Card Night 30-Mar-2010

Over four years ago, on December 27, 2005, Bill hit a spade royal flush to win jackpot.  No one else has hit a royal flush since.  Until tonight.

Once again it was Bill.  And once again it was a spade royal flush.

Our jackpot rules state that when someone hits a royal flush, they get all of jackpot.  And whereas there was only $12.70 in jackpot back on December 27, 2005, tonight Bill won a whopping $63.50.  It’s the biggest jackpot win by anyone in almost six years.

And yet…

Bill still lost for the night (-$14.00).  In fact, if you had pick a cold player right now, it would be Bill.  He’s the big loser for the year so far, even though he’s missed almost half of the 2010 Card Nights.  He’s only had one winning night this year, and he’s on pace to lose over $1,200.00 by year’s end.

Poker, huh?

Mark D	‑$17.00
Paul	+$153.00
Phil	‑$83.00
Bill	‑$14.00
Jason	+$13.00
Mike S	+$49.00
Glen	‑$58.00

NCAA Basketball Pool records after the second round

Paul and Warren are doing great in the NCAA Basketball Pool at the completion of the second round.  Paul has three teams left, Warren has four teams left, and they both have already recouped $24.00 of their $30.00 entry fees.

Paul wanted to know, in the history of our pool, who has done the best at the conclusion of the first week of play.

• Mark DeVol holds the record for most teams advancing (seven) and most money earned ($14.00) after the first round.  He did that in 2009.
• Warren (2006) and Mark DeVol (2009) share the record for most money earned after the second round: $26.00.
• Paul holds the record for most teams advancing past the second round (five), which he did in 2001.  The payback worked a little differently that year than it does now.  If the payback had been the same in 2001 as it is now, Paul would also hold the record for most money earned after the second round with a total of $30.00.  As it was, Paul was up $20.00 after the second round in 2001.
• Warren holds the dubious record of fewest teams advancing past the first round: one.  That happened in 2009 when only his number-one pick Connecticut won in the first round.  As a result, Warren also holds the record for least money won after the first round ($2.00).
• Three people share the unbreakable record for fewest teams advancing past the second round (zero):  Mark Huyser (2003 and 2004), Mike Stefanidis (2004), and Dave (2006).
• Mark Huyser (2003 and 2004), Mike Stefanidis (2004), Dave (2006), and Warren (2009) share the record for least money won after the second round: $6.00. (Warren also won only $6.00 after the second round in 2001, but, again, our payback was different that year, and he would have won $8.00 under the new system.)

Card Night 23-Mar-2010

On a hand of Texas Hold ’em, Bill raised pre-flop, and Paul folded 6-3 in one of the blinds.  Now, whereas most players would fold 6-3 to a raise while in one of the blinds, 6-3 is the kind of hand that Paul loves to play.  However, this time he folded.

The flop came 3-3-3.

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During a hand of Omaha Hi-Lo, it was folded all the way around to the blinds.  Bill was in the small blind, Paul was in the big blind.  In a Card Night first, Bill and Paul decided to chop (that is, they agreed to just take their blinds back and end the hand).  Chopping like that happens all the time in casinos, but never at Card Night.  Until tonight.

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Mark D	‑$4.00
Paul	+$43.00
Phil	‑$11.00
Bill	‑$52.00
Glen	+$5.00

Card Night 16-Mar-2010

Phil had his best Card Night ever, taking home $150.00.  It seemed like all night long Phil scooped pot after pot.

Tonight was the fourth time this year a player has had his best Card Night ever:

• Jason, +$129.00, January 5
• Ty, -$26.00, January 19
• Mike S, +$206.00, February 9
• Phil, +$150.00, March 16

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No doubt Phil’s win was boosted by the higher stakes we played tonight.  Most of the Hold ’em and Omaha games we played were $2-$4 instead of $1-$2.

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The color of cards became a hot topic.

It was suggested that someone start keeping track of the winners and pot sizes based on which colored cut card is used.  (Any volunteers?)

Also, although some players thought the colors of the backs of the two Copag decks we’re currently using are gold and blue, they are in fact gold and black.

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We drew for our NCAA Tournament picks.  Entries and results are here.

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Mark D	+$31.00
Mary	‑$44.00
Paul	+$26.00
Phil	+$150.00
Bill	‑$19.00
Mike S	‑$112.00
Glen	‑$26.00

Card Night 09-Mar-2010

Paul bought in for $120.00 before things started to turn around for him.  And although his comeback was big (boosted by a $30.75 jackpot win), he finished just shy of winning, instead losing $4.00 for the night.

His jackpot came on a hand of Construction where he was dealt three 10s in the hole.  Anytime you’re dealt three-of-a-kind in the hole in Construction, your chances of hitting four-of-a-kind are 3.8 to 1.  If your card shows up anywhere on the ten-card board, you’ll make that four-of-a-kind, even though you have to use the “must use every card within a line” rule.  (Every card on the board falls within some line that has exactly one or exactly two cards in it.  So, you can always use the three-of-a-kind in your hand with the fourth card of the same rank on the board, no matter where that fourth card shows up.)

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Glen called seven rounds of Razz, which is just Seven-Card Stud low, and it made for some wild hands.  It can be a frustrating game because you can start with great cards and end up with nothing.  “You don’t have your hand until you have it,” is an expression often heard in Razz.  That’s because, since it’s low only, you don’t have any hand at all until you receive that fifth card.

Mark DeVol won a huge pot when he turned over a 7-high at showdown.  Three other players called his river bet with 8- and 9-highs.

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Mark D	+$30.00
Mary	‑$81.00
Paul	‑$4.00
Phil	‑$78.00
Jason	+$65.00
Mike S	+$46.00
Glen	+$34.00

Card Night 02-Mar-2010

Card Night suffered from missing-Bill-and-Mary syndrome again tonight.  Only $55.00 was exchanged between winners and losers.  Paul was the “big” winner (+$37.00), and Warren was the “big” loser (-$21.00).

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Not only was Paul the big winner for the night, he was also the only winner.  It’s the ninth time in recorded Card Night history that only one player won for the night.  Mike Stefanidis, Mike Coyne, and Bill have each done it once.  Tonight was the sixth time Paul has done it.

There have been six Card Nights where there was only one loser for the night.  Warren and Ike were each the victim twice, and Mark Huyser and Bill each did it once.

On each of these nights (when there was a single winner or a single loser), there were six or fewer players in attendance.

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(So, if you’re thinking, “Wait!  If Paul was the only winner tonight, and he won $37.00, how can you say that $55.00 was exchanged between winners and losers?”  Answer: Jackpot was also a “winner” tonight, growing by $18.00.)

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Mark D	‑$6.00
Paul	+$37.00
Warren	‑$21.00
Phil	‑$9.00
Jason	‑$13.00
Glen	‑$6.00