Raise the Bar - Main Event

Stretch Takes the Title as RTB’s Championship Race Tightens

A field of 49 entries filled the tables at Raise the Bar on Sunday, November 1, bringing another important afternoon of poker to South Amboy. With November now underway, every deep run carries extra weight—and today’s results reshuffled the venue’s automatic Tournament of Champions positions while putting the playoff cutoff firmly in the spotlight. At the end of it all, Stretch claimed the championship and 64 points , finishing ahead of Wild Bill in second and Bubba The Love Sponge in third. Wild Bill collected 58 points, while Bubba earned 52 to complete the podium. For Stretch, this was a breakthrough result: a first Main Event victory of the fall season, coming just days after a third-place finish at Amsterdam Alley. Two podium finishes in less than a week have given Stretch plenty to build on as the season heads toward its deciding stretch. Wild Bill, meanwhile, recorded a second consecutive runner-up finish at RTB , following last Sunday’s second place with another strong performance. Add in Tuesday’s Amsterdam Alley victory, and that is a productive run across two venues. Bubba’s third place delivered a first final table and first podium finish of the fall season—a substantial boost from a field of nearly 50 players. A Final Table With Championship Consequences Misdeal finished fourth for 46 points, a result that proved especially significant in the RTB standings. Tim H took fifth for 45, followed by Chink in sixth for 44. Lombardi finished seventh, receiving 32 points after the late-entry adjustment. Skippy placed eighth for 42, and Sean W rounded out the final table in ninth for 41. Each result mattered beyond the afternoon’s finishing order, with players chasing everything from automatic ToC positions to a place in the venue playoff field. Misdeal Moves Into the RTB Lead Misdeal’s fourth-place finish lifted the venue total to 240 points , taking over first place at Raise the Bar. Heather B added 35 points in 14th and now sits second with 230 , while Suzie Q earned 30 points in 19th to move to 224 in third. Those are the three positions that currently represent RTB’s automatic ToC qualification places, subject to the league’s qualification and duplicate-seat rules. The margins remain small: just 16 points separate first from third . Dr. Zaitz , winner of the previous two RTB Main Events, finished 33rd for 16 points. That leaves the former venue leader fourth with 217 , only seven points behind third. The back-to-back wins also keep Dr. Zaitz involved through the separate multiple-win qualification route, so slipping outside the venue’s top three does not tell the whole ToC story. Sean W’s final-table finish brought the RTB total to 210 , good for fifth—14 points behind the current third-place position. With the leading five separated by only 30 points, the race remains open to another meaningful change next Sunday. The Playoff Bubble Has a Familiar New Challenger Today’s champion also supplies one of the most interesting playoff storylines. Despite the victory, Stretch currently sits 31st in the RTB standings , immediately outside the top-30 playoff field. The win was a major step forward, but there is still work to do to turn today’s success into a venue playoff opportunity. Topper currently holds 30th, with Stretch next and Lombardi 32nd. That puts two of today’s final-table finishers directly behind the cutoff—a reminder that a strong single result and a season-long qualification position are different challenges. Tim H’s fifth place helped establish a position inside the field at 25th , while Skippy now sits 21st . Wild Bill’s runner-up finish moved the RTB standing to ninth , strengthening another playoff opportunity alongside the current automatic-seat position at Amsterdam Alley. The top 30 in the final venue standings become eligible for the playoff. From there, the top three finishers who have not already qualified advance to the ToC; already-qualified players can still compete as spoilers without using one of those three advancement places. For everyone around the bubble, getting into that playoff field keeps a valuable route alive. Welcoming Players to the Tables A special welcome to Bslime , whose first recorded fall-season Main Event appearance produced 11 points in 38th place. It is always good to see a new player join the DTTF tables, and we hope this is the first of many visits. ODisco also made a first recorded Main Event appearance of the fall season, finishing 42nd for seven points. Welcome to the fall action! New arrivals and returning players help keep these weekly games growing. Second Chance Topper turned an early Main Event exit into a winning finish, taking down the Second Chance championship for 10 points . After finishing 47th in the Main Event, Topper made the most of another opportunity to compete—a reminder that the first elimination does not have to be the last word on the afternoon. La Cobra finished second for six points , while JuJu rounded out the podium in third for three points . Those points count toward the separate Second Chance standings, leaving the Main Event standings and venue playoff qualification positions unchanged. Congratulations to all three finishers for making their second opportunity count! Thank You, RTB Thank you to Raise the Bar and the entire venue staff for hosting another afternoon of free league poker and giving our players a welcoming place to gather, compete, eat, and drink. Thank you to Tournament Director Jose Martinez for running today’s event, and to all of the dealers who gave their time and attention to keeping the cards moving. That contribution makes a 49-entry tournament possible and deserves recognition. Congratulations to Stretch on the championship, to Wild Bill and Bubba The Love Sponge on the podium finishes, and to everyone who added another chapter to the RTB race. November has arrived with a new venue leader, a tightly packed chasing group, and today’s champion sitting right on the playoff doorstep.