It was the first day of spring, and a beautiful spring evening as 30 players converged on Chez Director’s stunning crib for the Raleigh Poker League’s 3rd regular season game of the year. Many spirits and hopes were high, but only one could emerge victorious.

 

Getting into the game was competitive all by itself, as the game filled up within hours of registration opening. Some last-minute folks dropped out the day before the game, and two lucky wait-listers got into this sought-after event. Thirty players sat down as Naughty Nikki gave our opening instructions, awarding 5 extra TOC points to every player there. 

 

The High Hand hit pretty early by Jeff, with Kings full of Queens, and held up to win $290. There were 16 rebuys, a respectable number which padded the prize pool (and the TOC) but is by no means a record for this crowd. The jackpot hand was Quad 8’s, and while pocket 88’s were tabled quite a few times, it never hit.

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When the field narrowed to two tables, the BOM-BOM game immediately got going. There are always lots of wild swings and excitement; poker night isn’t just about qualifying for the TOC!

 

When the field narrowed to the final ten, it was Shooter who needed racks on racks to carry his massive stacks to the feature table. With the bubble looming, play slowed a bit, but finally the smaller stacks fell. It was Black Clover who finished as the bubble boy, collecting $0 (but 28 TOC points) for his deep finish. 

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In the money now, the final six buckled down. Madam A had started collecting chips and now held about as many chips as Shooter. B Pizzle fell first, collecting $150. Not long after, The Reaper went down, collecting $305. Madam A collected $145 for knocking Reaper out. The final four tangled a while before JMAC fell. Rambo, Shooter and Madam A were left, with Madam A having the bulk of the chips. Rambo survived several all-ins, but ultimately fell to Shooter, collecting $460. Madam A still had most of the chips, and collected a few pots, but when he made his move with A4, Madam A called with A7 which held up. Shooter collected $700, and Madam A claimed $1070 to go with the sniper reward, but more importantly, she gets a coveted seat at the TOC. 

 

Congrats to all winners for their nice finishes. Props to KO and ShullTrain for dealing and shuffling at the final table.

 

Next month’s game will be April 17. Don’t miss it!