepenos
bell pepper
pecans
coconut
guacamole
sour cream
pico de gallo
salsa
frijoles (a little spanish lingo for beans)

We'll also need drinks, chips, flour tortillas and I was thinking one of those big cookies with icing like Adam got me for my birthday. I LUV those! So, pick something out and we'll start planning this a little ahead of time.

For the record

There was a bit of controversy last night. Both Crystal & Nick went all in simultaneously. Crystal lost her's first, followed almost immediately by Nick. The ruling of the house awarded Crystal 2 points and Nick 3. As explained by the following, the results were correct but for the wrong reasons. Thanks Adam for researching this. Should this happen in the future, this is how it will be resolved. However, this can be avoided by the table announcing loudly that a player is all in thus stopping play at the other table until the all in hand is resolved.

I figured this might be worth posting on the blog and making the official rule if it ever comes up again. After some digging on the rule if people at different tables are all-in simultaneously....We came to the right result in awarding Nick 8th place, but for the wrong reasoning. Here's the rule: At critical stages of the tournament (e.g. where the prize money jumps significantly with the next few players eliminated) and when there is more than one table remaining, the tournament may be played "hand-for-hand". This means that if one table finishes its hand before the other table(s), that table waits for the other table(s) to finish before the next hand is dealt. During this hand-for-hand period, all bustouts during a "synchronized" hand (even at different tables) are treated as having happened on the same hand, for purposes of determining finish order. Finishing order is then based on comparing stack sizes per rule #5, and not on who lost his chips earlier. Now, rule 5: If two or more players are eliminated on the same hand, the player with more chips at the beginning of the hand is placed higher. If players started the hands with an identical amount of chips, both players tie for that rank, and any prizes due to those players will be equally distributed between them. During hand-for-hand play (as described in rule #20 below), two players eliminated during a single "synchronized" hand are treated as having been eliminated on the same hand, even if they are at different tables. So, in the case of last night, Nick started his all-in hand with more chips than Crystal, giving him the higher place. Nick's all-in came as the result of a long-drawn out hand, and he probably had about 400 in chips at the start of the hand. Crystal, if I'm not mistaken, went all-in with considerably less pre-flop. It is because of that - not the order of who called all-in - that gave Nick the extra point.

ADDENDUM
(perhaps this will clear up any confusion)
FROM ADAM
Actually, according to the rules, the correct thing last night was for our table to finish the hand in play (since it had already started), rather than stopping for Crystal's all-in. We had already seen a turn when Crystal called all-in, so we were obligated to finish that hand. Now, once we finished the hand, we would be obligated to pause until your table had finished Crystal's all-in. So here's the rule that I propose (basically the rule used for tournaments, but in simpler terms): If a player at Table A goes all in while Table B has a hand in progress, Table B will finish its hand. Once Table B has completed that hand, it will pause until Table A resolves its all-in. Once Table A has resolved its all-in, play will resume at both tables. If a player at Table B goes all-in during the hand in progress, it will be ruled a simultaneous all-in. If both players are eliminated, the two players will be placed according to their chip stacks going into the hand which put them all-in. Simply put: if a player at one table goes all-in, the other table should finish their hand, and then pause for the all-in. In the case of last night, this would have allowed Nick and I to finish our hand (one in which we both had flushes) without disruption or distraction. It could have been a disadvantage to one of us to have the play broken up mid-hand to see Crystal's all-in.

Return of the Jedi

Another well attended TNP lead to the return of Tanner to the winner's circle. Crystal was unable to fend off the dual attacks of Adam & Nick, even though Nick did all he could to lose before Crystal did, up to the last second. Deb came up short of her goals and Justin, even though we thought he had tied Mark last night, after the points were tallied, was 1 point shy of catching his rival. As for the polls, let's see just how accurate they were.

TABLE 1
Jeff
Tanner
Crystal
Justin
Markus

TABLE 2
Adam
Nick
Stevie
Jake
Deb


Hoping to best his new beau, Markus nevertheless exited the game first with one point. I don't think he was too disappointed as this allowed him more time to spoon with Jake.

Choosing not to take Mark's advice to bring a second set of boobs to the game, Crystal defended herself with her own and they let her down. She earned 1 point for each boob and lost ground to both Nick & Adam.

It took forever for table 2 to deliver up their first loser, something about blood stained cards. At any rate, Nick was out seconds after Crystal was. He seems to have doomed himself, showing his pocket queens to Deb who had pocket aces, which she promply folded since there was a queen on the flop. Nick earned 3 points and pulled out of his tie with Crystal.

Periodically I'd venture to the other table to check their progress. I noticed early in the game Stevie had a huge chip lead, but this soon dwindled to thin air as he was next to exit from table 2 with 4 points.

Struggling early, Jake was able to fight back and remain in the game long enough to earn 5 points.

Trying to remember off the top of our heads, we first thought Justin's 6 points was enough to tie him with Mark. However, after the points were tallied, it seems Justin was just shy of matching Mark's total so we'll have to see if he can jump past Mark next week.

My game was up and down, but good enough to keep me in until the top 4. Then, the hand I dread the most, the one that had lead to victory only a week before, ended my night when pocket aces, that happened to have tripped up, let me down when Tanner's club flush sent me packing with 7 points.

Adam, looking over his shoulder often, for some strange reason, made the top 3, distancing himself from Crystal and Nick and creeping up on Stevie.

The heads up came down to two new nemisis, Tanner & Deb. Coming off her previous 2 week winning streak, looking to join the 3 peat club and assume the top spot, Deb fought valiantly until the bitter end. But as the hour grew late, her chip stack dwindled and finally ended the night with 10 points.

Having put me out with his club flush, fighting back from near elimination and needing desperately to make up lost ground Tanner won the night with 12 points, returning to the winners circle and hopefully starting a new streak. Congrats Tanner!

As for the polls, let's see:

Deb did not 3-peat, but came dam close.

Crystal's boobs deflated and she now trails not only Adam, but Nick to!

Justin, like Deb, came dam close to outscoring Mark but came up a point short.

Markus & Jake aren't married, but you couldn't tell it by watching them. Looks like a honeymoon to me!

And so far, yes, Nick's ADD is keeping him from winning. Next week people will be wanting to sit next to him so he can show his hand to them.

So the polls were dead on accurate. We'll see how well the polls predict next weeks outcome. Here's the breakdown from last night's action.

NAME__________POINTS__________PLACE
Markus_____________1__________10
Crystal____________2___________9
Nick_______________3___________8
Stevie_____________4___________7
Justin_____________5___________6
Jake_______________6___________5
Jeff_______________7___________4
Adam_______________8___________3
Deb_______________10___________2
Tanner____________12___________1

The force has restored balance to the universe, as Tanner has returned to his winning ways. He's still in third place, but last night's 12 points puts him within striking distance of the perch he held for so long at the beginning of the year. Deb and I are tied, the Empire having re-established itself, reluctant to loosen our grip on supremecy. The rest of the rebellion is fighting amongst themselves in an effort to unseat the one above them. How will this epic struggle play out? Return here next week to find out. Until then, may all your cards be live and your pots be monsters!

To dream the impossible dream.....

With Mark working tomorrow night, perhaps it's not so impossible after all. Justin will be looking to make his move tomorrow as Mark will be away from the table. He has 7 points to make up just to tie him, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. If we have a good crowd then it just comes down to how well Justin can do. Deb will be looking for her first 3 peat and overtaking the top spot. Adam and Nick have their sights set on Crystal. With a boob for each of them, she can more than handle any attack they can muster. The rest of us will just be trying to keep out of the way while we quietly endeavor to either maintain or better our positions. It will be interesting to see how accurate the polls are.

As far as the Mexican pile on, how bout Thursday, May 8th. Instead of Cinco de Mayo, we'll be doing Ocho de Mayo. We'll use these monthly buffets to celebrate all those who happen to have birthdays, anniversaries or whatever we can come up with as another excuse to feast.

So, until the contest begins tomorrow night, may all your cards be live and your pots be monsters!

SPECIAL REPORT

To celebrate the occasion of Devie's 21st birthday, Ben, Sarah & Jason, Stevie, Tanner & Tommy threw him a party at Ben, Sarah & Jason's house last night. The theme was Las Vegas, and there was a Texas Holdem game with a $20 buy in. At first, I was reluctant to play. I usually don't enjoy such high stakes game, as they have the potential to become more than just fun. Adam finally talked me into it and boy am I glad he did.

Several TNP players were at the tables, including myself, Adam, Devie, Stevie & Tanner. Adam & Stevie were at my table. The rest of the field included both experienced players and newbies. Adam & I had modest goals before arriving, but they were exceeded to our delight!

I'll skip most of the play by play and jump to the end game. When the final four were seated, myself, Adam, Chris & Wade were at the table. I was dealt pocket aces, and if you've played with me long you'll know I really don't llke pocket aces. I've lost far more hands with them than I've won. I believe the blinds are $100 and $200 at this point. Chris raised pre flop and I went all in. I had just enough to cover him, so if I had lost I wouldn't be out but I would be critically wounded. He had ace queen. He paired his queen but in the end my pocket aces held up and I doubled up.

So there we were, Adam, Wade and myself all in the money at the final 3 table. Adam was weakest going in, Wade the strongest. I had a full house to take a lot of chips from Wade's flush, so I was sitting pretty near the end. Adam had a bad beat from Wade and ended the night in 3rd place with about $55. Heads up came down to Wade and myself. I was dealt hearts, then 2 came up on the flop. Wade had pocket sixes, started betting big and I foolishly called. It was stupid for me to call on the hope of seeing a heart on the turn or river, but I was tired, the place was chaos and I had already achieved more than I had hoped for, so counting on a heart to cripple Wade, I went all in. He tripped his six and it was over. I came home with $85 for the night, and Wade took home $130.

Much fun was had by all. So, until Thursday night, may all your cards be live and your pots monsters!

Tomb Raider

Like Laura Croft, Deb was kicking ass and taking names last night as she, for the second week in a row, found pay dirt at the end of the night and added a substantial amount of points to her total and drew to within 3 points of first place. The night began with burgers, beans, pies & cake as we helped Devie ring in his 21st year of life here on Earth. The good food and fellowship soon gave way, however, to some serious poker. The early spotlight was on Justin & Mark and their continuing rivalry. Let's break down the action and see how Deb was able to emerge victorious.

Out of a crowded field of 12, with a new face joining and a couple of familiar faces rejoining, the treasure of points available was enormous. However, the first to be denied the booty and first out was Markus. Not due to alcohol this time however. Love had Markus much more intoxicated than liquor ever did. He ended the night first out with 1 point, but didn't seem too disappointed.

At the other table, Crystal was next to be ousted, her rivalry with Adam becoming quite vocal at times. For her efforts, and after surviving more than 1 all in, she took home 2 points.

One of the familiar faces to make a return to TNP was Stevie. Playing for the first time since March 6th, Stevie was noticably tired after only getting 5 hours sleep. His return earned him 3 points.

Trying to keep his all in quiet, so as to not reveal his weak position to his lover and rival Mark, Justin nevertheless couldn't keep quiet the fact that he was next out and added 4 points to his total. Will he be able to rebound next week?

Another familiar face and former leader, Tanner, also made it back to TNP last night, adding 5 points to his total and remaining 2 spots out of first place.

With the ever increasing sound of Deb's encroaching foot steps ringing in my ears, a couple of bad calls doomed my night and I ended with 6 points, barely keeping me in first place.

Adam made the final table also, pocketing 7 points for his efforts and pulling ahead of Crystal.

Arriving late and being the guest of honor, in addition to making his first TNP appearance at the B & B, Devie made a great showing after having blinds posted for the first hour with no chance of winning those hands. Still, he was able to end the night with 8 points and an impressive showing.

Jake was out of the blocks fast and early, accumulating quite a chip lead from the get go. He peaked too early, however, and soon ran out of steam. It was his best showing yet, however, and his 9 points will certainly boost his standings in the stats.

The final 3 made for quite a contest. The real battle, at this point, was for second place. The chip lead Deb had accumulated at this point left little doubt as to who would emerge victorious. Second place, however, was very much up in the air. And this battle came down to Nick and Mark. Nick kept looking at the clock for he knew the alarm clock this morning would herald the start of a new day, and the Dos XX he had been consuming wouldn't make that sound a welcome one. Still, refusing Mark's adivce to simply put up his chips and go home, he fought on valiantly, yet could not overcome Mark's late surge and ended in third place with 10 points.

Perhaps the surprise of the night came from Mark. His main goal was to end the night with more points than Justin, and it was nip & tuck from the beginning, leaving even that modest goal in doubt. At one point, Mark was all in for his final $35 in chips, but the poker gods were gracious to Mark last night and he survived. When Justin was finally eliminated, it would have been easy for Mark to relax and settle for simply besting his rival. But no, having achieved one goal, he set his sight on winning the night. However, by the time the heads up was determined to be between he and Deb, the chips she had accumulated seemed insurmountable, and immediately after he removed Nick from the competition for second place, Mark, with the hour late, conceded the game and earned for himself 12 points and a lead over Justin.

For the second week in a row, Deb overwhelmed her competition and as in days of old left the contest with another mark in the win column, adding 14 points and ending just shy of first place. Next week's contest will be a nail biter. Can she join the elite club of 3-peats and assume the top spot? Will Justin be able to fight back and reclaim his superiority over Mark? Will Adam hold off a relentless Crystal? Will Stevie be off or will his absence cost him points and position? Will Nick's ADD ever allow him to win? Will Markus and Jake be married by next week? Stay tuned for another thrilling episode of Thursday Night Poker at the Admiral's Bed & Breakfast!

NAME__________POINTS__________PLACE
Markus_____________1_____________12
Crystal____________2_____________11
Stevie_____________3_____________10
Justin_____________4______________9
Tanner_____________5______________8
Jeff_______________6______________7
Adam_______________7______________6
Devie______________8______________5
Jake_______________9______________4
Nick______________10______________3
Mark______________12______________2
Deb_______________14______________1

Shuffle up & eat!

Well, looks like the wind is going to howl today, so I'll cook the burgers in the oven. Looks like we're going to have a great crowd, so not only will there be plenty to eat, there will also be plenty of points for the taking. We'll start eating around 6:30ish and start the poker soon after we're done stuffing our face. I think we'll make this a monthly thing, having different themes for each time. What about Mexican pile on next time. No, we're not going to find a Mexican and pile on him, sorry to disappoint you Nick, but each person brings a different ingredient. Seasoned ground beef & chicken, tortillas, Fritos, Doritos, refried beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatos, onions, jalepenos, avacado, black olives, just about whatever you'd want. We'll plan this for some time next month. Here's a list of who's bringing what.

Jeff____ Meat & baked beans
Adam____ Pumpkin pie
Nick____ Lettuce & tomatos
Mark & Justin___ Buns, cheese, pickles & onions
Markus & Jake____ Chips & dips
Deb_________ Soft drinks & Mayo
Crystal______ Soft drinks

Let's eat!

As some of you may or may not know, Devie is having his 21st birthday party this weekend. In order to help him celebrate this mile stone, I’m going to grill some burgers Thursday night before poker. I’ll provide the burgers and make some baked beans. I’ll need volunteers to bring lettuce, tomatos, onions, pickles, chips, cheese slices, buns, mustard & mayo and soft drinks. You can reply to me via a comment here or by email. And, since he’s having cake at his party on Saturday, he’s requested pumpkin pie, so if someone can bring one from one of the bakeries that make em good, we’ll have pumpkin pie as well. Since we’re cooking and eating before poker, I’ll start the burgers on the grill at about 6:30 and we’ll eat soon thereafter.

Let's figure on 12 people.

Jeff____ Meat & baked beans
Adam____ Pumpkin pie
Nick____ Lettuce & tomatos
Mark & Justin___ Buns, cheese, pickles & onions
Markus & Jake____ Chips & dips
Deb_________ Soft drinks & Mayo

The Empire Strikes Back

Good crowd for TNP last night. A total of 8 players on 2 tables, so lots of points to divy up. Me, Mark, Deb and Nick at one table, Adam, Crystal, Justin and Shane at the other. And a change in the bottom of the pack. Acquiescing to Mark's request to make it a DOT night, we soon dropped the Omaha for 7 or 5 card stud, making it a STD night. So, let's jump right into it.

Having to show up just to defend his position against an encroaching Justin, the last thing Mark needed was to be first out, yet that's just what happened. He finished the night with 1 point and his hands on the dog leash and saltines.

Hoping to build on the momentum he started last week, Nick finished in 7th place after having a hard day at work. He'll add 2 points and 2 Ibuprofin to his total.

So much for the quad-peat. I didn't even finish in the top half, so I'll add 3 points, thanks to Justin.

After putting me out, Justin bowed out next with 4 points. Shane's trip Aces edged out his trip Kings! Still, how can you go all night betting big on a pair of 4s and yet he put me out by beating my flush with a full house?

Adam was next to exit the contest with 5 points. I could hear him and Crystal going at each other all night. I wonder about those 2 some times.

In fact, she was next out with 6 points. Anyone else see a pattern here? Hmmm.

The heads up came down to two nemesis with lots of history and each eager to put the other one out. When the heads up started, they were both about as even in chips as anyone could be. It's been said that there are no friends or kin when you sit down at the poker table, and these two battled it out like sumo wrestlers, going back and forth trying to push the other over the edge. Finally, Shane succumed and ended the night with 8 points.

Finally, after a long drought, Deb was able to claim victory at a TNP and garnered 10points for her efforts, taking a solid second place in the standings and only 11 points from the top spot. The old guard is back! Let it be known that you can't keep us down for long, and the game has just begun! As in the days of old, Deb and I are at the top looking down!

NAME__________PLACE__________POINTS
Mark______________8__________1
Nick______________7__________2
Jeff______________6__________3
Justin____________5__________4
Adam______________4__________5
Crystal___________3__________6
Shane_____________2__________8
Deb_______________1__________10

There you have it. Some moved up, some moved down. With only 1/4 of the year gone, there's still plenty of time for even the bottom feeders to come to the top for air. Tune in next week for another thrilling chapter in the saga of Thursday Night Poker at the Admiral's Bed and Breakfast.

THIS JUST IN.......

Mark just called and instead of being at work at 7AM, like he was supposed to, he went in at 10, so he'll be getting off at 5 and will be able to attend tonight's session. Per his request, tonight will be a DOT night, as he has yet to participate in a DOT and is eager to do so. So bring your thinking caps and get ready for some draw and Omaha along with our usual Texas!

The table is set..........

So far this year, only 2 players have had 3-peats, Tanner & Myself. Tonight, I'll try for the first quad-peat. Needless to say, I'll have plenty of people there to try and prevent that very thing from happening, including, but not limited to; Nick, who last week came oh so close to winning his first TNP, we'll see if his improving poker skills will continue this week; Adam, who reminded us last week, being gone from the poker table for weeks at a time doesn't mean he's forgotten how to play; Deb, who now finds herself in second place but still after that elusive first win; Shane, who would like to beat his mother AND win a TNP; Crystal, who would love to redeem herself after last week's embarrassing first out; Justin, who is hot on the heels of Mark and would love to pass him by and leave him in the dust. Speaking of Mark, his absence will continue as his obsession with "American Idol" means he has to work Thursday nights so he can be off on Tuesday and Wednesday nights to watch that show. And last but certainly not least, Stevie and Tanner. Stevie is working nights at the hospital now so who knows when we'll see him again, and Tanner is dealing with school. So, the table is set, who will sit down and have a victory feast tonight? Tune in tomorrow at this time for the thrilling conclusion to this weeks TNP!