2 games into the 'Summer' Season - I'm glad poker is played indoors!

Most notably, the current champion, Miles "Where's my clock?*" Petitt, has only picked up minimum points so far.

Meanwhile, over in Longstanton, (which is now a weekly event for anyone who hasn't noticed), 3 Oakington regulars lead the league.

The issue of trophies was raised recently, when we reached the end of a season and have 2 new champions. At the end of the first season which took place over the second half of 2009, mugs were commissioned for the top 8, and a plate for the winner. Similarly, at the end of he second season, but when the 3rd season ended commissioning crockery was proving a bit difficult to organise, and as the winner, Steve Symonds, was happy without a trophy and none of the runners up seemed bothered, the results weren't commemorated with ceramics. The following season was won by yours truly and I was more than happy to take not having to arrange trophies as my prize.

I quite like the idea of a championship trophy of some sort. It's not legal to award anything of any significant value, but I expect we could spend money on a cup that the winners keep for a season. I also like the idea of a heads up challenge between the winners of the 2 leagues as a decider. Please let me know what you think.

I used to think that splashing the pot was a no-no simply because it can make a bit of a mess, but as with most issues of poker etiquette there is a deeper issue.

Splashing the pot simply means throwing or placing your bet into a pot of previous bets. The most common time for this to happen is when the last player to bet calls. When the blinds are small and the call is a couple of chips, the practice is fairly innocuous. However, sometimes the bet can involve larger numbers of chips, and in these cases splashing the pot prevents other players from verifying that the correct amount of chips have been placed.

Slight miscounts are quite common, which is why players should always place their bets in front of them, and then slide them towards the pot after it has been established that betting is over, and in a calm manner, wearing a top hat, a cravat and safety goggles. I'm kidding of course - the cravat is optional.

Toodle pip!

Matty B.