The End.

I regret to report the Fish & Chips Poker Tour's league blog is ending indefinitely. 

The state of our league is strong and it continues onward like an unstoppable rebel force but blog entries recapping each event will no longer be posted here.

This blog is and always was a group participation and that participation has waned over the last several months. This has unfortunately resulted in this blog being indefinitely suspended.

The F&CPT blog made it's debut on May 26th, 2009. It spanned a total of 78 consecutive regular and post-season league events over seven years ending on July 18th, 2015.

So as Drake said, "it's been a pleasure..."

F&CPT Blogger

Jason Tr. 

...And Potbets for All

Ingram - John M. defeated head's-up opponent Marc H. to claim the F&CPT's fifth annual Metallica themed PLO tournament in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 12th.

Three regulars who included Jim H, Bill B. and Keith K. couldn't make it and only one substitute was located. That sub was Drew M. who has won the last two league PLO events. The field remained at 18 players heading into the opening deals.

This season's Metallica theme was "...And Potbets for All". For the second consecutive season, a Metallica soundtrack returned tableside that spanned just over 7 hours. Each player received a satin sticky sticker which doubled as a name tag.

Everyone but Drew arrived and the opening deals went out just after 7PM.

The first blind level expired and Drew still had not arrived. A short time later, he phoned saying he'd overslept and he was not going to be able to make it. So I guess at least someone other than Drew would be winning the event this year. The field finally settled at 17 participants.

Kevin was the first player to rebuy and subsequently the first player eliminated from the tournament after blinds reached 2k/4k. No elimination information was recorded.

Sean followed Kevin in the same blind level after his K-J-J-7 failed to outdraw Eric's Q-Q-9-7 which eventually made quad queens.

Chris S. was punished all night by flopping the nuts only to have it turn into the second best hand by the river; it was well into the night before he pulled his first pot.  The night was going so badly for Chris that he snapped a selfie to commemorate his first pot.

Chris would play his last hand on a flop of 8-9-J while he was holding A-Q-J-10 in a pot with four callers. He potted and Mike M. called. A four came on the turn. Chris potted again and Mike called. A river queen was dealt. All Chris' chips were in with a queen-high straight and Mike called revealing 8-9-K-10 for a higher straight to the king which sent Chris packing in 15th place.

Two full blind levels passed by with no eliminations. Then the "Level Where Champions are Made" arrived increasing the stakes to 5k/10k/1k. Anita was all-in short-stacked preflop with 9-7-3-2 and she was called by Fran's 5-5-?-?. A five appeared on the flop putting Fran in the lead however it also gave Anita an OESD. The turn was a blank. The notes on the hand then state "F&%king quads on the river" (for Fran). Anita then went to sleep on the blue chair.

Anti-omaha proponent Mike T. was the next player to hit the bricks (out in 13th place) when his A-K-10-8 went up against antagonist Jason Ta's 5-5-?-? which turned a five for a set. Apparently 5-5-?-? was the hand to have this tournament.

With blinds still at 5k/10k/1k, Jason Tr. took a stand all-in for 57k with A-J-Q-7 and got called by Mike M's A-A-8-7 who's aces went on to hold up.

Jim O. followed Jason to the rail in 11th place. No elimination information was recorded on the hand.

Tom W. was eliminated in 10th place by an unknown assailant thus forming the final table. No elimination information was recorded on this hand either.

Jason Ta. was the first player eliminated from the final table with blinds at 7k/15k/2k. Jason potted John's limp to 70k and John made the call. A flop of 8-5-? was dealt out. Jason was then all-in for his last 53k and John called tabling A-J-8-3. Jason showed A-A-8-5 for a commanding lead. A seven was dealt on the turn which changed nothing. But a jack on the river gave John the higher two-pair and the elimination. Notes on the hand ended with "John sucked out".

In the same level, Chris B. bet out 80k on a flop of Kh-3d-4d holding Ah-Ks-Qd-4s. Marc then potted to 346k and Chris called. Marc revealed Kd-Jd-2h-5s for the world. The 7d turn gave Marc a king-high flush. And the Ad river gave him an even bigger one. Chris quietly exited the premises in 8th place.

With blinds still at 7k/15k/2k, Lolly was all-in PF holding K-K-Q-2. John M. looked her up with 3-3-5-A. The 3-5-2 flop confirmed the night was definitely going John's way. This was further confirmed by a four on the turn and a five on the river giving John a full-house. Lolly was out in 7th place.

Still in the same blind level, Mike M. pushed holding A-K-J-10 and was called by an unknown player who held 8-8-?-?. The 8-K-9-8-? board gave the unknown player quad 8's which dispatched Mike in 6th place.

Blinds increased to 15k/30k/5k when Nick's Q-Q-?-? went up against Marc's K-K-?-? and lost. Notes on the hand included "Pot, Pot, Pot" and "Blanks".

Eric was able to nurse a short stack at the final table because 4 people were eliminated in the first orbit and Nick followed shortly thereafter.  But at a critical spot when Eric barely had a big blind, he managed to quad-up his stack with second pair.  The tide began to turn and he took down some unchallenged pots with a preflop raise.  Looking down and A-A-K-7, he put the rest of his stack in the middle and hoped for another double up when Marc called and tabled 9-9-A-?.  Being a 3:1 favorite didn't last long as a 9 hit the flop, giving Marc a set and leaving Eric drawing very thin.  The turn and river brought no help and Eric was eliminated in 4th place.

Fran was eliminated in 3rd place soon after blinds increased to 20k/40k/6k. Fran all-in potted a flop of J-3-7 holding J-7-5-K. John called and showed A-A-2-2. As fate would have it, a two appeared on the turn giving John a set and the lead. A meaningless six on the river sent Fran away in 3rd place.

Head's-up play between Marc and John started with John having just a slight lead in chips over his opponent. However the lead was exchanged several times over the course of an hour of play.

On the final hand of the tournament with blinds at 25k/50k and with John just slightly ahead in chips, Marc potted to 100k holding Qc-Qs-6s-Ah and John called. The flop came out 8d-8s-9h. Another 100k bet was placed by Marc and John called. The turn was the 9s giving Marc two-pair (queens and nines) and a flush draw. Another 100k bet by Marc was again called by John. The river was the As filling Marc's flush. Marc bet another 100k and John raised all-in. Marc made the quick call but John turned over Ac-Ad-2c-6h for aces full of nines and S7E3 had it's winner!

This is John's first win this season and third consecutive cash. He finished 3rd in S7E1 and 2nd in S7E2.

 Thanks to everyone who participated in S7E3 and congrats to John on his win!

~ Jason Tr.

Return of the King

Huntington Drive - Season 6 Champion Jason Ta. defeated head's-up opponent John M. to claim the second event of the seventh season of the F&CPT early Sunday morning, June 14th.

For the last two season's, Huntington Drive has hosted the infamous Unlimited Rebuy Event. After changes in the blind structures opening levels last season, the event didn't play like it previously did. So it was left off the schedule this season. Instead, Huntington Drive would be host to a NLHE freeze-out tournament instead.

Heading into Saturday afternoon, the event remained full at 20 players with regulars Fran and Kevin A. out. They were replaced by sub's Drew M. and newcomer Paulo C. However just a few hours before the opening deals went out, Nick and Anita had to cancel due to thinking the tournament was the following Saturday. And then Lolly had to cancel due to a family emergency. Sub Brian M. filled one of the three open seats, however nobody else could be located on short notice.

The field settled at 18 players and the opening deals went out just after 7 o'clock.

Surprisingly, the first player to hit the bricks was none other than Mike T. He was eliminated holding pocket 8's versus Paulo's pocket jacks.

Next out was sub Brian M. who made a move on an ace-high flop holding A-J. Unfortunately for him, Jason Tr. held A-Q and made the quick call.

Jim H. was dispatched in 16th place with blinds at 2k/4k/500 after his K-Q failed to outdraw Eric's A-10. Mike M. followed Jim to the rail (out in 15th place) after Keith's paired 10 on the turn held.

Tom was out in 14th place after he shoved all-in with A-6, got called by Sean O's pocket 10's and failed to outdraw them.

With blinds increasing to 5k/10k/1k (the level where Champions are made), Chris S. found himself all-in for 62.5k holding 10-8. He was called by Jason Tr. who tabled A-J. The Q-6-2-6-4 board was dealt and Jason took the pot and elimination with ace-high.

Bill was eliminated in 12th place by an unknown antagonist with blinds still at 5k/10k/1k. To no one's surprise, no elimination info was recorded. The only notes listed were "Who the f&¢k cares!".

With blinds still at 5k/10k/1k, the action limped to Drew in late position. He looked down at K-8 and shoved. Action folded back around to Jason Tr. who had limped with pocket ace's and made the quick call. The 8-5-10-3-4  board was dealt and Drew was out in 11th place.

Again, with blinds remaining at the dreaded 5k/10k/1k level, Jim O. moved all-in for 99k with pocket 3's ahead of a raise of 30k by Jason Ta. Jason made the call and showed pocket 8's. The 10-K-K-K-8 board gave Jason the bigger boat, the elimination and the forming of the final table.

Blinds increased to 7k/15k/2k when on a limped pot between Keith and Jason Tr, a flop of 4-5-7 (2 hearts) was dealt. Keith made a bold move and announced all-in holding 10-5. Jason revealed 6h-7h for a trifecta of top pair, an OESD and a flush draw. The 2h on the turn filled Jason's flush and left Keith drawing dead.

Play continued into the 15k/30k/3k level when Chris B. and Sean O. saw a flop of 7-J-7. Chris bet out 40k and Sean quickly moved all-in for 51k. Chris called and showed A-J. Sean tabled 5-6. The turn was a 5 which gave Sean some hope. But a 3 on the river sealed it and Sean was out in 8th place.

Marc bowed out in 7th place after he was AIPF holding 8-8 and getting called by Chris B. who revealed A-K. The K-2-2 flop put Chris ahead. Blanks on the turn and river brought no help for Marc and he was out in 7th place.

Paulo was the next player out after he moved all-in ahead of a Jason Tr. raise who subsequently called. Paulo showed 3-7 whilst Jason revealed Q-8. The Q-A-7 flop hit both players, however Jason was in front with a pair of aces. A turn 9 and river king failed to improve Paulo and he was out 6th place.

The money bubble loomed as the tournament was reduced to just 5 players. The blinds increased to 15k/30k/5k when a hand was limped by Jason Tr. in the SB and Chris B. in the BB. A flop of Ks-3d-4d was dealt and Jason announced all-in. Chris snap-called revealing K-3 for two-pair.  Jason showed Ad-4d for a flush draw. The turn was the Jh keeping Chris in front. But the 8d river filled Jason's flush giving him the elimination and bursting the money bubble.

The final 4 players included Jason Tr, John M, Eric W. and Jason Ta.

With blinds still at 15k/30k/5k, Eric went all-in PF with K-7. Jason Ta. called with 5-2. The 9-7-2-2-? board gave Jason trip 2's and the elimination. However, through two events this season, Eric has two cashes which include a 2nd place finish in this season's first event and a 4th place cash in this event. Not a bad start!

Jason Tr. was on fire throughout the tournament with his big-stack aggressive play and was poised to win the event. But that fire was abruptly extinguished when he executed an ill-timed bluff against adversary Jason Ta. with blinds at 20k/40k/6k which crippled him. On the very next hand, on a flop of 5-7-3, Jason moved all-in blind. John called and revealed Q-10. Jason showed 8-2. A queen on the turn kept John in front with a pair of queens. An ace on the river dispatched Jason in 3rd place and brought the tournament to it's two final players.

Head's-up play between Jason and John started with Jason having an approximate 2-1 chip advantage over his opponent. Both players agreed to forgo the ante. Not many hands into head's-up, the final hand of the tournament was dealt.

With blinds at 25k/50k, John raised to 150k and Jason called. A flop of 8h-Qd-10d was brought out. Jason checked, John announced all-in and Jason called revealing Qs-5d for top pair. John showed Jh-10h for second pair and a GSSD. The turn was the 3c which brought no help for John. And the 4c river didn't help either and S7E2 had it's winner!

Last season's Champ has returned!

Thanks to everyone who came out for S7E2 and congrats to Jason on his win!

~ Jason Tr.

Stacked, Racked and Ready to Act

Norborne - Season Seven of the Fish & Chips Poker Tour kicked off with the familiar "Pick-A-Stack" format.  Players were allowed to choose their own starting stack of T75k, T100k, T125k or T150k.  While a bigger stack certainly has its advantages in a tournament, it also mean fewer points.  Players had to choose they strategy based on their style, balancing the advantages of a bigger stack and more points.  After seating assignments were announced, players were allowed to adjust their strating stack and a few players took advantage of the opportunity (Bill went from T75k to T150k and Eric went from T75k to T100k).

Season Seven also featured a new wrinkle: the rebuy period was extended until the final table formed.  Season Seven also debuted the attempt to start on time, keep breaks tight and not pause the clock for any reason.

Three regulars were unable to make the Labor Day weekend event, and subs were found to fill two of the seats.  On the morning of the event, John's plans changed and he reserved the final seat.  At 7:00 sharp, cards flew with all 20 seats filled.  There was one T75k stack, six standard T100k stacks, seven T125k stacks, and six T150k stacks.  The bigger buyins (and subsequently bigger rebuys) swelled the prize pool; the average buyin was $48, but the prizes could not be calculated until the rebuy period ended.  Interestingly in Event 1, 60% rebuys were mega-T150k stacks.
 
Keith was the first man standing.  He started the night on the short stack with T75k and never made any huge strides forward.  When his stack got low enough, he pushed all in blind, hoping to pick up the antes.  Instead, Nick called, Eric went all in over the top and John called; when it came back around, Nick folded to the raise.  After all the bets were in, the hands were revealed and Keith's blind bet turned out to be A-7.  But neither John nor Keith could better Eric's hand.  The win put a small dent in John's growing stack and sent Keith home in 20th place.   And while other players were chasing first place with big stacks (and big rebuys), Keith's small stack-no rebuy approach netted him enough points to climb to 14th place, despite finishing dead last.

Sub Erik M. was the first out at the red table, going down in 19th place.  Holding A-8, Erik got it all in preflop with Kevin (J-J) and Kevin's pocket pair held.

Back the the blue table, Jason Ta. pushed his stack in holding A-6 and Anita called for less holding T-T.  With an ace on the flop, Jason took the lead and Anita never caught up, exiting in 18th place.  Action continued and as players were knocked out, they rebought.  Still at the blue table, Chris S. pushed all in holding 6-6, causing folds until it got the Eric in the big blind.  After counting out his stack and confirming he had the bet covered, he called holding Q-Q (the "Ardmore Girls").  The board brought no help and Chris was eliminated in 17th place.  Angie was out in 16th place, being unable to grow her standard starting stack.

Jim O. was all in at the blue table while three players were involved in an all-in pot at the red table.  Despite the request to pause, the clock marched on.  The blue table hand finished first, and Jim O. was eliminated in 15th place.  Meanwhile at the red table, Sean had gone all in for 41,500 holding A-Q; he got two calls from Tom and Jason Tr., both of whom had Sean covered.  The flop came out 8-8-4 and Jason pushed his last 80,000 in the middle.  Tom called and revealed Q-Q (once again, the "Ardmore Girls) while Jason showed 7-7.  Tom's girls held up and he notched two eliminations and a nearly 300k-chip pot.

Eliminations moved after that, with both tables playing 6-handed.  Marc was eliminated in 12th place before Bill decided to put John and his big-stack to the test.  Bill flopped top pair and pushed all in; John insta-called holding a gut-shot straight draw and a nut flush draw.  Death came slowly for Bill as the dealer peeled off the Qh on the river to give John a winning flush and an enormous stack of chips.

Five-handed play continued until Mike M. wound up on the bad side of A-2 v J-3 suited.  The final table formed as the remaining 9 players randomly selected their seats.  After Final Table Showdown cards were drawn, the rebuy period ended and the prize pool locked at a whopping $550 for first place.  The final table formed at a reasonable time, about 11:00 PM.  Moving from two short-handed tables to one full table of 9 was a welcome change to the short stacks and the pace of eliminations slowed somewhat.  Lolly exited the final table first in 9th place, followed by Jason Ta. in 8th.  After Nick and Chris B. were both eliminated, the money bubble formed.  The next player out would go home empty handed.  That player turned out to be Tom who made a sold run as an Event 1 sub.

At the start of the night, Fran wasn't sure if he would be able to stay for the tournament, as he was monitoring a work commitment.  But he came from behind a few times and managed to stay in long enough and ride his stack to a 4th place finish, taking home $140 in the process.

As three handed play began, Kevin and John both had large stacks and Eric was holding on to a medium stack.  And after being dealt A-Q, John seemed determined to pick up a good chunk of Kevin's chips.  Unbeknownst to John, however, Kevin also held a monster.  Kevin bet the flop and John pushed all in.  Kevin quickly called and showed K-K, deflating John.  Kevin's kings held and John was eliminated in 3rd place.

Heads up, Kevin held approximately a 2:1 chip lead over Eric.  A few hands in, Kevin made top pair on the flop holding a weak queen; Eric checked to him and Kevin offered to chop first place before putting Eric all-in.  The deal was agreed to and the hands were revealed.  Eric also held a weak queen and although Kevin's quicker was slightly better, the board came out such that neither kicker played and the pot was chopped.  A few hands later, the final hand would be dealt.

The pot was raised preflop and Kevin played his hand softly, allowing Eric to take the aggressive role after hitting bottom pair on the flop.  When Eric shoves, Kevin called quickly, showing A-T for top two.  The river unnecessarily improved Kevin's hand to a boat, and he took home first place.

The win was Kevin's first cash since Season Five, and his first win since 2010.

 

Congrats to Kevin for a dominant heads-up performance and thanks to everyone who participated in Event 1. 

~Eric W.

April Calling

Hidden Court West - The Sixth Fish & Chips Poker Tour Championship Event returned to Hidden Court West for a second straight season on Saturday, April 18th.

Just like last season, the starting stacks were triple stacks plus 25% of the total chips in play awarded as bonus chips. The amount each player got was based on their cumulative season point total. The T20k structure would also be used for the second straight Championship. And with the tournament lasting over 8 hours last season, it was expected to go just as long Saturday night.

Just like last season, all blind levels in the Championship were to be 30 minutes in length throughout the entire tournament.

The theme for the Sixth F&CPT Championship was "April Calling" derived from "London Calling". Each player once again had a banner hanging of them tableside. However this season, the banners were larger.

Season Five Champ Nick G's banner was displayed next to the four existing Champion banners.

The seating assignments were randomly drawn and the starting stacks were as follows:

1. Sean O.     70,200
2. Mike T.      74,100
3. Anita G.     75,000
4. Jim O.       76,900
5. John M.     74,500
6. Bill B.        74,800
7. Jason Ta.  76,600
8. Angie S.    78,600
9. Mike M.     74,300

Marc H. for the second consecutive Championship volunteered for the dealing duties. As she was 9 months pregnant, Angie was a game time decision. Everyone including Angie arrived on time and the opening deal went out just after 6PM.

The first 4 levels (2 hours) cruised by into the dinner break with no eliminations. And at this point, nobody was really short stacked.

Play resumed and 50 minutes passed before the tourney would see it's first elimination. With blinds at 600/1,200/200, Mike M. was all-in preflop holding 9s-10d. Both John and Angie made the call. The flop came out 8s-8c-Qh. John and Angie checked. The 2c turned. Again, John and Angie checked. The river was the Qd and once again, John and Angie checked and both revealed an ace in their respective holdings. John and Angie split the pot and Mike was out in 9th place.

Blinds advanced into level 7 where they reached 800/1,600/200. Bill had slightly over half of his starting chip count and had been pretty much card dead thus far in the event. Then he woke up with a monster. After raising to 4,000, he was re-raised to 10,000 by Mike T. Bill played the part masterfully by tanking for roughly a minute before announcing all-in for 42,000 all-day. Mike debated it for roughly 20 seconds before making the call and then stating "we're probably racing". Mike revealed pocket 10's and Bill rolled over pocket aces. Lightning struck on the flop for Mike in the form of 10d-7h-5d for a leading set of 10's. The turn was the Qd and Bill was down to only an ace. But it was the Qs instead and Bill calmly exited in 8th place.

Level 7 ended and players took a 10 minute break. The chip counts were as follows:

1. Sean O.     36,500
2. Mike T.      158,700
3. Anita G.     75,900
4. Jim O.       50,800
5. John M.     151,800
6. Bill B.        74,800
7. Jason Ta.  119,600
8. Angie S.    98,700

Level 8 passed by and level 9 arrived where blinds increased to 1,200/2,400/400. With only 14 minutes remaining in the level, Jim O. raised to 5,500. Angie, Jason Ta. and Anita all called. A flop of 4h-Qd-7h was dealt. Angie bet out 15,000 and Anita raised all-in for 40,000. Jason and Jim folded and Angie made the call tabling Ah-Ac. Anita showed Qc-Ks and needed help. The turn was a blank in the form of the 4c. And the river was the 9d bringing no assistance and Anita was out in 7th place.

Level 10 arrived where blinds reached 1,600/3,200/500. Sean raised to 9,000 preflop holding Ad-Jc and Angie called. A flop of Ac-5h-7h was dealt and Angie checked. With 45,000 left in his stack and with top pair, fairly high kicker, Sean moved all-in. Angie snap called and rolled over pocket 7's for middle set. The 10c turn and 4s river brought no help for Sean and the Season Six Qualifier winner was out.

Levels 11 and 12 flew by and level 13 arrived. Blinds increased to 3,000/6,000/900 and Angie raised to 15,000 preflop. Jim looked down at Js-10c and decided to pull the trigger for his last 45,000. Angie made the quick call and rolled over pocket kings. Jim revealed his Js-10c and prayed for the flop to hit him. It was dealt out 5c-Qs-Qc and Angie remained in the lead. The 8d arrived on the turn giving Jim a GSSD. But it wasn't meant to be as the 10h fell on the river giving Angie the bigger two-pair and the pot. Jim bowed out in 5th place but remained as a tableside spectator.

With only 4 players remaining, the money bubble had arrived. Prior to Jim's elimination, it was proposed and discussed to pay 4th place their buy-in back. But an agreement could not be reached. So the beat went on.

Level 15 reared it's ugly head and blinds soared to 5,000/10,000/1,500. John once again became "Captain John" by donning his captain's hat. He was pumped up just a few blind levels earlier however he was now in defense mode with the shortest stack at the table. With only 2 minutes left in the level and in the big blind, John raised for 21,000 more all-in and Angie called. John showed Ah-8h and Angie showed a better Ad-Jd. The 9c-As-2c-7d-4d board was dealt and Angie's jack played giving her the elimination and guaranteed cash.

Level 15 ended and the three remaining players in the money took a 10 minute break. The three handed chip counts were as follows:

1. Jason Ta.   169,800
2. Mike T.       352,600
3. Angie S.     153,600

Three-handed play between Jason, Mike and Angie commenced with blinds at 6,000/12,000/2,000. Although you don't hear his name up to this point in this writing mainly due to the fact that he hadn't eliminated anyone, Mike T. was pretty much bullying the table the whole tournament. He had a huge advantage over his two opponents three-handed. However, both Jason and Angie had enough chips to become the leader in just one hand. The next player eliminated was guaranteed $340 for 3rd place.

The three players played through level 16 and into level 17 where blinds climbed to 8,000/16,000/2,000. The tournament was well into the 8th hour of play and the gracious hosts joined the table to assist in shuffling duties. 

Angie was starting to get low in chips and had just slightly over half of her stack when three-handed play began. On the button, Angie moved in for 83,500. Mike contemplated it for a moment before making the call. Action moved to Jason who paused for a moment before announcing all-in for 200,000. Mike again took a moment debating if he should put in another 120,000 before deciding to fold. Angie flipped over Ah-8d and Jason revealed Ad-Kc dominating his opponent. A board of Jd-Js-9s-6h-5d was dealt and Angie was out with 3rd place prize money. Not a bad run for the Season Six POY!

Head's-up play between Jason and Mike began at 3:15 AM with Jason having 424,000 to Mike's 276,000.

Ironically, the final two players in the tournament had both of their photos hanging side-by-side just behind the table.

Blinds remained at 8,000/16,000/2,000. Jason began going on the offensive against his opponent who was the chip leader a majority of the tournament. Mike was in retreat mode and exhausted when the final hand of the tournament was dealt.

Both players limped and a flop of 10h-8h-Qd was dealt. Mike bet out 32,000. Jason thought about it for a moment before raising all-in for 450,000. Mike debated it briefly and then made the call for his last 245,000 and revealed 7h-2h for a flush draw. Jason turned over Jh-4h for a better flush draw, a DBBSD and the outright lead. The Kd fell on the turn which still gave Mike out's in the form of a 2 or 7. The 6h river filled both player's flushes but Jason's was higher.

Season Six finally had it's Champion!

Congratulations Jason on your 2014-2015 Fish & Chips Poker Tour Championship!

On behalf of the F&CPT Tournament Directors, I would like to thank all those who participated this season and we look forward to seeing you all in Season Seven!

F&CPT Correspondent

~Jason Tr.

Fighting Irish

Ingram - Sean O. defeated head's-up opponent Eric W. to claim the F&CPT's Season Six Qualifier and in the process earned the 9th and final seat in this season's Championship Event late Saturday night!

The tournament commenced with the following seating positions and chip stacks:

1. Jason Tr.   254,500
2. Sean O.    252,500
3. Keith K.   250,500
4. Eric W.    253,500
5. Nick G.    255,500
6. Drew M.  241,000
7. Jim H.     233,000
8. Fran D.    248,500
9. Lolly O.   261,000

With 4:52 left in level 5 (2k/4k/500), the dinner break commenced with nobody being eliminated. The chip counts were as follows:

1. Jason Tr.  282,000 (+27,500)
2. Sean O.    119,000 (-133,500)
3. Keith K.   187,000 (-63,500)
4. Eric W.    337,500 (+84,000)
5. Nick G.    333,500 (+78,000)
6. Drew M.  204,000 (-37,000)
7. Jim H.     246,500 (+13,500)
8. Fran D.    352,000 (+103,500)
9. Lolly O.   192,000 (-69,000)

With blinds at 5k/10k/1k, Drew M. was the tourney's first elimination after his pocket 6's were outdrawn by Keith K's A-2 which flopped trips.

Jason Tr. followed Drew to the rail one level later (7k/15k/2k) when his flopped OESD never got there versus Fran D's pair of queens.

With blinds still at 7k/15k/2k, Fran's breathing had gotten Jim H. hot and bothered. After being limped around, a flop of 2c-5d-6d was dealt. Nick bet 30k and Jim raised all-in to 95k holding 4h-5h. Nick called and showed 10d-4d for a flush draw while Jim tabled his leading pair of 5's. The 10h turned giving Nick the lead with a pair of 10's. The Ah on the river brought no help for Jim and he was out.

A pivotal point in the tournament came in the 10k/20k/3k level with a four-way all-in between Keith, Lolly, Sean and Nick. Now that didn't sound sexual, did it? Anyway, preflop Keith announced all-in for 22k. Nick raised to 66k attempting to get isolation only to get re-raised by Lolly who was all-in for 116k. Sean then came over the top for 206k all-in. Nick pondered the thought for a few minutes while the prospective pots were arranged should Nick make the call. On the elimination sheet, Keith noted Nick "took forever and a day before calling". Nick elected to make the call with K-Q as he had over 400k left in his stack after committing the chips. Keith showed K-2, Lolly flipped over 10-10 and Sean revealed A-K. A flop of 6-5-6 was dealt and Lolly was in the lead. Unfortunately for her, a king came on the turn giving Sean the lead. A 4 fell on the river and Sean scooped the pot eliminating both Keith (out 6th) and Lolly (out 5th) in the process.

With only 4 players remaining, Fran, Nick and Sean had sizeable chip stacks with Fran having the biggest. Eric was on the short stack.

Blinds increased to 15k/30k/5k when the tournament saw it's next elimination. With 450k in his stack, Nick was all-in with 5-5. Sean made the quick call with Q-Q. A flop of 3-6-4 was dealt giving Nick an OESD. But blanks on the turn (9) and river (10) gave Sean the huge pot and elimination of last season's Champion.

Three handed play between Sean, Eric and Fran continued in the 15k/30k/5k level. Ironically, this would be the tournament's final blind level. Sean and Fran had nearly identical gargantuan stacks of nearly 1 million chips each. Eric was sitting on a little more than 10 BB's.

Not many hands into three-handed play, Sean stung Fran when he called Fran's all-in on a dry flop with Q-Q. Fran revealed A-K. Blanks on the turn and river left Fran with only 16k in his stack. A hand later, Fran was all-in with K-10. Sean called and revealed, you guessed it, Q-Q. The 5-J-8-4-6 board was dealt and Fran collected 3rd place prize money.

Head's-up play between Sean and Eric had Sean holding a better than 20-1 chip lead over his opponent. And only a few hands into head's-up play, the final hand of the tournament was dealt.

As small blind on the button, Sean announced, "All in".  Eric checked his hole card and finding a pocket pair, had no choice but to call, showing 6h-6c. The flop was 2s-Jh-5d and Eric held the lead. But the Ks appeared on the turn putting Sean in the lead. The 5s river sealed it and the Season Six Championship had it's 9th player.

Sean is the sixth player to win the Qualifier in as many seasons.

Thanks to Jim O. for dealing the tournament and for everyone who participated. And good luck to Sean in the Championship.

~ Jason Tr.

The Closer

Ingram - Chris S. managed to outlast head's-up opponent Keith K. to claim the Fish & Chips Poker Tour's Season Six regular season finale early Sunday morning.

For the third consecutive season, the final scheduled event was a triple-stack freeze-out with a first place 17.32 points up for grabs. 19 regular players reserved their seats in advance. Jim H. was the only regular out who was replaced by substitute Drew M.

Prior to the start of the tournament, all 20 regular player's Final Table Showdown cards were opened. To nobody's surprise, Lolly O. who was one of only 2 players who held an impressive 8 cards took the $156 prize with a 7-J straight. Congrats Lolly!

On a side note, what was even more impressive than Jim or Lolly drawing 8 cards each this season for the FTS was the fact both Nick and Anita arrived a full 25 minutes before the start of the tournament!

The opening deals went out just after 6:15 PM.

 



Level 4 (Blinds 2k/4k)

• Jason Tr. was the evening's first elimination despite needing a deep run in the event. After losing approximately 1/3 of his starting stack, Jason called a re-raise of 16k by Mike M. to John's original 8k raise. John then three-bet to 50k and Mike called. Jason (feeling lucky) made the call holding 7c-8c. The flop was 5s-6s-3h. John bet 50k and Mike called. Jason then moved all-in for 150k. John tanked for nearly 2 minutes before making the call. Mike pondered it for 30 seconds and then open folded pocket queens. John quickly revealed pocket kings and Jason turned over his draw. An ace on the turn and a queen on the river sealed the deal for John and Jason was qualifier bound for the third straight season.

Level 5 (Blinds 2k/4k/500)

• Drew M. was surprisingly the tournament's next elimination (19th place) after getting wrapped up in a hand with none other than John. After everyone limped (3 players), a flop of J-5-2 was dealt. Jason Ta. bet 12k and John called. Drew then raised to 42k. John then moved all-in and Jason folded. Drew made the call and John tabled a set of deuces. Drew showed J-5 for two pair. An ace on the turn and a 7 on the river brought no help for Drew and he was out. Coming into the tournament, Drew was 16th in the standings with a seat in the qualifier. But with an early exit, would he be able to stay above 17th place? Read on to find out.
• Jim O. was out in 18th place after tangling in a hand with Mike M. It was just one of those nights for Jim Saturday evening. After limping with Chris B. and Mike M, the flop came out 7-8-9. Jim shoved for his last 60k with pocket 8's for middle set and said, "Mike, don't f*%k me". Mike responded by saying "I'm f*%king you!" and revealed 10-J for a flopped straight. A queen on the turn and a king on the river added insult to injury and Jim hit the rail. Jim will now compete in his second consecutive Championship next month.

Level 6 (Blinds 3k/6k/500

• Lolly O. was eliminated in 17th place after raising to 30k holding A-K and Keith calling. A flop of K-4-? was dealt and Lolly quickly moved all-in. Keith called revealing pocket 4's for a flopped set. The turn and river missed and Lolly was out of the "April 8" and qualifier bound. Notes on the elimination sheet included "Lolly called and then it sucked!".

Level 7 (Blinds 5k/10k/1k)

• Chris B. was out next (16th place) after flopping bottom set on a flop of 8c-2s-4c and pushing all-in for 174k ahead of John M's 100k raise. John called and revealed Kc-Kh and was behind big time. The Ac turn made John four-to-the-flush. And as fate would have it, the Jc fell on the river giving John a king-high flush and the elimination. Chris will now have to earn his Championship seat via the qualifier.
• Angie S. bowed out in 15th place after pushing all-in for her last 38.5k and Keith making the call with 8s-7c (Keith already had 10k in the pot). Angie revealed Ad-Jd. The flop was 5s-2s-Ks. The turn was the 4s filling Keith's spade flush draw and leaving Angie drawing dead. The meaningless Qc river was dealt and Angie was out with 2.17 points giving her a season ending total of 55.17 points. Would it be enough to earn this season's Player of the Year honor? Read on to find out.
• Eric W. was another qualifier bound player looking for a deep run to crack the top 8. But his S6E11 journey came to an abrupt end when he ran into a buzz saw at the hand of Chris S. Chris raised to 20k preflop and both Eric and Fran called. A flop of 9-10-? was dealt. Chris then bet 20k and Eric called while Fran folded. Another 9 appeared on the turn. Chris then bet 35k and Eric called. And yet another 9 came on the river. Chris then bet 150k and Eric pushed all-in for 9k more. Chris made the quick call and showed A-9 for quad nines. Eric flipped over A-7 and hit the rail awaiting the cash game. Eric is now qualifier bound for the second consecutive season.

Level 8 (Blinds 7k/15k/2k)

• Bill B. had a chance to capture his second consecutive POY honor with a first place finish. Unfortunately he was dispatched in 13th place after he was all-in preflop with A-Q and was called by John M's pocket cowboys. The A-K-4 flop hit both players, but John's set was best. The turn and river brought no help and Bill was out. Bill will appear in his third consecutive Championship (fifth overall) next month.
• Nick G. (last season's Champion) was another player looking for a top finish Saturday evening to try and crack 8th place in the standings. But it ended when he was eliminated in 12th place. After raising for his last 98k preflop with As-3s, Nick got gentlemen callers in Mike T. and Marc H. A flop of 10-9-2 (1 spade) came out. The checked turn was the 7s giving Nick four-to-the-flush. The checked river was a non-spade queen. Marc showed pocket 6's whilst Mike revealed Q-J for a winning pair of queens. It's now off to the qualifier for Nick.
• Anita G. was 4th in the overall standings coming into the regular season finale Saturday evening and was a lock to appear in her first Championship since Season 1. Ironically, the last time she appeared in a Championship event, she won it! If she managed to pull out a win Saturday night, she would earn enough points to claim this season's POY. But she would have to settle for 11th place after she pushed for her last 175k with A-K and got called by Kevin A's pocket 10's. The flop and turn brought all cards that were below a 10. A queen on the river sealed it for Kevin and Anita was out. She will now compete in her 2nd Championship next month.

Level 9 (Blinds 10k/20k/3k)

• Fran D. was eliminated in 10th place thus forming the final table. There was no elimination information recorded for Fran. Coming into the event, Fran was in 15th place and all but a lock for the qualifier. But he actually fell in the standings after the dust cleared early Sunday morning. Read on to find out where he ended up.
• Marc H. was clinging on to the final spot in the qualifier coming into Saturday night. He needed a deep finish just to hold on to a qualifier seat. Despite making the final table, he would be the first one eliminated from in in 9th place. After going all-in over-the-top of Chris S's preflop raise of 68k for 350k with pocket 10's, Chris made the call with A-Q. A flop of K-J-8 was dealt keeping Marc in the lead. But an ace came on the turn leaving Marc drawing dead. Read on to find out where Marc ended up in the overall standings. 
• Jason Ta. was another player who was in the running for this season's POY coming into Saturday night. If he could finish 2nd in the tournament, he would earn the honor. But he would have to settle for 8th. Jason found himself all-in for 270k holding A-Q. Keith made the call and revealed "American Airlines". The J-4-3-K-2 board was dealt and Jason was out. Jason will appear in his 5th consecutive Championship next month. This is a league record.

Level 10 (Blinds 15k/30k/5k)

• Mike M. earned the nickname "Magic Mike" with a late season surge of back-to-back wins in S6E9 and S6E10 catapulting him into the "April 8". Sitting in 6th place he needed a few more points to solidify his spot. And that's just what happened when he was eliminated in 7th place earning 4.33 points and giving him 42.36 for the season. In a battle of the blinds between Mike and John, the option was checked and a flop of 10-2-4 was dealt. Holding 10-6 (top pair), Mike quickly announced all-in. John made the quick call and revealed 10-2 for two-pair. A jack on the turn and a blank on the river ended Mike's night. Mike will compete in his first F&CPT Championship next month.
• Sean O. was in 14th place entering Saturday night's event and was all but qualifier bound unless he could win the event. His night ended after he was eliminated in 6th place by Keith. Holding pocket 7's, Sean bet 100k preflop. Keith called. A flop of A-A-8 came out and Sean was all-in. Keith snap called and showed A-2 for trip aces. An 8 on the turn gave Keith a full house. A meaningless 9 on the river officially ended Sean's evening. Last season Sean earned a seat in the Championship with a 2nd overall league point total. This season he will have to earn it via the qualifier.

Level 12 (Blinds 25k/50k/7k)

• John M. was in 7th place in the standings entering S6E11. As it turned out, he would need to finish in 6th place or higher in the tourney to maintain his "April 8" status. He managed to finish 5th after tangling with Chris S. and coming out on the short end. John found himself all-in for his last 46k with pocket 4's. Chris made the call and tabled J-5. The 7-8-5 flop gave Chris the lead with a pair of 5's and John a GSSD. A king on the turn was a blank. And a 3 on the river ended John's evening. Last season John came up short in the qualifier. This season he will compete in his third Championship.

Level 13 (Blinds 40k/80k/10k) "In the money"

• Kevin A. missed several events this season and needed a win just to crack the qualifier. He had to settle for 4th place prize money instead. Both Kevin and Chris S. made straights, unfortunately Kevin's was lower and he was out.

Level 13 (60k/120k/20k) Three handed

• Mike T. was sitting in 9th place in the standings just .08 points from Lolly who held the 8th spot entering Saturday evening. He would need to get into the top 8 or bust as he would be in Flordia the day of the qualifier. And 3rd place would be enough. After looking down at pocket 5's, Mike was all-in for 750k and Keith called with K-J. The 4-J-6 flop put Keith ahead. A deuce on the turn and a 7 on the river brought no help for Mike and he was out with 3rd place cash and a seat in his 4th Championship.

Level 13 (60k/120k/20k) Head's-up

• Head's-up play between Chris S. and Keith K. continued in the 60k/120k level and both players agreed to forego the ante. Ironically, both players were below 17th place in the standings entering the tournament. Keith was in 19th place and Chris in 20th. With both players guaranteed at least 11.55 points for 2nd place, each would earn enough points to get a qualifier seat. Keith had a few hundred thousand chip lead over his opponent at the start of head's-up. Chris put pressure on Keith with a series of rapid all-in raises. Then Keith woke up with Js-Qh and pushed. Chris called and turned over Kc-2h. The flop came out 5s-Ad-Jc and Keith had the lead with a pair of jacks. The 8d on the turn left Chris drawing to a king. As fate would have it, the Kd fell on the river and the season finale had it's winner.

 

This is the second time Chris has won a regular season finale. He did it back in S3E11.

 

 

Thanks to everyone who came out for S6E11 and congrats to Chris on his win. Good luck to everyone in the postseason!

 

~ Jason Tr.



 

 

2014-2015 Fish & Chips Poker Tour Player of the Year 

 

Congrats to Angie S. who became the fifth player to earn the league's top point honor. Angie totaled 55.17 points over the 11 regular season events which included 3 cashes. She won S6E5 and S6E8 and finished 3rd in S6E10. Congrats Angie on your POY honors and good luck in the championship. That is if she can make it. She might not be able to. If she can't, per the league rules, Championship seats are not filled.

 

The Season 6 "April 8!" 

 

After the dust cleared early Sunday morning, the Season 6 "April 8" was established. So without further ado, the A8 are:

 

1. Angie S.    55.17 POY Points

2. Jim O.       50.18 POY Points

3. Jason Ta.   49.15 POY Points

4. Anita G.    44.42 POY Points

5. Bill B.       43.76 POY Points

6. John M.     42.88 POY Points

7. Mike M.    42.36 POY Points

8. Mike T.     41.90 POY Points

 

Angie, Jim, Jason, Anita and Bill were all virtual locks for seats in this season's championship event going into E11. The 6th, 7th and 8th seats were up for grabs with the front runners being Mike M, John and Lolly. Just 0.08 points separated Lolly from 9th place Mike T. And with a 17th place finish for her combined with a 3rd place finish from Mike T, she dropped to the qualifier bound. Mike M. and John managed to hang onto their seats.

 

Positions 9-17 have earned a seat in this season's Championship Qualifier. The winner of the qualifier will be awarded the 9th and final seat in the championship. This season's qualifiers are:

 

9.   Lolly O.    35.24 POY Points

10. Chris S.    34.67 POY Points

11. Chris B.    32.46 POY Points

12. Nick G.     31.91 POY Points

13. Jason Tr.   31.39 POY Points

14. Eric W.     30.86 POY Points

15. Sean O.     30.38 POY Points

16. Keith K.    29.07 POY Points

17. Fran D.     28.08 POY Points

 

Coming into E11, The bottom two spots in the qualifier bound were substitute Drew M. and Marc H. With both Chris S. and Keith K. finishing 1st and 2nd place respectively in the event, they earned enough points to bump both Drew and Marc to below 17th place.

 

If someone has to decline their qualifier seat, it will be offered to Drew first and then Marc.

 

Players participating in the qualifier will receive bonus chips based on the number of points they earned during the season. A total of T450,000 bonus chips will be distributed over the 9 starting T200,000 stacks.

 

Good luck to everyone in the Qualifier and Championship!