Established 2021

Josh’s Poker LeagueWhisky, Cigars, and Poker Stars.

Four main rounds a year, a handful of invitation-only specials, and a table that has never once served a bad plate.

Take a Seat Read the Ledger

14NOV2026

The next round

JPL 2026 Round 4

Saturday 14 November 2026 · Dinner 1800hrs · Cards 1900hrs

The backbone of the league. Four a year. Dinner at 1800, cards in the air at 1900, and it finishes when it finishes.

Full calendar

Buy-in: $50
Format: JPL Main Round
Buy backs: JPL standard buy back rules
Payout: Split 75 / 25 between 1st and 2nd
Breaks: Hourly, with cigars on the back deck
Seats: Two tables, occasionally three

Four rounds.
And the games in between.

Four standard JPL rounds and four single-table limited specialty games — High Roller, Short Stack, Bounty and whatever else takes the Pitmaster’s fancy.

Main Round

JPL Main Round

$50

Buy-in

The backbone of the league. Four a year. Dinner at 1800, cards in the air at 1900, and it finishes when it finishes.

Buy backs: JPL standard buy back rules
Payout: Split 75 / 25 between 1st and 2nd

Specialty Round

High Roller

$500

Buy-in

The deep end. Five hundred in, no safety net, and an afternoon start so the losers have time to compose themselves before dinner.

Buy backs: None
Payout: Split 75 / 25 between 1st and 2nd

Specialty Round

Short Stack

$100

Buy-in

Played with a deck stripped of 2s through 5s. Blinds double every thirty minutes. For the final half hour every clock and phone leaves the room.

Buy backs: None
Payout: Winner takes all

Specialty Round

Bounty Hunter

$100

Buy-in

A price on every head. Knock a player out and their bounty is yours before the next hand is dealt. VIP scalps pay extra.

Buy backs: JPL standard buy back rules
Payout: Bounties paid on the spot, balance to the podium

Rounds are announced one at a time, a few weeks out — see the calendar

The games in between.

Four main rounds are the backbone. The rest of it — the deep stacks past midnight, the felt worn smooth, the mug someone is still drinking from — happens in between.

Chips, cards and a JPL dealer chip laid out on the felt mid-hand

Deep in a main round

The flop laid out on the JPL branded felt, JPL playing cards beside it

Stacks of Monte Carlo Poker Club clay chips

Every title, permanently recorded.

Win a JPL round and two things happen. Your name goes onto the ledger, and you take home the season’s limited edition trophy — a mug in the early years, crystal now. The ledger is the only record that matters, and it does not get edited.

29
Titles awarded

The Full Ledger

Standings

Titles

01JoshThe Pitmaster · Champions’ Champion11
02PatThe Closer5
03MitchThe Grinder3
04WadeThe Provocateur2
05MaartyThe Dutchman2
06RayThe Shark1

Josh leads by 6

You know it. You love it.

The menu has not changed in years, because why mess with perfection. Dinner is at 1800. Do not be late and do not eat beforehand.

Sliced brisket, flat and burnt ends, plated

Wagyu Beef Brisket

Low and slow. The tried and tested centrepiece, back every round.

The Boston butt on the smoker, bark and all

Ryukyu Berkshire Boston Butt

Brisket’s natural partner in crime. Pulled, bark and all.

The leg of lamb, smoked whole, deep bark set

Bone-in Free Range Leg of Lamb

Smoked whole, carved at the table, gone within the hour.

Fresh pico de gallo, tomato, onion and coriander

Soft Shell Tacos, Pico & Slaw

Plus the special white sauce, the recipe for which is not up for discussion.

The Full Table

Beyond the felt.

Every player at this table is skilled. A select few demonstrate a level of dedication that sets them apart. For those players there are two tiers of recognition — and they are earned by turning up, not by paying.

The First Ascent