Episode 120 Part II
Released 1-23-2012
(0:54:10)
Listen now by clicking the MORE below, the BLUBRRY on the right, or the MEDIA PLAYER on the lower right.

Episode 120 of the CPL Poker Podcast (part II) has the following segments:

--MN Music Featuring Cwn Annwn

--CPL Poker History with Francis Parniticus—Poker Dealers

--CPL Interview with Nels Peterson

Bumper Music by: IKKI, Roster McCabe

Enjoy!

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook at CPLPokerPodcast

Released 1-23-2012
(0:56:23)
Listen now by clicking the MORE below, the BLUBRRY on the right, or the MEDIA PLAYER on the lower right.

Episode 120 of the CPL Poker Podcast (part I) has the following segments:

--Intro

--Hand of the Week

Bumper Music by: Stew, Roster McCabe, Barry Manilow

Enjoy!

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook at CPLPokerPodcast

I've meant to post something like this for a while now.  It's time to finally put it up. There are some great things that bars can do for their poker players.  And, Gary Erickson,owner of Erick's Bar in St. Paul, does them.  He really treats his poker players right.

I'm talking about more than in-bar specials or a free round for the players during Christmas week - which he routinely does.  Gary goes an extra mile.  He regularly attends regional ...

With 156 qualifiers the top 16 would receive an advance to the state tournament.  However, no one from White Bear Bar showed up.  The FPN lost White Bear Bar to the Straight Flush Poker Tour sometime in early December (the final month of season 1 for this promotion).  Big Robb, running the regional tournament at the Blue Fox, was not sure if those players had simply thought they no longer qualified, decided to stay home to watch playoff football or thought they should be attending the Twin Cities North regional tournament next weekend.  As such, he guaranteed that the top 12 would be moving on, but spots 13 to 16 would be in limbo until a final decision could be made.

Attendees to FPN's regions qualify with a single, double or triple stack depending on how well you do during that three month season.  Karaoke Phil went in with a double stack.  Playing fairly well throughout the day but short stacked he moved all-in when he saw tables being collapsed for the top 16.  He lost the hand and busted in the gray zone - in 16th.  He'll need to wait to hear if he has already qualified for his 8th straight state tournament or if he'll need season 2 to do it.

While Karaoke is "on the bubble" - friends of the CPL Wanda "The Steamroller" Bublitz and "Zero to $10000" bankroll builder Wyn Santo are most definitely "in".  Wyn took out Wanda heads up as they finished first and second.

We ended 2011 with almost 950,000 page visits.  We have some great ideas and energy moving into 2012 and are looking to push those visits past 2 million!!!

Thank you for being a part of our family and we'll see a lot more of each other in the up coming year.

Episode 119 Best of Music 2011
Released 12-26-2011
(1:31:53)
Listen now by clicking the MORE below, the BLUBRRY on the right, or the MEDIA PLAYER on the lower right.

Episode 119 of the CPL Poker Podcast is the Best of Music 2011 Episode:

--Mark and Phil countdown the top 10 songs played on the CPL Poker Podcast during 2011!

Bumper Music by: Stew, IKKI, and Kip Blackshire

Enjoy!

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook at CPLPokerPodcast

The boys over at "The Micros" have also given us all a present - they finished the third part of their "trilogy" and put it all together.

We've linked to: "The Mega-Trilogy" here.  Take a look.  You've likely seen the first 5 minutes or so.  The "Tommy" act is the new piece.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!

Three years ago today I made the journey back into bar poker.  I had played for quite some time with Chippy Poker, mostly at George's on Plato - with considerable success.  For reasons I don't remember, I quit playing.  George's no longer exists.  Coincidence?  I think not.

After a lengthy period of time I decided to dedicate my Tuesday nights to bar poker again.  A co-worker and CPL Home League player, Wanda "Steamroller" Bublitz told me about her escapades with the Free Poker Network (FPN).  That opened the door at Erik's Bar for me to return to quaffing a few beers while playing bar poker.

On December 23, 2008 I played against 34 others at Erik's.  I don't really remember the night and I didn't point (top 30%).  I'm sure I decided to wait a week before showing them what I really had in me. On week 2, December 30, 2008, I gave everyone a preview not only of what 2009 would be - but, all the years thereafter.  I won that night and have largely dominated ever since.  In the interim I have qualified for 7 MN State Championships in the 7 promotions I have played - and won 4 medallions for winning the bar outright.  However, I have failed - repeatedly - to take home any big prize.

FPN keeps the best stats that I've seen from any bar poker league.  They also segment them out into groups so you can do some apples to apples comparisons.  In my three years in the league I have now played 168 matches garnering more than 15,200 career points.  I finish in the points 57% of the time and final table (top 8) better than 43%.  I take the night down about 1 out of every 15 matches. Not too bad considering the average size of the field week in and week out over these years has been about 44 players.  If poker were all random luck I should only be winning about 1/3 as much as I have. 

For the podcast listeners you know that I have complained about running very cold lately - which, in all, is true.  Still, I am ranked 12th nationwide out of 2031 players who have competed in 100 to 199 FPN tournaments.  My career points rank me around 485th of the more than 75,000 players who have ever played in the FPN.   That puts me ahead of many FPN notables including former FPN National Champ Nels Peterson and FPN staple Big Robb Butcher - both of whom have played MANY more times in the FPN than I have. 

The next category for that apples to apples comparison is the final one: "Minumum 200 Tournaments Played".  I should reach that around July.  As it looks now, I should enter that grouping of 900 players ranked 1st or 2nd in the country in Average Points per Tournament.   I have sometimes fretted over what I perceive to be a little lackluster "Power Ranking" - but even there I should be in the top 8 nationwide.  I'm currently 32nd. 

Now I just need to add some "real" finishes in the various Championship tournaments to my weekly results. I'm going to keep trying. 

Released 12-14-2011
(1:04:17)
Listen now by clicking the MORE below, the BLUBRRY on the right, or the MEDIA PLAYER on the lower right.

Episode 118 of the CPL Poker Podcast has the following segments:

--Intro

--Poker History - Riverboats

--Hand of the Week--AK

--CPL MN Music Segment featuring: Life Tragic

--CPL MN Music Segment Part II featuring: Junebug

Bumper Music by: Stew, IKKI, Roster McCabe, Howard Jones

Enjoy!

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook at CPLPokerPodcast

Episode 117
Released 12-4-2011
(1:09:54)
Listen now by clicking the MORE below, the BLUBRRY on the right, or the MEDIA PLAYER on the lower right.

Episode 117 of the CPL Poker Podcast has the following segments:

--Intro

--Poker News

--Hand of the Week

--CPL MN Music Segment featuring: Alison Scott

--Casino Review-MGM Las Vegas

--CPL MN Music Segment Part II featuring: Skittish

Bumper Music by: Stew, IKKI, Roster McCabe, Phil Collins

Enjoy!

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook at CPLPokerPodcast

Episode 116 of the CPL Poker Podcast has the following segments:

--CPL Intro
--WSOP 2011 Main Event Discussion
--CPL MN Music Segment featuring: Korat Grey Band

--Interview with Erick Wright, 2011 winner of the TCPO

Bumper Music by: Stew, IKKI, Roster McCabe, Gloria Estefan

Enjoy!

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook at CPLPokerPodcast