Wednesday, January 10, 2018

What You Missed: Stacked Deck Final Table

Photos and Commentary by Steven "Therian" Matulewicz

The Event space was pretty packed for the moderate sized group.  We all knew that food was not going to be provided and that Pot Luck was suggested.  I was personally amazed not just in the number of crock pots that showed up, but that it seemed there were no duplicates:


Neden had set up their modest carnival games and was offering popcorn to the crew.  They had a nice set of prizes to be won from their games:


They had also set up the Casino.  Blackjack was a the game of the day, but there were a few more tables  for those looking for something different. 


While the proposed wild Card tables did not happen (not enough  players), The  two Invited tables were set and ready to roll!



It was six hours of play with the blinds (amount of minimum bidding) going up every hour (which also allowed for time to switch in new dealers and to get some food).  Each player was given 20,000 in chips.   I personally did very well and made it to the final table.


The Final table (when enough people were knocked out so that we could combine into a single table seating 8 people and the dealer)  did not happen until the final hour.  I was chip leader (meaning I had the largest chip amount) going into that table,   However people around the table  (Phoenix, Rillan, Rorin, Slade, Daekara, Avendar, myself, and Zatara)  were making solid hands and my lead dwindled fairly quickly.  Soon  it was just Rorin, Slade, Zatara,and myself, with me and Slade  gunning for the 2nd place.  Time was running out, he and I went into a show down:  my Ace- 10 versus his 10 - 8.   He caught an 8, but I caught an ace.  On the River (last card) he got another 8 and I was out.   So the last 10 minutes or so were just the three of them.  Rorin was hanging in, but he was far too short of chips to catch up without some amazing play, and ended up going out.


In the end, Slade tried to keep up with Zatara, but the time ran out and Zatara had the most amount of chips.  Congratulations to Zatara, and for everyone who played:  Awesome game!