Aloha! On Friday, May 16th, we won’t only be holding our next WGA Poker Group Tournament, but we’ll also be celebrating my birthday! As the birthday boy/middle-aged man, I’d like to shine a light on the live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch,” paddling into theaters a week later. No, I’m not being paid to say this, I’m just a really big fan of the original! So with that in mind, throw on your favorite Hawaiian shirt and sip on a Mai Tai as your poker chips brace for a Hawaiian roller coaster ride! 🎢 Will you be the first to wipe out or surf all the way to victory? 🌊🏄♂️
For full details and access to the RSVP link, please join our facebook group or subscribe to our e-newsletter.
The March WGA Poker Group tournament was a Saint Patrick’s Day-inspired clash of bluffs, bad beats, and bounties. With 38 players vying for a taste of poker immortality, there was no telling which lucky leprechaun would bring home the green. After several hours of play, the field narrowed to our final nine lads and lassies.
The first elimination came when Taylor “Kraps Kween” Blackburn went all-in with the 9♦️️5♥️️ (AKA: “The Dolly Parton”) against Nick “Pasta” Apostolina’s K♥️️T♣️️. The flop of K♣️️7♥️️3♠️️ gave Nick top pair, and Taylor was left praying for a miracle. The turn brought the Q♣️️, and the river sealed her fate with a 4♠️️. With no help from the board, Taylor hit the rail in 9th place. Tough break! So much for “Long live the Kween!”
Next up, Jeff “Helpcomputer” Meyers put his tournament life on the line with A♦️️9♠️️ versus Jay “Moose” Moriarty’s Q♦️️8♦️️ on a flop of 9♥️️J♣️️2♣️️, giving Jeff top pair against Jay’s gutshot straight draw. Unfortunately for Jeff, the turn was the almighty T♣️️, completing Jay’s straight. The meaningless 6♦️️ on the river confirmed Jay’s victory, leaving Jeff to finish in 8th place. The “Helpcomputer” had finally been hacked.
A while later, Margaux Brooke’s T♣️️T♦️️ found itself in a horse race against Brandon “The Professor” Boyce’s K♥️️J♣️️. Which one would gallop to victory? The flop revealed 4♠️️A♠️️J♥️️, giving Brandon middle pair and a commanding lead. The 9♦️️ on the turn and J♠️️ on the river locked up the win, leaving Margaux to finish in 7th place. It figures Brandon would play that hand, men always love Jack-King off. 😆
Next, Waco O’Guin found himself all-in in with 9♦️️2♦️️ against Brandon’s A♣️️T♥️️. While the 9-2 may be great to double-down in blackjack, it’s a real uphill battle in hold’em. This proved true as the flop rolled out 5♠️️4♥️️8♠️️, helping no one. The turn of 6♠️️ added a gutshot straight possibility for Waco. Finally, the dealer revealed the A♦️️ on the river, securing Brandon’s win. The bloody siege on Waco had come to end, earning himself a 6th place finish.
Final table frequent flyer, Jay “Moose” Moriarty, was next to wage war when his A♠️️T♠️️ clashed with Adam Cole’s K♦️️8♦️️. With their chips already in the middle, the flop of 5♣️️2♠️️J♦️️ kept Jay in the lead, as did the Q♥️️ on the turn. As long he could fade an 8 or King, Jay would score a huge win. Adam stared up at the poker gods and prayed. “One time!” Like a bolt of lightning, the 8♣️️ fell on the river to everyone’s shock and awe, leading Adam to double-up and leaving Jay with nothing but a single poker chip. But hey, “Chip and a chair, right?!” Unfortunately, a few hands later, Jason “Sneaky” Cho’s pocket queens defeated Jay’s Ace-Queen to earn him 5th place. The Moose was no longer on the loose.
Next, Nick “Pasta” Apostolina found himself in a great position to double with K♦️️T♣️️ against Brandon Boyce’s K♥️️9♥️️. His optimism quickly vanished as the flop of 3♦️️7♥️️9♦️️ gave Brandon top pair. The K♣️️ on the turn and Q♥️️ on the river couldn’t save Nick, finishing in 4th place. Pasta night was officially canceled.
Down to just a few big blinds, Jason Cho made his final stand with 7♣️️5♦️️, hoping to catch something against Adam Cole’s K♠️️7♠️️. While dominated, Jason found some hope on the flop of J♣️️4♥️️8♣️️, giving him a gutshot straight draw and backdoor flush outs. Alas, the 4♣️️ and 8♦️️ on the turn and river were no help, sending Jason home in 3rd place.
Now down to our final two players, we wouldn’t have to wait long to see who would be crowned our new champ. On the very first hand of heads-up play, we saw Adam Cole call all-in with the 6♦️️4♦️️ for his tournament life against Brandon Boyce’s Q♦️️8♠️️. The flop brought 9♦️️5♣️️A♦️️, giving Adam a flush draw, raising his equity to 49%. It was now a coin-flip to decide who would win this massive hand. The turn A♣️️ paired the board, changing nothing. As everyone held their breath, the J♥️️ fell on the river, sealing Brandon’s victory. “The Professor” proved that a mix of skill, strategy, and just a little luck of the Irish can take you all the way to the end of the rainbow. Enjoy your pot of gold! Congratulations Brandon!
Here is a summary of the tournament results. Congrats to all our finalists!
1st – Brandon “The Professor” Boyce 2nd – Adam Cole 3rd – Jason “Sneaky” Cho 4th – Nick “Pasta” Apostolina 5th – Jay “Moose “Moriarty 6th – Waco O’Guin 7th – Margaux Brooke 8th – Jeff “Helpcomputer” Meyers 9th – Taylor “Kraps Kween” Blackburn
Special thanks to my wife, Nichole, for helping run the tournament as well as to Jay Moriarty and the Burbank Moose Lodge. I’d also like to thank our amazing dedicated dealers, Jeff Meyers, Adam Cole, Jason Cho, and Nick Apostolina.
Our next tournament is planned for May. Please stay tuned for updates via facebook or the e-newsletter. Also, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Until then, good luck and enjoy these photos from the tournament. Sláinte!
This past March, the WGA Poker Group officially celebrated its one-year anniversary. That’s right — one year of ridiculous bluffs, hero calls, and unforgettable stories around the felt. I just want to take a moment to thank you all for your unwavering support, kindness, and participation. It’s been a life-changing experience and I’m truly thankful to have made so many friends along the way. During these challenging times, the WGA Poker Group has been a much-needed distraction and the perfect way to build community and camaraderie among our fellow scribes. I look forward to many more years of laughter, bad beats, and splashing chips at the table. And who knows, maybe I’ll even win one of these days! Probably not.
In this new video, tournament crusher and WGA writer, Matt Salsberg (Weeds, Kidding), shares his insights on how Hollywood prepared him for high stakes poker and the similarities between the two crafts.
When you think about it, the writers’ room is just one big poker game. It’s all about reading personalities and picking your spots. Just don’t go on tilt and when in doubt, raise the stakes!
March is here, which means Saint Patrick is bringing us all the luck of the Irish just in time for our next WGA Poker Group Tournament! Come join us on Friday, March 28th to see if you’ll be bringing home the green and the championship mug – perfect for enjoying a tall pint of Guinness!
But wait, there’s more! We’re also bringing back the bonus bounty! At the start of the tourney, two players from each table will be designated “leprechauns” and receive a bounty button. The lad or lassie who knocks them out of the tournament will receive an extra bonus from me pot of gold!
For full details and access to the RSVP link, please join our facebook group or subscribe to our e-newsletter.
Do you like poker, meeting celebrities, and supporting a good cause? Then we’ve got just the event for you!
On Sunday, March 23rd, the WeSPARK Cancer Support Center will be holding Jason Alexander’s 23rd Annual Celebrity Poker Tournament at the Skirball Cultural Center. For just $160, you will enjoy a buffet lunch followed by a chance to rub elbows and poker chips with Hollywood’s biggest stars while vying for amazing prizes!
Co-chaired by the WGA Poker Group’s very own Jay “Moose” Moriarty, this tournament is loads of fun and best of all, you can sleep soundly knowing all proceeds benefit the WeSPARK Cancer Support Center. Last year, the tournament raised over $150,000! For over 20 years, WeSPARK has worked tirelessly to enhance the quality of life for cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones. To learn more, check out https://wespark.org.
Happy Lunar New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai! I’m excited to announce that the year of the snake started off by making WGA Poker Group Hisssssssss-tory by rounding up our biggest turnout yet with a total of 37 players vying for the championship mug and a lucky red envelope full of riches.
On top of it all, we also raised a whopping $765 for the WGA Member Fund that will directly support Writers Guild members who lost their homes during the Southern California wildfires. I’d like to give a special shout out below to all the players who contributed via our fundraising bonus. Thank you for your kindness! If only the AMPTP was so generous… #WGAStrong
The fundraising page will stay active, so please continue to donate if you can. Every little bit helps!
Onto the tournament recap! After several hours of play, the field of 37 players whittled down to our final nine with several newcomers ready to claim the title. After getting decimated by Nick Stanton in the previous hand, WGA Poker Group newbie, Jason Mac, was forced to go all-in with his few remaining chips holding the A♣️J♣️. He was up against another short stack, Danny Jordan holding the K♦️4♥️, as well as Nick with the A♦️5♦️ – ready to put the nail in the coffin. The flop of A♠️Q♣️4♠️ put Jason in a strong lead with a comfortable 67% chance to win the hand. The turn of T♠️ raised his equity to 77%, but gave Danny more outs in the form of a gutshot straight draw. All Jason needed to fade was a Jack, 5 or 4 to triple up. Alas, the J♦️ fell on the river, giving Danny a straight and sending Jason to the rail in 9th place. Hey, not bad for your first time!
Despite that win, Danny would find himself at risk again a short time later, moving all-in with the Q♥️T♠️ versus familiar foe, Nick Stanton, holding the Q♠️4♠️. You know, it’s okay to fold sometimes, Nick! After some confusion due to a tired (but handsome) dealer holding the wrong deck, the proper board was dealt out with a flop of J♦️9♠️2♦️. This changed nothing, along with the Q♦️ on the turn. As long as a 4 didn’t hit the river, Danny would stay alive. Unfortunately, the poker gods took issue, summoning a 4♦️ on the river to send him home in 8th place. Danny, thank you for taking it in stride. Phil Hellmuth would surely have spit in my face!
Next up, a three-way pre-flop all-in would determine the fate of Zach Robbins (J♠️8♣️), Franklin Hardy (A♦️Q♣️), and Taylor Blackburn (K♦️2♦️). The flop of 5♠️3♠️3♣️ changed nothing as Franklin remained in the lead with Ace high. The turn of 6♥️ would give Taylor additional outs to a gutshot straight. A brick on the river would mean a double knock out for Franklin – could he do it?! The 7♣️ hit the felt, sending the huge pot to Franklin with his almighty Ace high. Zach would earn a 7th place finish and Taylor would walk away in 6th place. Better luck next time!
Now with a big stack and feeling lucky, Franklin looked down at 7♥️6♥️ from under-the-gun and thought, “To hell with it. All-in!” Tyler Wong decided to make his stand, calling all-in from the small blind with the K♣️Q♠️. The flop of K♦️9♠️5♠️ must’ve been a welcome sight for Tyler, catapulting him to 81% chance of winning the hand. However, any eight would give Franklin a winning straight. Does he have any more punches left to knock Tyler out? The turn came a meaningless 2♥️, upping Tyler’s equity to 91%. As Tyler whispered to himself, “Don’t do it,” the river loudly shouted back, “Screw you!” BAM! The 8♠️ peeled off the deck, sending the pot once again to Franklin and Tyler out in 5th place.
Erika Kaestle was next up on the chopping block, shoving all-in from the small blind with J♠️5♠️, otherwise known as “Motown.” (Jacks-and-five, get it?) She received a call by Robert Webb, holding K♦️4♠️. Can Erika moonwalk her way to a double-up?! Unfortunately, the flop of Q♦️Q♣️9♣️ was no help. The turn of 8♦️ now gave Erika additional outs to a gutshot straight. Can the river save her or will we find Erika screaming “I Want You Back” to her poker chips? Sadly, the K♣️ fell on the river, sending her out in 4th place. Good run! No choice but to “Blame It On The Boogie.”
Some unexpected fireworks from our two chip leaders blasted off when they found themselves all-in on the turn. To recap, Robert limped from the small blind with this 6♥️4♥️ and Franklin checked his A♦️9♥️ from the big blind. On a flop of A♣️2♥️2♦️, Robert check-called Franklin’s half-pot bet. The turn of 3♦️ gave Robert a gutshot straight draw – good enough to bluff all-in. Franklin quickly called with his two pair. On the sidelines, Nick Stanton squealed with delight alongside his miniscule stack, knowing he could ladder up as long the river wasn’t a five. As the 9♣️ hit the river, an avalanche of chips moved Franklin’s way. Robert would have to settle for 3rd place and our respect. The man’s got heart!
Finally, we had arrived at our heads-up battle with possibly the largest difference in chips stacks ever. Like, in all of poker history. Nick started with 24,000 versus Franklin’s 1,048,000 in chips. That’s only 44-to-1. “Chip and a chair,” right? Almost instantly, Nick was forced all-in from the small blind with his 9♣️3♥️ and auto-called by Franklin’s K♣️8♦️. Can David defeat Goliath?! The flop of 7♣️2♠️4♠️ brought no help, nor did the 7♠️ on the turn. Down to his last card, Nick would need a miracle to stay in the game. Unfortunately, Nick used up all his luck earlier as the T♥️ hit the river, sending him home with a very commendable 2nd place finish. And just like that, Franklin Hardy is our newest WGA Poker Group Champion!
Here is a summary of the tournament results. Congrats to all our finalists!
1st – Franklin “Bingo” Hardy 2nd – Nick Stanton 3rd – Robert “Arjay the Writer” Webb 4th – Erika Kaestle 5th – Tyler “Daddy” Wong 6th – Taylor Blackburn 7th – Zach “Should Have Won” Robbins 8th – Danny “Wrong Deck” Jordan 9th – Jason “Killer Mac” Mac
Special thanks to my wife, Nichole, for helping run the tournament and Andy Mathieson for processing donations for the fundraising bonus. As always, thank you to Jay “Moose” Moriarty and the Burbank Moose Lodge for their hospitality. Finally, my deepest gratitude to our dedicated dealers – Tyler Wong, Nick Apostolina, and Grant Taylor. Tyler will be a father soon, so we may not see him for a bit. Thank you for your service. You should name your daughter “River” because she’ll definitely change your life in the most unexpected ways.
Our next tournament is planned for late March where we’ll be celebrating the WGA Poker Group’s one year anniversary! Stay tuned for updates via facebook or the e-newsletter. Until then, Happy Lunar New Year and please enjoy these photos from the tournament!
I hope your holidays were fun and filled with good eats, drinks, and lucky river cards. While many of us celebrated New Years this past Wednesday, the real party for my family and others will be later this month when we ring in the Lunar New Year! It’s the perfect time to spread luck, prosperity, and good fortune – especially at the poker table!
So with that, come join the WGA Poker Group on Friday, January 24th to welcome the “Year of the Snake.” Will you be the one to slither away with the championship mug and a lucky red envelope full of riches? Come find out!
For full details and access to the RSVP link, please join our facebook group or subscribe to our e-newsletter.
Just like the early settlers who started Thanksgiving, the WGA Poker Group gathered on November 22nd to give thanks, break bread, and then pillage their new friends for personal gain. Bounties were placed on several “turkeys,” including former champions Grant Taylor, Tyler Wong, and Randi Barnes. Can one of them survive the hunt and become our first two-time champ? Or will a new pilgrim carve up the competition and use them for stuffing?
After several hours of play, the field of 29 players had narrowed down to our final nine. The first casualty came when Lisa Dickey shoved her short stack preflop with A♣️2♦️, only to be called by Danny King with the 9♥️5♠️. Well, Danny must be a big Dolly Parton fan because the 9-to-5 was more than enough to “make a livin” after a 5♦️ appeared on the flop. The turn and river bricked, sending Lisa home in 9th place.
A short time later, Danny King faced elimination when he shoved all-in with A♣️J♦️. Unfortunately, he found himself dominated by the A♥️Q♦️ of Randi Barnes. As we soon learned, Danny doesn’t know Jack because he certainly never appeared on the board of K♥️9♣️K♣️4♥️7♥️. 8th place and the title of “bubble boy” will have to do, but at least Danny collected a few bounties along the way to soften the blow.
The next confrontation came between 5x final table-ist Jay Moriarty and Adam Cole. Short on chips, Jay was forced all-in from the small blind with Q♣️7♠️ followed by an automatic call from Adam with 8♥️5♦️ in the big blind. After an 8♠️ hit the flop, Jay was looking for a queen and a queen only to bail him out. While I’m sure Jay was quite the ladies’ man in his youth, they were no longer answering his call this evening. As the A♥️ and 5♠️ hit the turn and river, Jay was eliminated in 7th place.
Next up, tournament director and resident donkey, Aaron Ho, shoved all-in from under the gun with K♦️8♣️. He had hoped for some quick folds, but instead, was called by both Dave Malkoff and Grant Taylor. Will Aaron triple up or hit the rail? After a useless flop of A♦️T♥️6♠️, Dave moved all-in and Grant folded. Dave tabled A♥️J♥️ for top pair, leaving Aaron drawing practically dead. The 2♥️ and 9♣️ on the turn and river made it official, busting him in 6th place.
Soon after, Adam Cole moved all-in with A♣️8♦️ from the button, receiving a call from former champ, Randi Barnes, with A♥️5♥️. The flop of K♥️3♠️2♠️ brought a world of possibilities for Randi with additional draws to a gutshot straight and backdoor flush. The turn came the 5♠️, propelling Randi into the lead with a pair of fives. Adam was dead to an eight if he wanted to live another day. Unfortunately, the river fell the K♣️, prompting a loud “ugh” from Adam and a 5th place finish.
In one of the most exciting hands of the night, Dave Malkoff shoved all-in with a set of fives (5♣️5♠️) on the flop. Guy Yosub decided now was the time to gamble, calling off the rest of his stack with a flush draw with the 9♦️2♦️ on a Q♣️5♦️6♦️ board. With 26% equity, could Guy find the diamond in the rough?! The turn came the 2♣️, cutting his equity down to 18%. Now for the river… the 9♣️! While making two pair, it was still not enough to best Dave’s three-of-a-kind, earning Guy a one-way ticket to the parking lot in 4th place.
The next face off would determine our new chip leader when Dave shoved all-in preflop with A♠️Q♠️ with a healthy stack. Grant Taylor showed no fear by putting his monster stack also on the line when he called with K♣️J♦️. Dave was in the lead, but anything can happen when you have live cards! The flop of T♥️8♣️5♣️ changed little, upping Dave’s equity to a comfortable 72%. Grant said a silent prayer to the poker gods and boy did this they answer when a J♣️ fell from the heavens. With the tables turned, it was now Dave in need of divine intervention. Alas, the 4♥️ fell on the river, sending him home in 3rd place.
For the first time ever, we had two former champs in Grant Taylor and Randi Barnes duking it out for the top spot. Who will be our first 2x champion?! Grant started heads up play with a strong chip lead, but as we all know, that can all change in an instant. It didn’t take long before the chips were all in the middle with Randi shoving all-in from the small blind with the 9♦️8♦️. Grant decided to “gambol gambol” and call with the J♦️7♥️. It was basically a coin flip, so the question becomes which turkey has the luck and which turkey is about to get uh… plucked?! The flop came down Q♠️7♠️5♥️, retaining the lead for Grant but giving Randi additional outs with a gutshot straight draw. The T♦️ on the turn improved her to an open ended straight draw, but she still trailed. With 13 outs and 30% equity, could Randi find her miracle card? The dealer slowly revealed the river – a T♣️. And just like that, Grant Taylor becomes our first 2x WGA Poker Group champion! Winner, winner, Thanksgiving dinner!
Here is a summary of the tournament results. Congrats to all our finalists!
1st – Grant “Gugliacci” Taylor 2nd – Randi “Rerun” Barnes 3rd – Dave “The Hammer” Malkoff 4th – Guy “River Rat” Yosub 5th – Adam Cole 6th – Aaron “Triple A” Ho 7th – Jay “Moose” Moriarty
Special thanks to my wife, Nichole, for helping run the tournament, as well as to Jay “Moose” Moriarty and the Burbank Moose Lodge. I’d also like to thank our dedicated dealers – Tyler Wong, Nick Apostolina, and Brent Boyd.
Our next tournament is planned for late January 2025. Stay tuned for updates via facebook or the e-newsletter. Until then, happy holidays and please enjoy some photos from the tournament below! Gobble gobble!
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