Happy New Year!

Yeah…a new year.  2012.  Woo Hoo.  Meh.

JUST KIDDING!  It’s going to be a GREAT year for us!  B-Town Poker is going to have its’ most successful year EVER because of YOU!

This year will be about making beneficial changes for you, our poker players.  You have made interesting comments about game-play that Jay and I discussed and we take every comment seriously.  One e-mail came over the inter-webs recently that made us stop in our tracks and think hard.

So hard, that it made my head hurt.

So hard, that I actually discussed it with my friend WHILE ON VACATION! After a while, she told me to, “shut the hell up!”

The e-mail I am talking about discusses the act of “chopping” points between the final two players in any tournament. First place points get 1200 base points and 250 bonus, while second gets 800 and 200.  When a chop occurs, each player receives 1000 and 225.  The e-mailer thinks that this is unfair in the interest of overall points.

I happen to agree and let me tell you why;

Let’s say that you and I chop. If I had won outright (1200), I could be ranked 16th instead of sitting at 19th, while you (800) would be 5th instead of 3rd.  That’s a big difference when you think about the fact that last season 1st through 3rd place were only separated by a few points and it came down to the last tournament. Maybe some of the others knocking on the door didn’t get the same splitting opportunities, holding them at a disadvantage to advance.

As for chopping the money, the incentive for a player who doesn’t have many points and doesn’t care about points is totally gone once the money is decided. That means the action is corrupted and the players decision making will be totally reckless and fully loose.  That’s not fair to the other player who wants those points.  That $50 is not only a prize but also insurance that the action is normal.

Winning a tournament is a difficult task and should be rewarded accordingly.  Winning tournaments should give a player a major advantage to winning the overall season point leader, and chopping the key part of the tournament cuts the legs out from the leagues’ built in philosophy.

So here’s what we are going to do for Season 09; No more chopping of points or prize money, UNLESS the time limit of the tournament is going to exceed 4 hours.  If this occurs, both players’ chips will be counted by the tournament director and then first and second place will be determined with the $50 prize going to the winner.

With this rule in place, we will be able to keep the competition pure and the integrity on the game intact.

Good luck and happy hunting, everyone!

** UPDATED RULE can be seen here and scoll down to Rule J **

Now that we are coming to the close of another wonderful season of FREE POKER, I thought I might drop some of my thoughts and memories on you.  Some of my favorite moments might be the same  as yours, but I encourage you to add yours in the comments below!

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After the success of our Food and Toy Drive for AmVets Post 2000 last Christmas, we decided that BTown Poker could do more for our community.  We started with an off-schedule tournament at Upland Brewing, called “The Chip-In For Brooksie”, a benefit for Brooks Tolbert who was critically burned in a house fire.  A couple of months later was another tournament for Andrew Beeman, who is battling cancer at a young age (he is in stem-cell therapy as we speak!).  Both of these went so well, that we were contacted by Jerry Kemp (Kemp & Associates) to do these tournaments continually to benefit The UPDRAFT, a supplemental scholarship program for kids in Indiana who want to go to college but need that extra bit to keep them in school.

You all came with your hearts and wallets open and we raised over $3200!

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And then, our esteemed leader, Jay Nelson, and the beautiful Ashlee Griffith, welcomed the birth of Madeline!

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Some of my favorite things we heard at the poker tables:

• “I’m a freaking GENIUS!” – Stacy (of course I am going to put that one in first!)
• “I got it twice today…and then I got the text message!” – Jan Tyree
• “You can’t talk yourself into winning!  Just play the damn cards!” – Jan Tyree to Anthony Piatt
• “There is a correlation between my desperation and my craziness…” – Jen Brown
• “Okay poker player!  Blinds are up to 200/400!”   –   “…but I didn’t hear the duck!”

…and then the one thing we cannot UN-hear at the poker tables:

• “Connie flopped the nuts!”

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We opened a CafePress store so you can get your BTown Poker on!  Go there…get something…

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We have had our share of wins and losses, both on the felt and in our personal lives, but one thing rings true; we are a FAMILY.  By coming out every week to play and showing your support, sharing your laughter and stories, and helping those in need, we are proud to know you and have you in our lives.

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Okay….enough of that!  I know that I am a lot little bit long-winded, so let’s draw for dealer and get the cards in the air!