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76
Entries, 10 Tournaments, 55 Players, £3,590 Prize Fund,
Michael Michael wins Jackpot.
"Am I talking to myself?" is what I heard myself saying when I had about
30 people in front of me as I was auctioning up the entry fee for the
first tournament of the evening.
I kept on putting the entry fee up by yet another £10 mark and still
nobody was saying a word. I'd already started at £50 instead of the normal
£25 but this still gave me over 16 players when I was only looking for 8.
So I went straight to £100. 3 dropped out. Thank you, there’ll be a
tournament suitable for the entry fee you want to play for in a few
minutes time. An increase to £110 was greeted with silence. £120 and not
even a nose wrinkled. £130 and the status quo was maintained. £140 and
faces were set in stone. £150 and I could see players thinking "ok, it's 3
notes worth now." At £160 somebody cracked. £170 nobody cracked. I could
have and should have skipped to £200 but instead I wasted time and went up
in £10 margins to that £200 mark. Only when I asked my "am I talking to
myself" did I get some reaction from the crowd, but that was just a good
quick crowd chortle before their wall of steely determination came back
down. At long last at £230 we got down to just 8 players. Prize Fund
Tournament 1 - £1840. T1 players paid, T2 was auctioned up to a £100 entry
and T3 become a £65 entry.
That's not to say that Bg in Camden has become all about the Big Money
Players. As soon as the 24 BMPs were sorted I had another 24 in front of
me wanting to play for £10 or £5. The £10 Entry Tournaments are the "stock
in trade" events of Bg in Camden evenings. More players come for
these than
come for BMP.
By 7.45 pm (slightly later than I was hoping for) we had 24 tables of
tournament backgammon in progress. 24 players playing for a total of £3160
and 24 players playing for a total of £200. Despite the disparity there
was still the same usual feeling of "we're all doing this together."
Chrissi Williams was with us this evening giving out
PartyGammon shirts
and hats. We took along enough blouses and t shirts for all but we ran out
of hats. But please don't worry, you're sure to be given one or two soon
if you come along - we've just short of 1000 hats now! Oh, you want a
shirt not a hat? No problem - there'll be free polo shirts at the next
gig! But everybody gets a hat!
There were 13 1st time at Bg in Camden players this evening. One of them
arrived at about 6.00 pm when I was having a pre-evening break on the
terrace. A London League player with, he said, a limited experience of the
doubling cube. He asked me how the evening would work so I gave him a
quick run-down on the procedure. He listened attentively and then said he
might give the £25 tournament a go. A shiver for him ran up my spine as he
said so. So I asked him what he should do if he was trailing 3-4 in a 5
pointer post-crawford. My hat off to him for answering the question
correctly but he didn't seem too sure as to the reasons why so I suggested
he might be better off to starting in a £10 Tournament.
Eric Guedj of PartoucheGammon was another first time visitor to Bg in
Camden. He came along with Andy Bell of The WSOB. They had both (like me)
recovered from November's busy schedule of backgammon but they were here
for backgammon leisure rather than for work. Tony Lee, Tariq Saddiqi and a
gentleman called George were also with us for their first time. There
were, and looking for lower investment play, about another 7 new players
who's fortunes we shall also look at in this report.
Peter Bennet took the unusual honour for him of being the first to report
his loss but decided not to come back in for another tournament because,
he said, he wanted an early night. In T2 Matte F. took an early shower, In
T3 Tony Lee made quick work of Pana, in T 4 Steve Prior made similar work
of Uldis. It was looking like the evening could be an interesting one.
Back in T2 we had Regina versus Michael Battat - the London League player
who I'd advised not to enter the £25er. He'd come up to the desk before
Auction 2 and announced his wish to join it. Ok - I thought, be it on your
own head, I did warn you. Regina has had a very good run recently - a
Finalist in the Intermediate Division of the WSOB UK Masters and winner of
a recent tournament at the RAC - Regina has a way of winning about her.
But this was of no concern to Michael Battat who won their match.
In T1 Michael Michael won over Michael F, Raj Jansari beat Andy Bell and
Tariq won over Eric Guedj. In T4 Alan B and Fintan won over two first time
players - respectably Dan Norman and Simon Perry. But they came back for
more and re-entered in T7 which by then was up and running.
In T5 Miranda did battle with Sue K so Sue came back for more in T7 and
went on to be a finalist there. Stuart Pemberton also fell in Round 1 of
T5 and he too entered T7 where he later became its other finalist. Who
would win?
And what of T6's action I hear some ask. Before that I must tell you
something of T4 in which Steve Prior and Fintan became our first finalists
of the evening and left me expecting as swift an ending of it as its
progress had been.
T6 was a £5er, 5 pointer. For the fun players who go for a little dabble
on the money side of things. Another first timer Mike Michaels was seeing
off Camden Market Staller and BG in Camden regular Freddy. Wo, wo, wo,
wait a minute. We just had a few lines ago a Michael Michael and now we
have a Mike Michaels. Mike Main, I think you must have made a typo. No I
didn't Mike Main. I wrote it right. But you've written Michaels Michaels
twice! No, I've Michael Michael (now due to play Raj Jansari but he's just
finishing, he says, his cigarette outside) in T1 and I've Mike Michaels in
T6, lost to Freddy and had now re-entered the same tournament and is
playing Vicky Ondis. Ah, I see said somebody. And Vicky is over there
playing the new Greek looking chap. He's called Demerti. But Mike Michaels
is not playing that Vicky. That's Vicky G you're looking at not Vicky O (aka
P but that's another story.) You still with me? You're doing damned well
if you are!
Peter Bennet was finding time to chat to others about this and that and
I'm sure that included a backgammon position or two even though he was
leaving early this evening.
T8 was in full swing as well by now, made up of knocked outs and later
arrivals and playing 5 pointers for £5. Little Monica won over little Sara
who had returned to the fold after many a long month - welcome return. Lee
did for second time player Roxanna but I doubt that will prevent her from
coming along again for I'm sure I've spotted a Dugganish will to win in
her eye; given the genes I wouldn't be surprised if that happens pretty
soon. Vicky O beat Eric M. He's the usual Frenchman. Not Eric Guedj. He's
the WSOB Frenchman. Freddy's the Camden Frenchman. Ba, nom de dieu. Arret.
Ce suffice avec les noms. Tu casse mon tête comme ca uh!
Peter Bennet, who you'll remember said he was leaving early, was chatting
over there now with I forget who this time.
Back in T3 it was all over. Tony Lee had made it to the final but had had
to leave early so a suitable split was done and it was Sean Williams who
was declared the winner. And winning ways are coming to Sean these days.
Following his On Board Tournament win, his Weekend Knockout Tournament win
and some points in the Team Tournament a few weeks ago at Backgammon Live
in London 2007 Sean was presented with the Champ 'o' Champs trophy here at
Bg in Camden. Round of applause for Sean. The trophy was suitable waved in
front of Zoe's face and this is caught on camera somewhere for publication
soon.
I had a little lull in reports coming in so I turned round and had a nice
little chat with, yup, you guessed it, Peter Bennet. Leaving early are /
were you then Peter?
In T4 the Steve versus Fintan Final was still going on. In T1 Tariq and
Michael sat down to play the final. In T5 Crispin who'd once again come up
from the south coast made his trip worthwhile by winning the final. In T6
Mike Michaels made it to the final where he met Vicky G. In T7 Sue and
Stuart were now playing their final. Who would win it was still a question
unanswered. T9 was well and truly running by now as well. 7 knocked outs
and 1 new player were the contestants there. T10 spluttered into life but
I kept it to a 4 player event given the time and the availability of
players. At last T2 Final got underway - Michael Battat versus George K.
What would happen there?
The remaining T4ers Fintan and Steve were still locked in battle Fintan
having clawed back from 0-4. In T6 Mike Michaels won over Vicky G. Well
done Mike, hard luck Vicky who, incidentally was so busy playing that she
missed out on her PartyGammon blouse so there'll be one for you next time
I promise. In T8 final Monica B. took on Eric M. while in T9 Final Alan B.
took on marmalade maker Miranda. In T 7 Stuart beat Sue and the Pembertons
went home with something to spare in their pockets while Sue took the
other Vicky (the non O / P one) home.
Was that Peter Bennet down the far end there chatting away to somebody I
couldn't quite make out? Can't be - he was leaving hours ago. I asked
Chrissi to check. She looked at me like I was silly and said "But Mike,
you know who Peter Bennet is. Of course it's Peter!"
T1 completed. Michael Michael was standing not only tall but proud too
now. This was Michael's first Jackpot win and seeing as it was a handsome
purse too I could well understand his gratification. Hard luck to his
opponent Tariq and we hope you'll return again - our start time for BMPs
is a very prompt 7.00 pm. Ladies and Gentlemen. In Ts8&9 the Beckerson saw
off their adversaries Miranda and Eric M.
Then one of the two T4ers was outside having a fag. Steve. Final
completed. Fintan had clawed back to DMP. A huge back game ensued. Fintan
was dead and buried near as damn it but Steve hadn't reckoned on Fintan
being able to roll multiple doubles. I heard both their accounts of it and
I tried to follow each account as closely as I could but I'm sure in
Steve’s telling of it there was at least one more big double than in
Fintan's!
Things were quieting down now. Chrissi and I nipped out to the terrace for
some air. Peter Bennet was just leaving. Would you believe we had a chat
before he actually really did leave?
Time was drawing to a close but there were still two matches to finish.
T10, the only 4 player tournament of the night was, having been reduced to
a 3 pointer, finally won by Lee G over Geoff C. We're seeing a bit more of
Lee + his mate Andrew these days and we hope you'll keep on coming too.
And last but most certainly not least, for if nothing else £800 was being
played for here, T2 came to a close. Two new Bg in Camden players they
were, I gather they did some sort of split over the kitty, but I doubt
this'll be the last we see of them; it was not Jovial George who won but
it was the man I'd advised not to enter the £25er - winner of T2 - London
League Michael Battat.
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