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!
