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JPLJOSH'S POKER LEAGUE

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.

Half of this league happens away from the felt — at the smoker from first light, at the table at six, and out on the back deck every hour after that. The cards are only the excuse.

1800
Dinner served
1900
Cards in the air
04
Courses, unchanged
The JPL Certified Bully mug, engraved

Low and slow, every round.

Four things come off the smoker and out of the kitchen. They have not changed in years, and there is no reason on earth they should.

JPL· The Standing Menu

Dinner at Eighteen Hundred

  1. Wagyu Beef Brisket

    01

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

  2. Ryukyu Berkshire Boston Butt

    02

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

  3. Bone-in Free Range Leg of Lamb

    03

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

  4. Soft Shell Tacos, Pico & Slaw

    04

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


Dinner 1800hrs · Cards in the air 1900hrs · No substitutions

From the smoker.

No stylist, no stand-in. This is what actually comes off the Flaming Coals on the back deck, round after round.

The JPL offset smoker on the back deck, lit and ready

First light, back deck

A brisket deep in the smoke, bark setting on the grate

Low and slow

A finished brisket being sliced on the counter

The slice

The JPL full spread laid out for dinner — smoked meat, tortillas, slaw and pico de gallo

On the table by 1800

What gets opened, and when.

Blind breaks come round every hour.

01

Fine Wine


Brought, shared and enjoyed. Someone always needs a wine.

02

Top Shelf Whisky & Rum


The good bottles come out for the final table.

03

Cigars on the Back Deck


Every blind break, hourly, rain or shine. The best conversations happen here.

Breaks on a main round — Hourly, with cigars on the back deck

How a round runs.

Four main rounds a year, and every one of them keeps to the same shape. Turn up hungry, leave late.

The Calendar
  1. 1800

    Dinner is served

    Brisket, butt, lamb and tacos, all at once. Do not be late and do not eat beforehand.

  2. 1900

    Cards in the air

    No limit Texas hold’em. Two tables, occasionally three, and the ledger is watching.

  3. Hourly

    Blind break

    Cigars on the back deck, rain or shine. The best conversations happen out there.

  4. Late

    It finishes when it finishes

    The good bottles come out for the final table.

Beyond the table


Somewhere between the brisket and the last hand, the JPL has quietly put solid support behind men’s mental health. That part is not a joke.

Men talk more easily with a plate in front of them and something to do with their hands. A good deal of what matters at this table gets said on the back deck, between hands, and the league is glad to be the reason people turn up.

Come hungry. Bring a bottle.

Put your name down and you will be told the moment the next date is set.