There was a solid turnout last night, nine players in total (including Rich and Ron, making their Poker Club debuts) plus firstfrost stepping in as Designated Dealer and tirinian joining for the occasion.
A generous array of snacks appeared, with more pretzels, Oreos, and M&Ms than we could finish.
My only strategic misstep as host was taking on the role of dealer for the Warm-Up Round. I stepped in so firstfrost could eat her dinner in peace, but the Warm-Up Round is designed to serve two purposes:
- Let any of the Clones {who want it/are capable of it} take part
- Provide the dealer a chance to "get into the groove"
With me dealing, we only achieved Objective #1, but Clones #1 and #2 enjoyed themselves, and it gave us the opportunity to demonstrate the application of the "Dead Button" rule to the new players.
For me, it was the Night of Pocket Pairs. I was dealt pairs on six hands (22, 66, 88, JJ, QQ, and KK twice...).
It was also the night of the Monster All-In, which mjperson called the "Hand of Glory". Before that hand, I was in second place. A total of four players went all-in before the flop. The complexity of the various pot splits forced firstfrost to use Post-It notes to help keep track. Harrock was rooting for me, since my taking out the other four players would have guaranteed him (and me) a spot in the Top Three. As it happened, two players (Rich and mjperson) and my own chip stack took hits. It seemed like a reasonable risk to take; I figure my participation in that pot cost me at leat one place in the rankings.
All in all, I call it a successful night, and plan on scheduling the next one Real Soon. Feel free to offer your own opinions/post-game analyses/etc.
Final Standings:
- ilhander - $45
- Ron - $27
- davehenry - $18
- harrock
- treptoplax
- mjperson
- Rich
- kirisutogomen
- Gary