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