On Friday, March 27th, 42 players stepped up to the plate for our MLB Opening Day Poker Tournament, also marking the WGA Poker Group’s official two-year anniversary! ⚾🎂🍻
The smell of hot dogs filled the air as everyone came out swinging for the fences. But as anyone who’s ever watched a nine-inning poker tournament knows, it’s not about who hits the hardest. It’s about who’s still standing when the final out is recorded.
After several grueling innings, our starting lineup of 42 was whittled down to a final table of ten. Let’s go to the tape. 📼
Watch the full recap video below or continue reading for the detailed play-by-play!
Aaron Ho vs. Adam Saunders – Play Ball!
With blinds at 8k-16k, Adam “KGB” Saunders called with 8♠️️9♠️️. Aaron “Triple A” Ho, short-stacked, sitting with 4♥️️4♦️️, and absolutely not in the mood for limpers, shoved all-in for 39k. Adam called, and it was off to the races. Or as the real Teddy KGB would say, “Mr. Son of a bitch, let’s play some cards!” 🍪
The fix was in like the 1919 World Series as the board ran out 6♠️️8♥️️A♥️️3♠️️J♦️️, giving Adam a superior pair of eights. And thus, Aaron was sent to the rail in 10th place to sulk in sorrow like Mike McD at the beginning of Rounders. So much for that alligator blood. 🐊 WATCH 🎦
Lisa Dickey vs Jamie Rhonheimer – Seven From Heaven
At blinds of 10k-20k, Lisa “Tricky!” Dickey came out of the bullpen with K♠️️9♠️️, shoving all-in for 22k from under the gun. Jamie “Cashew Lover” Rhonheimer brought the heat right back, moving all-in over the top for 37k with 7♠️️8♠️️. The rest of the table cleared out faster than a team’s dugout after a walk-off homer. We have ourselves a genuine pitcher’s duel on our hands.
The flop: 8♦️️A♦️️Q♠️️. Jamie paired his eight and stepped into the lead. The 9♣️️ turn gave Lisa a pair of nines to keep herself in the ballgame. The river… 7♦️️!
Jamie miraculously scooped with two pair, forcing Lisa to retire from the mound in 9th place. WATCH 🎦
Adam Saunders vs Vince Pavia vs Grant Taylor – Can Adam Turn Two?
🚨🚨🚨 WILD PITCH ALERT! 🚨🚨🚨
At 15k-30k, Grant “Gugliacci” Taylor was down to his last 8k and called all-in with K♦️️4♦️️. Brewers fanatic, Vince “VP” Pavia, completed from the small blind with 8♦️️7♠️️ and Adam checked his big blind option with 8♥️️6♠️️. Adam had them all covered. Could he make the double play?
Flop: 9♥️️4♠️️7♦️️. Vince flopped middle pair. Grant flopped bottom pair. Adam flopped an open-ended straight draw. Vince shoved his remaining 50k into the side pot, but Adam was undeterred. He called, knowing the dealer had some curveballs waiting. The turn: A♦️️. A flush draw now for Grant. Could he find the diamond? The river… T♦️️!
Grant collected the main pot with a flush, tripling his stack. The river also made Adam a straight — good enough for the side pot and sending Vince home in 8th place. That’s going to be a long bus ride back to Milwaukee… 🚌🍻 WATCH 🎦
Joyce Lee vs. Jamie Rhonheimer – “There’s No Crying in Baseball!”
With blinds still at 15k-30k, Jamie hurled a blistering fastball with A♣️️K♣️️, shoving all-in from the small blind. Joyce “JoJo” Lee, pot-committed in the big blind and staring at 3♣️️2♦️️, had no choice but to call, close her eyes, and hope for a free base. 🤞
Flop: 4♦️️9♠️️5♥️️. Joyce found a sliver of hope with an open-ended straight draw. The crowd leaned forward. The 8♣️️ on the turn helped no one. The stadium held its breath as the river card landed. The 7♦️️. As the umpire called “strike three,” Joyce was left staring at home plate in 7th place. Another great finish for this all-star player, proving once again, she’s in a league of their own. WATCH 🎦
Grant Taylor vs. Jamie Rhonheimer – Hey Batter, Batter, Swing!
On the very next hand, Jamie returned to the mound, firing all his chips from the button with A♥️️J♣️️. Grant dug in from the big blind with K♦️️3♥️️, calling off his 70k stack. A solid swing. But is it on target?
The board ran 2♠️️Q♥️️2♥️️4♦️️7♦️️, a complete whiff for everyone, leaving Jamie’s ace-high intact. Grant, a 2x WGA Poker Group champion, gave everything he had to this game. Double-up after double-up, he had been our feel-good story of the night, surviving on fumes and sheer stubbornness. But all winning streaks must come to an end. And thus, he walked off the field in 6th place, tipping his cap to thunderous applause. WATCH 🎦
Jeff Meyers vs. Jamie Rhonheimer – Race Around the Bases
Blinds at 20k-40k, Jeff sent his pocket tens T♣️️T♦️️ to pitch one final inning — just 4k on top to make it official. The night’s MVP, Jamie, stepped up to the plate in the big blind with K♣️️Q♣️️ and called his shot like Babe Ruth about to blast one over the fences.
The flop: 8♥️️9♥️️A♥️️. Jeff remained in the lead, keeping his playoff hopes alive. Now for the turn… the Q♠️️! Oh no, turns out Jamie is the Shohei Ohtani of poker, able to dominate from the mound and the batter’s box! The K♦️️ on the river was just overkill, giving Jamie two pair to cement the win. Where’s a mercy rule when you need one?! And thus, Jeff Meyers finished in 5th place. Next time, try wearing a rally cap. 🧢 WATCH 🎦
Andrew Hill Newman vs. Jamie Rhonheimer – Eight Nothing To It, Baby!
Andrew “Fell Off The” Hill Newman was running on empty, just 5k behind him and the outfield wall directly ahead of him, when Jamie raised to 90k on the button with A♣️️8♥️️. From the small blind, Andrew called off his remaining chips with 8♣️️2♣️️. It was suited, which is the poker equivalent of showing up to tryouts in nice cleats. Appreciated, but means little.
The board ran 6♣️️5♦️️6♦️️5♥️️T,♦️️sending Andrew back to the minor leagues in 4th place. Don’t worry, I get a feeling he’ll be called up again soon. WATCH 🎦
Cheryl Guerriero vs. Adam Saunders – No Repeat for the Champ
Three-handed at blinds 30k-60k, Adam raised the button to 120k, Jamie got out of the way, and Cheryl “Uncle Cher” Guerriero called from the big blind. The flop: 6♠️️J♥️️J♠️️. Cheryl had missed completely, holding Q♥️️9♥️️ for nothing but queen-high. However, the reigning WGA Poker Group champion doesn’t know the meaning of surrender, pushing all-in for 142k.
But before she could even stare down her opponent, Adam snap-called, tabling Q♣️️J♦️️ for trip jacks! Cheryl would need a miracle to keep her title defense alive. The 4♣️️ and K♣️️ fell on the turn and river, changing nothing. And just like that, our defending champion was eliminated in 3rd place. Her second title will have to wait. 🤷 WATCH 🎦
Jamie Rhonheimer vs. Adam Saunders – Game Seven, Bottom of the Ninth, Two Outs…
The stadium lights were humming. Two players. One mug. Every chip on the table.
Jamie had been the star of this lineup all night — pitching, hitting, fielding, what can’t he do?! Adam, meanwhile, had been doing that infuriating thing great closers do where they make it look effortless while everyone around them quietly unravels.
At blinds of 30k-60k, Adam just limped from the small blind. What could it mean? You’d think the scouting report would have circulated by now.
In the big blind, Jamie looked down at 2♥️️2♦️️ and threw his best slider by shoving his entire 300k stack. Unfortunately, this breaking ball didn’t want to break. As it slowly hovered over the plate, Adam snap-called, flipping over K♥️️K♦️️. CRACK! The ball rockets deep into left field. But who knows, if the dealer drops a deuce (tehehe), maybe the ball will go foul and Jamie can continue. 💩
The flop: A♥️️4♠️️8♠️️. Sensing the end, the fans pound the last of their beers. The turn: 8♣️️. The fans start exiting the stadium. That parking lot can be a bitch. The river… 4♣️️. Adam’s pocket kings stood untouched as the ball sailed over the outfield wall, closing out an epic game. Jamie, who had fought relentlessly all night long was retired in 2nd place while Adam rounded the bases as our newest WGA Poker Group Champion! 🏆⭐⚾ WATCH 🎦
Here is a summary of the tournament results. Congrats to all our finalists!
1st – Adam “KGB” Saunders
2nd – Jamie “Cashew Lover” Rhonheimer
3rd – Cheryl “Uncle Cher” Guerriero
4th – Andrew “Fell Off The” Hill Newman
5th – Jeff Meyers
6th – Grant “Gugliacci” Taylor
7th – Joyce “JoJo” Lee
8th – Vince “VP” Pavia
9th – Lisa “Tricky!” Dickey
10th – Aaron “Triple A” Ho
11th – Mike “Nacho Plissken” Carreon
Special thanks to my wife, Nichole, and our dear friend and fellow scribe, Alasdair Thornton, for helping run the tournament. I’d also like to thank Jay Moriarty and the Burbank Moose Lodge for their support and hospitality. Finally, I’d like to thank our amazing dedicated dealers — Jeff Meyers, Matty Tauber, Ross Lazar, Adam Cole, and Cat Galutera.
From the first pitch to the final out, this Opening Day tournament delivered everything a baseball fan could want: grand slams, improbable comebacks, and enough hot dogs to last a lifetime. Thank you to every player who showed up, suited up, and brought their W-G-A-game to the field. ⚾🌭
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The next game is on deck for Friday, May 29th. Official invite coming soon. Until then, enjoy these photos from the tournament and GO DODGERS!!! 💙🤍💙🤍
