The first two seasons were judged on 5 week increments known as rounds (30 matches, 6 rounds total).  A player could win a round, earn a seat at the CG and never be heard from again until that final match.  Well, that’s what Susan ‘Kraz’ Krasulak did in season 1.  The loosest player in the club, Dominic ‘Dominator’ Cardine, won four matches in a row at one point in season 2 and earned a seat.  They weren’t the best players by any means, but both earned their seat based on the rules at the time – and both won the Champions Game.

My hope is the Champions Game will become a big freakin’ deal.  With the new table system, I think it will in fact put the best possible players in a seat for a chance to win.  If not the best players, it will at least reward the players who came out the most during the regular season.  Ultimately, I want the game to matter.  When the players arrive for the game, I want there to be a championship feel surrounding them.  Pomps and circumstances beyond reason.  We’re talking ESPN broadcast, media frenzy hoopla baby.

I’m realistic, unfortunately.  I know it won’t matter much; it may not even matter to the players in the game let alone anyone else.  I think the season 2 winner – Dom – didn’t even care whether he won or not.  Not me.  I haven’t had the pleasure to play in the game yet.  My own conceived game, and I haven’t even played in one.  My passion for the creation and maintenance of the CG - the club in general - doesn’t hinder on my performance.  I just feel the game should hold a lot of weight given all the Thursday nights that go into it.

What does this all mean.  As I stated, eight more Thursday nights to go.  I currently sit in 5th position, which by rule is under the automatic qualifier zone.  This table is a rollercoaster ride however, and I’m well aware of the ups and downs.  I went through a 2 month patch that took me from 1st to 8th to 5th and who knows were from here out.  I feel confident in my play of late – results not withstanding.  If I can put together three solid outcomes in the next eight, that should be enough.  Only Swanky (Mike L) has really stood up of late and took off.  Everyone else has been just as topsy-turvy as I have; they have all kept me alive during my slump.  Now is the time to either rise above the players all around me, or fall away into a third consecutive non-Champions Game appearance.  Time will tell – its all in how I play the hand dealt to me.

Faith failing.  UGH!

I have 9 matches to break this funk and reverse this curse.  Match 20 was a very good case-in-point.  I started safe and solid.  I played good hands, folded good hands, and moved in and out accordingly.  I knocked out a player early and was set-up very well with over $400 chips.  I continued to play good hands and make calls when they were the correct plays.  BUT…..the gods (bastards) reduced me to nothing.  When I made good calls I got unlucky.  I made strong bets with the goods, and was called by a player with nothing — yet they won the hand in the end.  I’m just not catching the cards when I need them; I’m a Poker-Funk All*Star!

I played well in Match 20.  I really liked my game; my form.  It was the first time in a very long time that I played solid poker.  Did anyone notice?  Do I care?  I had to feel better, and in a way I felt relieved.  I felt good for getting a ‘hit’, and felt good for making strong plays.  Maybe I will use this match to reach deep down and move forward on my own accord, without the help of those demonic beasts that sit over the table.

The entire slate of events was tentatively mapped out until June 2009.   It all starts and ends with TNPC.  September was a mediocre start for me personally at the table.  I was getting points, but only averaging sixth place finishes.  I stated the need for consistency, and although I was setting the league on fire I was getting results.  Just when I felt a slump coming and frustrating kicking in, I went from $35 chips to my first win of the campaign.  That vaulted me to three straight heads up appearances and ultimately first place.  October and November were very solid.  My game has not blown anyone away, and at times it has been relatively pedestrian.  But I took an approach for consistency and it was paying off.  End of November and into December I tappered off.  I only placed once out of four weeks, but lucky for me no other player stood up and took advantage.  I maintained my lead at the top of the ranks until Match 13, when Scott “Splash” Green finally bumped me down one spot. 

December was the month of league events.  It began with the third annual Holiday Poker Evening.  Twenty-eight players participated and with one re-buy we had 29 paid spots.  The victory went to little known, but very drunk novice player Corrine Buda; much to the dismay of event legend Mike ‘Swanky’ Luciano who finished runner-up. {Swanky gets revenge later}  The night was a complete success.  Drinks were served up by two very cute servers courtesy of PJ Whelihans and everyone came dressed to impress.  Lion Cup II, a random draw tournament, also began play.  Three groups of six players each battled, with the first player out eliminated.  We lost the Uki Boar, Andy and V-Dub in the 1st round.  Bruce ‘Brucifer’ Hale, Bob ‘Fluff’ Gearhart and Mr. Swanky were all group winners.  Then it was Swanky’s Revenge.  Heads Up Challenge #4 took place two days before Christmas, and for the second straight challenge, Mike won.  The top seeds played to form, as 1-4 finished in the top 4.

Who can forget the oddity of Match 13.  Poor Joe ‘Joey Caps’ Capparell lost his vehicle in a drunken hit & run accident, which occured mid-match.  As it was, Earl the Drunken Elf was arrested after a mini-chase around the neighborhood, and peace was restored to the Lion’s Den.

The action will heat up with 17 matches yet to play in TNPC.  With the top six gaining automatic entry to the Champions Game, the real chase will be for the #7-12 wild card game.  The safe players (at the moment) are Scott, myself, Steve, Mike, Alec and Season 2 champ Dominic.  Gabby, Markian, Josh, Susan, Joe C and Kim are in-line for the wild card game.  You can expect those 12 names to shuffle quite a bit in the coming months, with players like Bob, Cody and Rich possibly having something to say.

And of course we can look forward to another Pot O’ Gold Poker Craic in March!

Stay tuned…2009 should prove to be very interesting for the remainder of Lion Poker’s Season 3!

There is no doubt the HPE will be focused on an overall good time, but make no mistake about my true intentions for the evening.  I’ve never won an event, and I would very much like to win one.  I’m playing well at the moment in TNPC (ranked 1st by 13.5 pts), but must find a way to better balance the duty of host and poker player.

So in this spirit of giving, I’m very thrilled to host this lovely event.  I plan, however, on being the scrooge when it comes to the poker table on December 12th.

Happy Holidays!

I’m not gloating; merely stating the truth.  It is nice to sit at a table, feel totally relaxed and know that you can play within yourself – within your own game.  This is a good sign as I lead up to a charity tournament this upcoming Saturday for my cousin’s fire company.  It is a $75 buy-in, and the prizes are ‘healthy’.  My game is tuned, and so is my mindset.

I sit atop the Lion Poker TNPC ranks, clear 10 points of second.  Consistent is the way to go, and so far I’ve only missed out on the points and the final table once in six matches.  This is what I came into the season striving for — to be consistent and be in the points (no matter the amount) as often as possible.  Ask Booger if consistency wins.

Over-confident I am not.  Pleased with my current efforts – very!

I was so frustrated the plan didn’t work out. My game is NOT tight and patience. My game is aggressive and instincts. Forcing myself into a gameplan not suited to my strengths was a stretch for me, but I did attempt to mix it up. Failing, I realized after I survived my second all-in that I would have to revert back to the style which I’ve gained success with in my entire poker career.

I had chips and confidence going into the final table. Then I began getting cards. Ask anyone who’s been card-dead and they’ll tell you having good starting cards can do wonders for your abillity to navigate the table. I turned my game up a notch in a big way. I started slow-playing monsters, and was getting paid off on them. In fact, with 4 players remaining, I slow-played pocket Aces. Joey Caps, who is as loose of a player as they come, was betting after my checks the whole way. Finally after 5th I decided to lead out and he went all-in. He was baffled and in an odd way impressed with my tactic. I ended up knocking out the final six players on my way to victory.

By slow-playing and having patience, while maintaining that edge of aggressiveness and using my instincts, I learned that it IS my best form of action. It will more than likely be on display quite a bit more throughout.

The element of my game that irks me the most is my lack of hit points. I’m not putting myself in the situation to knock players out, whereas last year I was in the top 3 in this category. Simply, I haven’t been aggressive. I know I haven’t been; this is calculated. Last season I was aggressive and successful early, but faded on the downslop of the season. I’m striving for consistency in the season 3 campaign. While I’ve had some strong plays in spots, I’m allowing myself to be dictated by other players. Again, its calculated and its ok. I’ve also been caught with strong starting hands, only to meet poor flops. As Dominic so elequently put it “there is no such thing as a bad starting hand, just bad flops”. Am I alone in thinking that is brilliant?

Last night I was gaining chips on good solid plays. I picked up 5-6 spades and called a raise ahead of me. To set the stage, the raiser was Officer Parks, who was ultra-aggressive last night (not to mention we have a history of some killer hands versus one another). He had been raising pre-flop from the beginning, but I liked my suited connectors and it only cost me $8 more. Flop came out J-2-3, and I told myself to play slow but commit fully. I checked, he raised, I called. Turn gave me my straight with the four. Again I checked, he raised, I called. Granted, I was being very dilliberate with my approach to the hand; continue to play as if I was pondering each bet slowly. River produced a 7, so I felt no doubt the nuts were mine. I led out this time with $35 hoping he would think I was taking a stab, and he called immediately. Once I showed my straight he mucked and I won a big pot.

Conversly, I met my end way too early – second out if I recall. The hand was a big one, the pot enormous. I held K-10 against Booger Dawson, whom I greatly respect for his consistent play. Steve had taken Dominic out earlier, so he had me covered on chips. Flop came out K-Q-J. Nice! I liked my king, but Booger was first to act and came out swinging just as he clobbered it pre-flop. I immediately put him on either a 10 or an ace, with the chase to a straight. I was chasing as well, but I also held top pair and in my gut, I felt it was strong. Turn came a 9, so once more I picked up my straight thanks to 4th street. Booger went all-in. I had the straight, and only the hand of A-10 would have me beat before the river. I pondered, but felt if anything we were chopping. Sure enough, he had A-10 and when a 5 came on 5th, I was out.

I could’ve laid that hand down, but I really didn’t think he had A-10. I thought I was chopping it. He flopped it, he hammered it, and my instincts were lying to my brain. But I’m taking my time on each hand I’m involved in, and I’m thinking out my betting strategy hand to hand. Inside, I feel good where my game is at. On the outside, I need to start getting results. Maybe, just maybe, its time to get back to my more aggressive style and start adding a wrinkle to the top 6 who seem to be too comfortable up there at the moment.

Poker is about as ancient as football, both deriving in the mid to late 1800′s to the form we know today. It still has the same effect as it would’ve back then. You can’t help but scratch your head, pound your fist or stare at the ceiling as you attempt sleep just thinking about poker hands. I know many different types of poker players – those who care while they’re at the table and those who take it home with them. Those who take it home with them tend to analyze their plays, as well as the plays of others. They also tend to carry it back to the next game they sit down at, and more than likely it will have some lingering effect.

There are going to be highs and lows for which – if you truly love the game – will ride each with fervor and passion. A friend of mine, who participates in Lion Poker, hasn’t won on a Thursday night since April 2007. That is a very long time; almost 40 Thursday nights have passed since. Yet he comes back each time knowing the next game could be his big hit. Then there are those players who are grinding their teeth at one rank out of two attempts. Not bad considering the length of the season (30 nights) and that we’ve just begun. I love poker for the simple fact that all people can play it no matter what race or creed or religion or age or status. So many different personality types – many at TNPC alone – to make for a mix of persons you would pay to be in their company.

Jimmy was right about his line, but I think it is befitting of poker most of all. It truly is a funny old game.

Granted, it had been an awful two days of online poker (via myspace) since I had reached the $4.8million mark in chips. By Saturday’s end I was down to $4.3, so I was determined after football was over to rev it back up and get to Five Mil. The opposite happened. I entered a $100,000/$200,000 room, and I felt like all the lights turned off and 10,000 hornets swarmed around me. My heart was pulsing; it wasn’t supposed to be so nerve-wracked in an online poker room. I didn’t pay attention well enough to notice the minimum buy-in of $2,000,000; this was not a room to be putting my precious millions on the line. But there I was, on tilt to begin with, bruising along with a bunch of foreigners (literally). I decided to stick it out, and play with these bullies. Collectively, in total, there was $300 million chips at that table, and I was clearly the lowest with now $3.3 million total.

Then it happened. I possessed KJ offsuit, and wouldn’t you know a flop of 8-K-J appeared. I was already commited as the big blind, so I checked. The player to my left, who was first to act after the flop, went all-in. At best, I put him on K8 or AQ; he would’ve needed help. Scarily, there were two other callers after him, but I thought my top two-pair and remaining buy-in of $1,800,000 was good and went all-in myself. It happened so bloody fast; players cards and the remaining community cards all flipped up in one mass fluster of activity and at the end of the madness was heartbreak to which I could not imagine. My ‘buddy’ to the left went all in with 10-7; I don’t recall what the other two guys had because the chips didn’t go to them. In the end, the board showed 8-K-J-9-9, and I was beat by a guy holding 10-7 and a straight. The air to which I hold precious, was gone from my body. I would’ve collected – get this – $8,000,000 on ONE POT, and instead I was down to $1.5 million.

I don’t get that exhausted at the real poker table, but I was emotionally spent and VERY MUCH on tilt. My empire approaching the coveted $5 million mark was dwindling away. What would Swanky or Aunt Timmy or Tata or Ten say? I was determined now more than ever to sink or swim on this evening. If I was going back to the ice age with the rest of my friends (the 10/20 tables) then so be it, but I was not going to end the night on a hand like that.

I returned to a table, this time a different venue and a different $10,000/20,000 in hopes of restoring my pride. To be exact, I was down to my last $1.454 million of which I bought in with $1 million (min is $200k). Again, I was not the largest stack by any stretch. The big boys were out. It may have been 10/20k, but these guys were playing like it was millions. I don’t want to go on and on and on about how I played at this table, but lets just say I righted the wrongs of the weekend by nibbling away at some smaller pots just waiting for my biggy. And it happened. On one pot I won over $4 million, pushing me over the $5 million mark and got the F out of dodge.

I’m a $5m boy now, and as it stands I don’t ever – EVER want to have to flirt with a complete washout again. I was ranked 70th entering Saturday out of every single MySpace player with 4.8 mil. Wonder what $5.1 will get me? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Recap:  Gabby, aka ‘Gamblegirl’ won the night, but this is a marathon we’re running with 29 more nights to go.  She ended up beating fellow original member Scott for the opening prize.  Veteran original and 2-time overall regular season champ Steve aka ’Booger’ took third.   Action was tight for most of the night, with the players getting back into the swing of TNPC action.  Our first hit didn’t come until blind level 5, which was more than 2 hours into the action.  When one cracks, the damn breaks open. When it was said and done the game went just over 3 hours. 

Conclusion:  I’m glad its back.  It shows that we as a group have a great commitment to poker, our friendships and the league we created in 2006.  Its a fun bunch; a unique mix of every possible class, race and ethnicity you can think of and yet we still gel as a group.  11 last night will be 14 the next and 9 after that and 16 after that….but it doesn’t matter.  Our core is strong, loyal and in it for the long run.  I’m not ready to delve deep into the actual cards and the games themselves – yet.  I would love for all who reads this to understand the deeper elements involved first; then the poker will follow.