Jon Reddick Birthday Poker Invitationals
The Jon Reddick Birthday Poker Invitiationals are a series of annual Texas Hold'em poker games held by and for Jon Reddick for his birthday each year.
In the spring of 2005, as Jon's birthday was drawing near, he and his wife, Ro, conceived a birthday party with all of Jon's poker buddies, but that was more than a party. It was decided that the party that year would be a grander version of their regular poker games which was to last throughout the day. As the planning evolved, it turned into two tournaments, one in the afternoon and another in the evening. Each game was to last upwards of four hours, and accommodate many more players.
The first birthday tournaments in 2005 were very successful and got positive reviews from many attendees, so it was more an obvious transition than a conscious decision that the tournaments become an annual event.
2005 Birthday Invitational Tournaments
Standings from the 2005 3:30 Tournament
Standings from the 2005 8:00 Tournament
The inaugural 2005 tournaments were held (unless anyone has evidence or recollection to the contrary), on June 25.
Both games were seated with two nine-player tables.
Trivia
- Jon "Mr. Poker" Reddick (then "Ugly Shirt") was the only player to make the money in both games, finishing third in both.
- The prizes included payouts for the top four finishers.
- The games were held at the Reddick's home in Tallahassee on Lucky Debonair Trail.
2006 Birthday Invitational Tournaments
Standings from the 2006 3:30 Tournament
Standings from the 2006 8:00 Tournament
The 2006 tournaments were held on July 1. This year the seating was increased from two tables (eighteen players) to three (twenty seven players). All three tables were filled.
Trivia
- The games were held at the Reddick's home in Tallahassee on Lucky Debonair Trail.
- The prizes included payouts for the top six finishers.
- Pam "Retro" Thomas became the second player make the money in both games in a single year, finishing both fifth and fourth.
- Mega-Bounties of $27 each, per game, were placed on Rob "Mad Dog" Nucatola and Rod "Money" Morris as the champions from the previous year. Those four bounties were claimed by Greg "Wide Track" Beck, Marc "Dot.Net" McNabb, Mike "Slo-Mo" McCall and "Milk Money" (non-regular friend-of-a-friend).
The Hiatus
In late April 2007, after nearly twenty years in Tallahassee, Jon and his family relocated to Jacksonville, Florida to follow a new job opportunity. Living out of boxes in a new rental house in Jacksonville, now hours away from all of the regular poker players, was far from ideal for the continuation of the established event.
As such, Jon made the sad decision to forgo the event in 2007, with plans to start up again in 2008.
As mid-2008 approached and again found the household in upheaval. The new job in Jacksonville and solidified from a contract position to a permanent one, and they were packing up the house and preparing to move. There were several inquiries made by players back in Tallahassee as to whether or not the event was happening in 2008, but again it had to be postponed.
2009 Birthday Invitational Tournaments
Standings from the 2009 3:30 Tournament
Standings from the 2009 8:00 Tournament
The top 3 finishers from the 3:30 Tournament
The top 3 finishers from the 8:00 Tournament
The historic chop for 1st
All of the prize money: one-dollar bills wrapped in $20/$10/$5 bundles
The prizes & trophies
During the two off years, Jon had cultivated a fresh batch of regular poker players in the newly-formed Mandarin Poker Tour; the spiritual successor to the group in Tallahassee.
The Reddicks had settled into their new home in Jacksonville, and the time was right to resurrect the birthday games. Jon's main concern, though, was that there really weren't enough MPT players to fill up the three-table roster, and it was uncertain how many KPT players would be willing to make the drive. As it would turn out, those concerns were unfounded.
The mass-email invitation was sent out to all KPT & MPT players on March 29, 2009. Within two days, the roster was one-third full. Two days later, only eight seats were left open. By April 6, 2009; less than ten days after the opening of registration, the rosters for both games were filled (give or take a seat) with an even mix of both MPT locals, and KPT players willing to make the drive.
In the intervening ten weeks, the roster saw a couple of drop-outs and some last-minute fill-ins, but by the date of the event, on June 27, 2009, both games were fully seated with 27 players.
Trivia
- The 3:30 game saw the first ever chop of 1st & 2nd place in a Birthday Invitational. When the game was down to just two remaining players, Mike "Slo-Mo" McCall and Marc "Dot.Net" McNabb agreed to split the top two places' prize money almost immediately. Since there were prizes and places to be awarded, though (a first-place trophy and second-place medal), they agreed to play a single hand open to decide it. Slo-Mo won the hand and claimed the trophy.
- Cory "The Moth" Patrick became the third player make the money in both games in a single year, finishing both sixth and third.
- This event was notable as Jon's fortieth birthday.
- The games were held at the Reddick's home in Jacksonville on Everholly Lane.
- The prizes included payouts for the top seven finishers.
- Marc "Dot.Net" McNabb became the winningest Invitational player, having won a first in 2006, and then chopped for first this year.
- Mike "Slo-Mo" McCall extended his streak and is now the only player to have finished in the money in at least one tournament at each of the first four invitationals.
2010 Birthday Invitational Tournaments
Standings from the 2010 3:30 Tournament
Standings from the 2010 8:00 Tournament
Charlie Checker's Triple Mega Bounty Win
Top 3 Finishers from the 3:30 Tournament
Pookie, the 3:30 Tournament Champion
Top 3 Finishers from the 8:00 Tournament
Charlie Checker, the 8:00 Tournament Champion
The 2010 tournaments took place on June 26.
- The invitation for registration to the 2010 events was sent out late in the evening of April 24, 2010
- Within 48 hours of the the invitation, 76% of the available seats were reserved
- 24 hours later, 83% were reserved
2011 Birthday Invitational Tournaments
Standings from the 2011 3:30 Tournament
Standings from the 2011 8:00 Tournament
The 2011 tournaments took place on June 25.
- The invitation for registration to the 2011 events was sent out 8am on May 29, 2011
- Two hours into registration, one table was filled in each game
- Nine hours in, only six seats remained in each game
- 24 hours after the invitation email was sent, only fours seats remained in each game
2012 Birthday Invitational Tournaments
The 2012 tournaments are currently scheduled for June 23.
- This is the first time that the tournaments fall on Jon's actual birthday.
Champions
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Rob "Mad Dog" Nucatola |
| 2005 | Rod "Money" Morris |
| 2006 | Marc "Dot.Net" McNabb |
| 2006 | Kevin "Nuts" McNulty |
| 2009 | Mike "Slo-Mo" McCall (chop) |
| 2009 | Marc "Dot.Net" McNabb (chop) |
| 2009 | Tom "T2" Voulieris |
| 2010 | Matt "Pookie" Henderson |
| 2010 | Charlie "Charlie Checker" Elul |
To-Do
- 2005
- Trivia
- 2006
- Pics
- Trivia
- 2010
- Pics
- Trivia
- 2011
- Pics
- Trivia
