4th Street Poker Tour

Jennifer and Jeff Get Married

Click here for more photos from our wedding weekend. And make sure to check out the pictures of us taking the literal plunge as we took a dive from the waterslide into the pool at the end of the wedding reception.

WPT Slim

by the First Lady

Q: What does Slim do at the WPT?

A: Having been significantly bitten by the poker bug and hoping to get some national TV airtime, in August 2004 I decided to enter the second annual WPT Ladies Night tournament at the Bike. I was joined by an early tour vet, Carrie "DJ Tanner" (given the name because she seemed to always make full houses). Rooting us on from the sidelines were Jeff, Keith, and Carrie's boyfriend Matt "Tennessee."

Sitting at Carrie's table was Kat Kowal, who happened to be the executive assistant to WPT CEO, Steve Lipscomb. Kat and Carrie busted out of the tournament in the same hand - and as typically happens in these situations, we huddled around them to get the story. We wound up talking to Kat for at least a half an hour. She was fascinated by the fact that Jeff had started a home poker group modeled after the World Poker Tour and promised to check on the newly launched website to track our progress.

Three days later, Dino was hosting Fall Season I--Game 4 at Oak Street when a package arrived from the World Poker Tour full of swag, including WPT shirts, hats, cards, and posters. True to her word, Kat had checked out the website and was so impressed with what we'd put together that she quickly put a package together for our next game.

A year and 52 4SPT games later, Maneater and I decided to enter the third annual WPT Ladies Night. This time, Jeff, Richie Rich, and Will Call were there cheering us on. While April and I were busy betting, checking, raising, and/or folding, Jeff again ran into Kat, who had been promoted to Director of Casino Player Relations. She not only remembered us, but said that she regularly checked the website to follow the 4th Street storylines.

Meanwhile...

I had recently started my job at Yahoo! and was, for the first time in a very long time, really happy with what I was doing professionally. More and more, this got Jeff to start thinking about what he was doing workwise. He had been in IT since graduating from college and never enjoyed it. In fact, his manager at Globe, Jay "Bigbossman" once told him that he wished Jeff would show the type of passion at work that he witnessed every Thursday night on 4th Street.

So one night we had a long talk where I asked him what type of career would make him happy. Without a second thought he answered, "Poker." Unlike most 20-somethings in 2005, Jeff wasn't hoping to go pro. But he did want to be a part of the poker community in some capacity. Having been raised in Vegas, moving back there to pursue some casino-related career seemed like a step backwards. So we figured out together that he'd just have to find something in LA.

The very next morning, he sent me a link from the World Poker Tour website. Based in LA, the WPT was hiring for a Data Analyst (a blend of IT and Finance and what he was doing at Globe). He took the next day off to work on his resume and sent it directly to Kat, hoping she would forward it along. The next morning they called him to schedule an interview for Monday. On Tuesday, he got the job.

I remember him coming home from work after his first day on the job. He recounted every detail of the day, who he talked to, what the office was like, and most importantly - how he felt he'd easily be able to work his magic to move out of IT rather quickly.

Indeed, the management at WPT soon realized that his expansive poker knowledge could be better utilized elsewhere. For a time he worked in the online department managing their online poker room where he was in charge of setting up tournaments and online satellites, coordinating with satellite winners, and specing out the requirements for a new poker room.

When the online team was moved to Isreal, Jeff was moved into the Interactive group where he now works as a content editor. In this position, he creates, manages, and edits (from a poker perspective) content like articles, live updates, and videos that appear on the World Poker Tour website.

Some of his current projects include developing the 100 Greatest WPT Moments countdown list to celebrate the soon to be aired 100th episode, working with recent winner Joe Pelton to craft the direction for two final table lookback articles like this one, and working with pros Paul Wasicka, Joe Pelton, and Isaac Haxton to develop a pro player live update blog section for the upcoming WPT Championship.

6 Degrees of 4SPT: Jeff "Complex Slim"

Obviously, Jeff is 0 degrees of separation from the 4SPT. But have you ever wondered how Jeff and I met? Believe it or not, your sober tournament directors met at the Circle Bar on Main Street in Santa Monica way back in November 2000. I was standing by the bar with my friends (completely drunk, I might add) when this obnoxious guy started to hit on me. I humored him for a while because the lines he was using were amusing in an annoying sort of way. Once he realized that he was getting nowhere fast, he walked away.

There, standing in his wake was this nice looking guy wearing retro glasses and a trucker's hat that had a picture of a moose head on it with, no joke, a working clock. I said, "I love your hat." Jeff said, "Do you know what time it is?" And the rest is history...

4SPT Hosts

by the First Lady

Q: Where are we playing this week?

A: As the name would suggest, Jeff modeled the 4th Street Poker Tour after the World Poker Tour. Thus, it was important to him from the very inception to have a home game that actually toured. A tall order, given that a true "tour" would require the cooperation and generosity of others to open up their homes to 24+ drunken, degenerate card players. And yet somehow we've been fortunate enough to have visited 12 different locations in the greater Los Angeles area.

1. The Complex: The birthplace of the Tour, located on 4th street in Santa Monica (hence the tour's moniker) and home to the Complex Crew. Hosts included Pibb "Rising Sonny" in Apartment 1, Complex Slim and myself in Apartment 2, Dog's Playing Poker in Apartment 3, C-Mint and Pokerhauntus in Apartment 4, Jeremy "Helen Keller" in Apartment 6, and after he moved - John Petro in Apartment 6, and "Kato" Kallon in Apartment 1 on the other side of the patio. Because of the numerous poker playing apartment dwellers, the Complex could hold as many tables as were needed, though typically we maxed out at four tables. In total, the Complex played host to the Tour 29 times.
2. Oak Street: Located on Oak Street in Santa Monica and home to the Oak Street Honkies. Hosted by Dino "KCBP" and Brodie "Manchild", Oak Street could hold five tables during the summer and four tables on a regular basis. They hosted a total of 23 times before Dino moved back to Kansas City.
3. The Rooftop: A little known tour stop located in the Valley on the rooftop of tour veterans Matt "Tennessee" and Carrie "DJ Tanner's" condo. They hosted a one-table tourney one time way back in SuS I.
4. The Castle: Located in Playa Vista and home to the honorable King Richard, the Castle can hold three tables. Definitely our most charitable host, Richard has opened his doors to 4th Street an amazing 31 times!
5. The Fief: Located just outside the Castle doors, the Fief is home to Susan "High Noon" and Chad "II-Pod" and can hold three tables. After tonight's game, they will have hosted 10 times.
6. Club Med: Located in the Palisades, Club Med got its name because our host, Zak "Prefontaine" (who will be making a rare appearance tonight) once was a cabana boy at a Club Med. By far our largest venue, Club Med could host as many tables as were needed (we maxed out at 6). Club Med played host to four 4th Street games, including one documentary filming about the poker explosion during the first Summer Shootout.
7. Culver Cave: Josh "Jeopardy" and his roommates were nice enough to open the doors to their Culver City apartment, nicknamed the Cave because of the low lighting. The Cave held four tables and made only 1 appearance on 4th Street before Jeopardy and his roommates parted ways and he moved to Long Beach.
8. Richville: Located in Redondo Beach, Richville is home to Richie Rich (and more often than not, you'll find Jun sleeping on the couch). By far the longest drive on the current Tour docket, Richville can hold four tables and has opened its doors 10 times to 4th Street.
9. Box Office: Will Call's Box Office is located in the La Brea/Fairfax district and can hold four tables. The Box Office can hold four tables and has graced us with 16 Tour visits.
10. Shock Town: Located in LA, Shock G has hosted at Shock Town four times. On regular Thursday night games, Shock Town maxes out at four tables but with its large backyard we could easily fit six for a sunny Saturday major.
11. House of Hey Zeus: Our first and only storefront venue, the House of Hey Zeus doubles as downtown Santa Monica's TV Authority, owned and operated by Jason "Hey Zeus." With its exclusive loft area, the House of Hey Zeus can hold up to four tables and has hosted 4th Street two different times.
12. First Home: Our newest Tour stop, dubbed the First Home because its the first home that Slim and I bought together, is located on 7th Street in Santa Monica. The only venue that boasts a jackpot prize in honor of our dog Acey Deucey (win a showdown with an Ace Deuce offsuit and you'll get a special prize - so far only Uncle Cooler has won), the First Home can hold three tables and has hosted 4th Street 12 times since we took ownership back in August.

Jeff and I are truly grateful to everyone listed here for opening up your homes to us week after week. The 4th Street Poker Tour would honestly be nothing without your generosity.

Of course, we are always looking for more Tour spots so if you think your home might accommodate our band of merry poker players - let us know. We bring everything and stay till the end to help clean up. The only thing we ask is that there's available parking, a place for us to easily unload the equipment, and that you're home to open the door for us around 7:30. If you aren't sure how many people you could fit, invite us over to take a walk through. Jeff has an amazing talent for sussing out how many tables can fit (when we were going to open houses he'd walk in and immediately say, "This is a three table venue").

By the way, the specific answer to today's question is the Fief...

Welcome to the All New 4SPT.com

by the First Lady

Q: What's up with the new website?

A: We've wanted to redesign the website for a long time, but never had enough time to dedicate to the project. The navigation structure that we put in place over two years ago had become outdated. Important content was buried while irrelevant information was being surfaced.

However, as a result of a corporate-wide reorg at that internet company I work for, I've found myself with A LOT of available downtime this past month. So I took advantage of the situation and let "The Man" fund the design and development of the all new and improved 4th Street Poker Tour website.

Allow me to take you on a little virtual tour. First, notice the categories in the left hand column of the site. Every single post has been categorized (over 570 and counting) to help you better nagivate your way through the site. A typical post will have several categories. For instance, Game Results will be tagged with the winner's nickname (or name if a nickname has not yet been granted) and the season.

Here's a tip for those with big egos. Any player who has ever won a game or authored a Poker Corner article now has their very own category page which includes all related and personalized content. So, you can bookmark your very own category page (or mine) and share the URL with friends and family so they can track your progress on the Tour.

Over on the right hand side of the page you'll find the standard Season and Overall Points leaders modules. However, instead of linking to profiles, the top five now link to the players' category page. At the bottom of each module is a link to the complete list of player standings.

Below the Recent Comments are Quick Links for The Vault, In the Money, Winners by Win, The Rules (which desperately needs to be updated), and all the Poker Corner articles. And we've reinstated the Upcoming Events module so you'll no longer have any excuse for missing a Major because the dates for all games in the season are listed.

We hope you like the changes and if you have any suggestions for improvement, please leave a comment.

6 Degrees of 4SPT: Outback

In the spirit of content discovery, I thought I'd uncover the trail to 4th Street of a two time winner that most of you have never heard of but who nonetheless has an original 4SPT nickname and his own category page.

1. Before Complex Slim was a poker guru, he worked in I.T. at a company called Worldlink. There, he befriended a sales assistant named Andrew and invented a game called Cup Ball (a complex game involving throwing a ball into a cup).
2. Andrew "KCBP" Dinowitz, while not at the first official game, is definitely a 4SPT O.G. He's the reason 4th Street became a "Tour" by offering up his home for the third game way back on July 1, 2004. Newbies to the Tour can meet the KCBP on Legends Night, at Game 8 on April 26th.
3. Dino introduced another legend to the Tour, Seattle Slew. Having taken enough bad beats to last a lifetime, our first Tournament of Champions winner moved back to his home city over a year ago.
4. Slew invited his friend Jay Coulbourne to the game back in the Fall Season of 2004. Back then we were really intent on making sure everyone and anyone had a nickname, so we weren't always so discerning. After he won his first game (FS I, Game 6) we scrambled to think of something original. All we really knew about him was that he worked at the Outback. And a lame nickname was born. The Outback went on to win his second 4SPT six games later and never returned.

In and Out

by the First Lady

As I was delinquent with my post from last week, I decided to pile on two equally important yet diametrically opposed topics for this week's FAQ post.

Why is it so hard for these guys to check in when they get here?

Obviously, this isn't a question that any of you have ever posed. Instead, it's a question I agonize over weekly.

I'm the first to realize the importance of 4th Street as a social event and I recognize that many of you take your sweet time making it to my check in station because you want to greet your friends (cough--Pick--cough). However, I'd like to ask you to consider for a moment two reasons why a punctual check in is so important to me:

1. The later we start, the later we end. Over the years, Jeff and I have gotten very accustomed to the post-4SPT haze that accompanies waking up and reporting to work on Friday mornings. And really, it's not so bad when the game ends when it's supposed to, at 1am. Jeff purposefully put together a tournament blind structure that approximates 5 hours of game play, including breaks. But we're relying on you to actually arrive on time (and that means BEFORE 8pm) and check in so we can start promptly at 8pm and end at or before 1am.
2. We're playing too! Keep in mind that your faithful Tournament Directors are, in fact, playing in the same game you are. So when you arrive late, our game and concentration is interrupted when you come over with your $20 in hand looking for a seat. The following is a true story to exemplify this point. One night near the beginning of the game, Jeff looked down to see AJ preflop. Two players had arrived late and came over to him to get their seat card. Unable to concentrate on the table action, he folded his hand. The flop came AJJ and as it turned out, someone holding AK took down a huge pot. If everyone had arrived on time, he most certainly would have been involved in that hand (of course, everyone knows this is Jeff we're talking about and so the turn/river likely would have come KK if he had actually played the hand). Regardless, the point is  - being late is rude.

You guys know that we're down to 5, right?
It seems like every week, we hear this question from the other room. Very often, our answer is "No - who busted out?" Then we typically hear "That one guy, I don't know his name...you know, the guy wearing the jersey?"

You know what would make this a lot easier? If said guy in said jersey would have just come over and told Jeff or me (whichever is holding the notebook) that he busted out. That way, we ensure we have a handle on the number of players remaining, whether we need to balance tables, and are able to keep an accurate account of the game's standings.

Of course, this is poker - bad beats happen. Beats so bad that you might STORM out the door, FISTs clenched with unadulterated rage. In these circumstances, I completely understand why you might not want to stop over to tell one of us you've busted out. So, if you are seated at a table when this happens and notice that Jeff or I aren't also at the table - please do your 4SPT brotherly duty and come over and tell us who busted out. And if after two and a half years of playing together you still don't know a player's name or nickname - why not introduce yourself? And to further beat a dead horse, please wait to make introductions with the stranger in the jersey until AFTER you've checked in with me.

6 Degrees of In and Out
Today I'll be mapping two players who are notorious (at least in my book) for doing a bad job at either checking in or checking out. Interestingly, they both are only 1 degree of separation from the OG-8.

First, the C-Mint, who seems to be late every week (even when we'd play in his own apartment at the Complex). It's common knowledge that C-Mint is a 4SPT Original, but did you know he wasn't at the very first 4SPT game?

1. Jeff and Jennifer had the very first 4SPT game in the living room of their apartment, with 8 people total in attendance.
2. Charles (who is Canadian and uses the word "mint" synonymously with "cool," hence the clever nickname Canadian Mint, shortened to C-Mint) was known as the Godfather of the Complex. He lived in two different apartments there and assumed the responsibility of interviewing and providing sign off on anyone who wanted to move in. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he's still doing that even though he no longer lives there.

Second, Ivan "the Terrible," who had a run of three straight games a few seasons ago where he didn't alert us when he busted out...

1. Keith "the Cooler" Holsey, Duke of 4th Street, lives and works in the O.C. Every week for almost 3 years (except for a brief time when he randomly moved to Wisconsin, don't ask), the Cooler's been making the hour-plus trek to the Westside in rush hour traffic to play in our game.
2. Keith worked with Ivan. Ivan had a home poker game that he'd invite Keith to. While I know I'm supposed to be a historian and present only factual information, the fact is I've never really cared to get the story on how Keith wound up inviting Ivan to the game. But I assume it went something like this. While playing in Ivan's home game, the Cooler takes down a monster pot with 86, resulting in the simultaneous bust out of 4 players and Keith being crowned the OC poker champion. Keith then jumps on the table, pulls out a gat, and yells out "YOU O.C. MOTHER FUCKERS CAN'T FADE THE 4SPT!" Ivan feels slighted and vows to avenge the O.C. He follows Keith home from work one Thursday and finds himself driving towards Santa Monica straight to the check in table of the 4th Street Poker Tour. He sneaks a peek at my check in list and says he's Eliot. I can't be bothered to remember any of your names, so I take his $20 and give him a seat card. He sits patiently and waits for it. Waits for it. Waits for it. Finally, after folding 230 hands in a row, he's dealt 86. And the rest is history...

 

...and a Chair

by the First Lady

FAQ: Why am I on the wait list? Are you still tilting from my 73s or are you just afraid of being beaten by me again?

The first official 4th Street Poker Tour game was played on June 9, 2004. Jeff sent the following Evite invitation to 18 friends:

Jack “Treetop” Straus once said that "If you have a chip and a chair you can win." Well, that’s not entirely true. You also need a location, opponents, and a reasonably suitable poker table to play on. Lucky for you, I now have all of the above and am itching to set up a regular poker game.

I’m proposing that we start getting together every other week, starting this Wednesday – June 9th. We’ll play No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em in tournament style on a First RSVP, First Served basis. My poker table holds 8, so the first 8 people to RSVP will have a seat in the game.

Buy in will be $20 – 1st place will take $120, 2nd will get $40. Since many of us have to report to work on Thursday morning, we’ll start the game promptly at 8 so it won’t run all hours of the night. If you have chips, feel free to bring them as a side game is almost certain to occur.

It’d be great if we could rotate houses, so if you are interested in hosting – let me know. If you know of anyone else who would be interested in playing please add their email to the list.

Thanks – and I’ll see you on 4th street!

It was Jeff's goal to get six regular players to commit to playing in a weekly game and have room to rotate in different players. By the third game, we had expanded to a 2 table game. Within a month we had our first 3 table game and the concept of the wait list was born.

We developed a complex mathmatical equation to determine who took a seat in the game and who was put on the wait list, one that is still used today. Variables include length of time playing on the Tour, whether you've ever hosted a game, number of seats available, degrees of separation from Slim, First Lady, and the host, whether you've ever RSVP'd and not shown up without calling or emailing, and how many laminated seat cards you have stolen.

Unfortunately, in the past year we've lost three of our 4-table venues--The Complex, Oak Street, and Club Med--because the hosts have moved away. Tonight's venue, the Box Office, is the only 4-table venue we have left. Which means most weeks we can only accomodate 24-27 players.

Meanwhile, last season we experienced a bit of a lull in attendance from our regulars which meant we had ample seating for new players. However, recently we've seen a resurgance of many of our old school 4SPT players and therefore, the wait list was reborn.

So, to answer your question about why you are on the wait list...the fact is we've been playing every week for nearly 3 years with this group. So joining our game in the past season does not make you a regular. In fact, joining the game in the past year barely registers for priority status. It comes down to capacity. If we have the room, we'll try to get you in. If we don't, you'll just have it wait it out and cross your fingers someone cancels last minute.

Lastly, though the bad beat you put on Slim doesn't technically factor in - please remember that the 4th Street Poker Tour is and always will be our home game. Which means, we get to decide who is in and who is out (equation or no equation) and being rude or obnoxious to your tournament directors and hosts is probably not the best way to find yourself on the seating list next week. Just ask Shock G.

6 Degrees of 4SPT

In the spirit of seating capacity, this week we'll chart our lone 4-table host and reining Tournament of Champions Champ, Will Call, back to the OG-8.

1. Jeff and Jennifer hosted a little 8 person game at the Complex
2. Marc "Big Papa" Cahill lived in the Complex with his wife and new baby (fun fact: Cahill gave Jeff his nickname)
3. Cahill's wife had a lot of back problems and had to get an MRI. Her medical tech? Will Call! Cahill and Will Call somehow started talking about poker and Cahill invited him to our game.

Position, Position, Position

by the First Lady

FAQ: What position?
Every week when someone busts out of the game at a table neither Slim or I are sitting at, we'll yell out from our seat, "What position?" Without fail the response will be the busted player's seat card number, "Seat 2," for instance. With an exasperated sigh, Slim or I get up from our table, walk into the room, figure out what position, and then balance the tables accordingly. In this week's article, my goal is to educate you all on what we mean when we ask "What position?"

When checking in for the game, you pay me $20 and in exchange you get to choose a laminated 4th Street Poker Tour seat card. This card tells you which table you'll be playing at and the seat number. The button is always Seat 1 and you count clockwise around the table to find your seat.

During the game, the seat cards really don't serve a purpose for you, the player. Once you are seated, the fact that you are sitting at Seat 1 versus Seat 7 becomes irrelevant. Keep in mind that we have 3 or 4 tables playing simultaneously, but unless we are down to 9 players and playing hand for hand (more on that in a future article), each table is in many respects playing their own game. In other words, just because you started in Seat 2 and you are, at this very moment, the Big Blind at your table does not mean that all other Seat 2 players at the other tables are playing in the Big Blind.

The reason we have seat cards is to help make the game run smoothly for us, the tournament directors. We ask you to keep the cards in front of you on the table so we can easily reassign seats when we've lost enough players to consolidate tables (going from 4 tables to 3, for instance). The new seating assignment is simple and efficient when we can quickly go to your table, grab the open seat cards, and let players redraw for their new seats.

Since we play tournament style Hold 'Em, it's imperative that we continually balance the tables so everyone in the game is playing nearly the same amount of hands during the blind levels. That means we balance tables as players bust out. For instance, if we were to start with 24 players at a 3 table game, that would mean we'd start with 8 players per table. Let's say Richie and Jun are both at Table 3 and bust out of the tournament in 24th and 23rd place, respectively. Now we have 2 tables with 8 players and 1 table with 6. The tables are now unbalanced and we need to substitute a player from either Table 1 or Table 2 to come play at Table 3. It's at this point that you'll hear us yell out, "What position?"

So, instead of looking down to see what seat card Jun had in front of him - what we're really looking for you to tell us is the seat position Jun was in when he busted in relation to the button. Appropriate and helpful answers would therefore be:

• The button
• Small blind
• Big Blind
• Under the gun
• Under the gun +1
• Under the gun +2
• Under the gun +3 (or 2 behind the button)
• The cut off

Let's say Jun was under the gun at Table 3 when he busted. His seat card was #5. Over at Table 2, Shock G is in Seat #5 but he's sitting in the Small Blind. If we were to move players based on seat card numbers, then G would now owe the Big Blind that he just paid at his table a hand ago. Totes unfair!

To keep the game as fair and balanced as possible, we'll instead move II-Pod who was sitting in the same under the gun position over at Table 2 into Jun's old seat. He'll now pay the Big Blind at this table like he was going to do at his old table. Totes fair!

There will be a pop quiz on this concept during this Thursday's game so study up!

6 Degrees of 4SPT - John "Sir Pick" Collins

I'd be remiss if in an article about position I didn't map out the path to 4th Street of everyone's favorite position player, Pick. Check to the Pick when he's in position and he'll always bet, no matter what. He can't help himself.

Turns out we can chart Pick's invitation to 4th Street within 4 degrees of separation from the OG-8.

1. First Lady has a friend named Dana who has a lot of friends.
2. First Lady and Slim met Dana's friend Vaughn at a party. Vaughn played poker. Vaughn got an invite to an early 4th Street game.
3. Vaughn answered a WSM post on craigslist from a girl named Carmel who was looking to befriend LA poker players. Vaughn invited Carmel, aka the Poker Princess, to 4th Street. She won that game. She played once more and came in third. Realizing 4th Street was far too easy for her, the Poker Princess moved on to bigger and better things. You can now see her sitting in the background of several episodes of GSN's High Stakes Poker watching her current poker pro boyfriend, Daniel Alaei.
4. Before she hit the big time, Carmel dated/befriended another LA poker degenerate who just happened to be the roommate of Max "The Factor." She told Max about our "easy game" and RSVP'd on his behalf for one of our early Major events. He showed. She didn't.
5. Max worked at Gladstone's in Malibu as a valet parking attendant where he became friends with a waiter named John Collins. John liked poker. Max invited him to the game. John showed up with a toothpick hanging out of his mouth. A nickname was born and he's been raising in position ever since.

History of the Majors

by the First Lady

FAQ: Pray tell, why don't majors count towards overall points?

Before I answer this question, I thought it would be helpful to provide background on the history of the Majors on 4th Street.

Interestingly, the first major 4th Street event is not actually recognized as a 4th Street Major. On May 22, 2004, I organized a surprise 27th birthday party for Jeff which blended his love for barbecue and poker and boasted a clever Evite title: No Limit Texas Smoke 'Em. Of course to host this party we needed some gear, so his birthday gifts included his very first poker table top and chip set. Shortly thereafter, the entity which is now the 4th Street Poker Tour begun and life was never the same...

Jeff had a vision that was much bigger than your average home game. Of course the major inspiration for the Tour came from Jeff's current employer, the World Poker Tour (though it would be another year and a half before he started working there). The personality of the Tour with its varied crews and characters was inspired by Jeff's love for the WWF.  The concept of tracking points and hosting a series of Major events came from the PGA.

And so it was on November 6, 2004 that we hosted the first official 4th Street Major: Fall Brawl. Why was it called Fall Brawl? Well, it was fall and a Major seemed like a good excuse to brawl. Oh, and that's the name of a major WWF event. We recognized that there needed to be something unique about this first Major. So we upped the buyin, freerolled the season points winner, handed out lots of prizes (note to all relatives: ever wonder where all those kitchy poker gifts you give us wind up?), and bought a poker themed trophy for the winner. I had also recently played in a ladies headhunter poker tournament at the Bike that was really fun, so we added the headhunter aspect into the mix. Every player got a special gold chip that they had to throw into the pot when they were All-In. At the end of the game, all gold chips were redeemable for $5 each. People had fun. The Grimace won. And a tradition was born.

So here's the simple answer to the Most's question regarding why Majors don't count to overall points. We didn't do it the first time. There's really no other reason. When asked, we always said that a Major title was worth more than points. It's about bragging rights. But then Jeff won a Major himself, and all of a sudden he started questioning this decision. Shouldn't Majors be worth double the points?! Regardless, we aren't going to institute any changes to the points structure until this 4SPT year comes to an end. And we might not change it at all. Deal with it.

Here's a breakdown of the rest of the Majors:

• February 19, 2005, Saint Valentine's Day Massacre: C-Mint
  Top 5 season points winners become "Saints" with bounties on their heads (with the #1 worth the most money). If you take out a Saint, you get a t-shirt with their logo on it. Winner gets an I Massacred the Saints t-shirt.
• May 21, 2005, No Limit Texas Smoke 'Em II: KCBP
  Lots of smoked meat. Pot luck. During the bbq portion of the event, the winners of the 4SPT Awards are announced (players vote on each category). 4SPT Awardees get to pick out a prize and take home a coveted 4SPT gold leafed certificate of achievement. The winner of the poker tournament gets a custom made apron with the No Limit Texas Smoke 'Em logo on the front.
• May 24, 2005, Tournament of Champions: Seattle Slew
  Only winners of 4SPT games during the 4SPT calendar year are invited. Everyone buys in for $20 and stuffs their cash in a Stanley Cup inspired trophy. Winner takes all - including the trophy.
• August 28, 2005, Summer Shootout: ALternate
  Unlike the freezeout style tournament we play every week, this Major is set up as a shootout. We don't balance the tables when people bust. Instead, every table plays their own single-table tournament and we play until there is a winner at each table. Those winners are called "Sharpshooters" and each gets money for winning their table. The Sharpshooters then move on to the Final Table where everyone starts with equal stacks. Winner receives an Olympic inspired Gold medal necklace.
• November 30, 2005, Fall Brawl II: Rabbit Eater
  Instead of a trophy, the winner now receives a WWF inspired championship belt (decorated with 4SPT stickers).
• February 18, 2006, Saint Valentine's Day Massacre II: Complex Slim
• May 27, 2006, No Limit Texas Smoke 'Em III: Drud
• June 1, 2006, Tournament of Champions II: Will Call
• September 2, 2006, Summer Shootout II: The Most
• December 2, 2006, Fall Brawl III: Richie Rich
  Format has changed to a March Madness inspired Heads Up bracketed tournament. Brackets and seeds are determined by season points wins and winners progress to the next round of heads up play. 5 rounds in total. The Final Four all win money. In addition, there's a Bracket Madness pool where all players fill out a bracket in advance of the game. The player with the highest score wins money. Next year there will be a rule that you can't choose yourself to win the Bracket Madness challenge to make it a little more interesting (in other words, everyone voted for themselves which meant Richie Rich took home an additional $100 just for being egotistical). Winner now receives a 4SPT crown because they won the HEADs up tournament.
• March 3, 2007, Saint Valentine's Day Massacre III: ???

The Break

by the First Lady

FAQ: How much time until the break?
Though I rarely venture outside during the breaks, I know with certainty which of our esteemed 4th Streeters have an addiction to tobacco when I hear this question. So, if you wear a watch or own one of those fancy cellular devices that include a clock - here's a handy guide to manage your time till the next smoke break.

Times are subject to change depending on the actual start time of the game and the perhaps faulty assumption that the apple timer keeps an accurate account of time.

7:30 - registration/set up
8:00 - Shuffle up and deal, 25/25, 20 minute blinds
8:20 - 25/50
8:40 - 50/100
9:00 - 75/150
9:20 - BREAK, usually around 10 minutes

9:30 - 100/100
9:50 - 100/100, 25 ante
10:10 - 150/300, 50 ante
10:30 - 200/400, 50 ante
10:50 - COLOR UP THE $25 CHIPS, not a break - unless we are moving to the final table

To ensure the game ends around 1am, we switch to 15 minutes blinds at the 300/600 level. However, if the game has started late - we switch to 15 minute blind levels at 11pm, no matter what the blind levels are at.

On average, the final table starts around the 300/600 level. We usually take a 5-10 minute break before the commencement of final table action.

11:00 - 300/600, 100 ante
11:15 - 400/800, 100 ante
11:30 - 600/1200, 200 ante
11:45 - 800/1600, 200 ante
12:00 - 1000/2000, 300 ante
12:15 - 2000/4000, 500 ante

We usually get to heads up around this level, at which point we take away the antes. We usually give the final two players a few minutes to collect their thoughts before we start the game. Games typically end around 1am.

12:35 - 3000/6000
12:50 - 4000/8000

Bottom line, you'll get a break every 80-90 minutes of game play.

6 Degrees of 4SPT - The Fist
In the spirit of breaks, I thought I'd map out the genesis of The Fist on 4th Street. As most of you know, The Fist had been playing with us for nearly 2 years and hadn't booked a win. Frustrated and dejected, he took over a full season's break, and came back to win 2 games in 4 attempts. But where did The Fist come from in the first place? As it turns out, he's only 2 little degrees of separation from the OG-8.

1. First Lady has a friend named Dana who doesn't play poker but has a lot of friends. Dana had a birthday party where she introduced us to her "professional poker playing friend" Vaughn.
2. We invited Vaughn out to our little home game where he offerred to "just deal" and/or drink (because he never drinks when he plays poker) to "keep the game fair." Vaughn "Von Sandman" Sandman quickly became one of the most infamous players on 4th Street.
3. Vaughn met Cheyenne at Commerce casino and invited him to the game. Many moons later Cheyenne gave one hell of a fist f*!&ing beat to the Storm and got his official 4SPT nickname.

Rivalry Week - FAQs and 6 Degrees

by the First Lady

FAQ: We’ve heard a lot of talk about the Westside Degenerates and the Too Beaucoup Crew.  Who are the other crews on 4th Street?

Complex Crew
Founding Father: Complex Slim

4SPT Regulars:

• First Lady
• Mister Pibb
• C-Mint
• Cooler (*never lived at The Complex, but as the Duke of the 4SPT – he’s Complex through and through)
• Dog’s Playing Poker

Gone But Not Forgotten:

• Marc “Big Papa”
• Jeremy “Helen Keller”

Globe IT Killas (GIK)
Connection to the 4SPT: Jeff worked at Globe when we started this thing

Founding Father: Jeopardy

4SPT Regulars:

• Wou-Tang: Silent Assassin

Gone But Not Forgotten:

• Jay “Big Bossman”
• Caroline
• Izzy “Giant Penis”

Oak Street Honkies
Connection to 4SPT: Jeff and Dino worked together at WorldLink

Founding Father: Dino “KCBP”

4SPT Regulars:

• Drop it Like It’s Hot
• Bookie

Gone But Not Forgotten:

• Seattle Slew
• Manchild

Dirtbag Crew
Connection to 4SPT: Jennifer met Vaughn at a party and invited him to the game

Founding Father: Vaughn “Von Sandman” Sandman

4SPT Regulars:

• Alek?

Gone But Not Forgotten:

• CarLo-Lo
• Grimace
• Prefontaine

Playa Vista Playas
Connection to 4SPT: Chad and Dino worked together

Founding Father: King Richard

4SPT Regulars:

• II-Pod
• High Noon

The Mentones
Connection to 4SPT: Cheyenne and Eliot live/work on Mentone Street

Founding Father: The Most – who defected briefly from the WSD, developed a break off crew and won that same night. He then returned to the WSD, leaving only one remaining Mentone

4SPT Regulars:

• The Fist

4SPT Regular Free Agents

• Clayton
• Drud
• Ivan
• Jeff Not Jeff
• Machine
• Scrubs
• Will Call
• Will Shake

6 Degrees of 4SPT
II-Pod asks, how did the winners of Amazing Race Season 10, Tyler & James, become 4th Streeters?

Answer: 3 degrees of separation (the flop) from the OG-8.

1. The First Lady invited her friend and former co-worker Axel "The Randomizer".
2. Randomizer invited his friend and next door neighbor, Jimmy Z. Long time regulars may remember this guy who wore a Che Guevara shirt at a game at the Fief.
3. Jimmy Z was in an acting class with fellow poker aficionados, Tyler and James and invited them to the game (this was fairly early on in the Glory Days of The Complex and Oak Street when we could accommodate larger games and didn't mind when random people invited their random friends). They played in about 2 games and one of them made a final table. I thought they were twins and didn't realize until Amazing Race aired that they were just "friends."

Sadly, we have since learned that Jimmy Z passed away last year. You can learn more about him and his life at OurJimmyZ.com.