With seven players giving their input on the buyin they’d prefer to play, we settled on $30 by the time the game started at 7pm on Friday.

We had three completely new players, one in his second week, with three old timers (myself, Dan, and Any Two Will Du).

Full Roster
JohnS
DanH
DerekS
ChrisT
AnnD
JoshH
ThomasM

8:25 Josh busted out to Derek.

8:33 With blinds up to 35/75, Derek raised it to 210. I looked down to TT and pushed with about 1500. Tom and Ann in the blinds got out of the way, and Derek, now the big stack, called with AQs. He hit his card (an ace on the turn, I think), and sent me once again to be the dealer.
**
8:53** With blinds up to 50/100, and Dan’s stack pretty small, he pushed preflop and got a caller in Derek. Dan turned over 89o, and Derek A4o. The ace held up and Dan was then free to go see the end of the Edmonton Oilers game.

Things then got BORING. Fold city it was. Chris kept on making his all-ins count, doubling up every time he needed it, but otherwise the table just kept pushing the same chips back and forth for a while.

9:33 Derek pushed with 2400 left. Thomas, then the big stack, called and showed As5s. Derek, however, had AdQc, and it was looking good for him to double up through Tom.

The flop came Qd9s6s. Derek had hit his queen, but the board threatened to give Tom a flush.

A turn of Qs gave Derek trip queens, but the flush to Tom. Derek would need another pair to resuck and hit a full house.

The river of 5c didn’t help and Derek, once the big stack and terminator of the first three players, was out on a bad beat.
**
10:08** With blinds up to 200/400, Ann pushed with her remaining 1800. Thomas called with KQo; Ann showed A9o. The flop came 7K5, Tom hitting his card, and the turn of 3 and river 6 could not help Ann. She was out on the bubble.

10:19 After rejecting an offer to chop the pot a few minutes before when they had pretty even stacks, Chris busted out Tom.

Congratulations to Tom and Chris!

1st ($135) ThomasM
2nd ($75) ChrisT