Tuesday Night Poker: A Trifecta, a Spoiler and a Night to Remember

Tuesday nights at The Mayfield Tavern have become the stage for some of the most thrilling and competitive poker this writer has seen in a long, long time. This past week, twenty-three determined Mavericks stepped up for an epic night of No-Limit Hold ’Em—and the action did not disappoint.

From the first “shuffle up and deal,” the chips were flying. In Game One, it was Cliff Jones taking charge at his table, while the two Mikes—Pjeter and Soper—clinched victories at theirs, setting the tone for a high-stakes evening.

Game Two was more of the same firepower. Pjeter and Soper repeated their table wins, but this time, Rick Hoag staged a comeback after an early Game One exit, dominating his table to keep his night alive.

As we entered Game Three, the math was simple:
Pjeter and Soper, each undefeated so far, sat tied at the top of the leaderboard—four points ahead of the pack. But lurking just behind were seven hungry challengers ready to capitalize on any misstep.

At Pjeter’s table, the outcome was quick and decisive—Mike Pjeter completed the trifecta, sweeping all three games. But his win wasn’t yet secured. Over at Soper’s table, the battle was still raging. A victory for Soper would give him a trifecta as well, and the tiebreaker would crown him the night’s champion.

What followed was a tense heads-up duel between Soper and Lewis Iler. Soper held a slight chip lead early, but Iler slowly chipped away, hand after hand. In the end, Iler slammed the door on Soper’s title hopes, taking the table win and leaving Pjeter alone atop the night’s standings.

Congratulations to Mike Pjeter, whose dominant performance earned him a seat at the Tournament of Champions in October! Rounding out the top three:
Mike Soper – Second place finish after two strong wins.
Lewis Iler – A slow start in Game One, but a pair of strong finishes in Games Two and Three put him on the podium.

Summer Season Standings Update

With the Summer Season nearly at its halfway mark, Mike Nass still holds onto the top spot on the leaderboard. Mike Soper has narrowed the gap, followed closely by Jim Elwart, Drew Bovee, and now Mike Pjeter.

One thing is clear this season: no lead is safe. Every point counts, every hand matters, and the race to October is far from over.

Good luck, Mavericks—see you on the felts!