1st Ever SHHNHB Tonight!

All right folks, things are sorting themselves out, and we are planning to hold the first ever SHHNHB at Andrew and Hubert's place tonight, Saturday, June 4, at 9pm.

Here are some of the main factors used in determining SHHNHB player rankings:

- Proximity to Mountain View
- Number of games played with the commissioners, Chang and Andrew
- Historical performance
- Recent performance

Jason was on the original invite list, but he has an old buddy in town, so it looks like he has to be scratched from the lineup. Dan Hill was also on the invite list, but we can't track him down. :( Call me, Dan! We'll get them in next time, along with Jeff when he gets back for the summer. We've found replacements, and this is the list of participants, by SHHNHB ranking:

1. Chang
2. Annaka
3. Hubert
4. Lisa
5. Andrew
6. Rob
7. Daniel Reyes
8. Gerald

Some comments on these rankings. Annaka and I have been the most consistently competitive over the longest period of time, so we assume the top two spots, with my recent wins giving me the edge over her. Hubert has proven his game by finishing among the top two on a regular basis, with the occasional win. For a while, Lisa was always the one ending games, and she was looking like the bottom seed, but then her summer started, and with a clear and rested mind unencumbered by exams, she won her last two outings in very impressive fashion, resulting in a huge jump in her rating. She has the hot hand and is now a darkhorse to win it all. Speaking of darkhorses, Andrew is the ultimate enigma, prone to shooting either the moon or his foot. He's a good candidate to finish last in the consolation game, but he could also win it all, as he's done in recent weeks. I doubt we'll see anything in between. Rob is an old vet from the Castano days, but pursuing a doctorate in Virginia hasn't done much for his SHHNHB ranking, so he starts at number 6. I wouldn't be surprised to see him work his way up. Daniel Reyes is a new member of the league, coming in at number 7. His ability is hard to quantify at this point, though on one memorable hand in a recent game (the first he ever played with us), he held the ace of spades until the last trick to eat the queen of spades and kill Hubert's moon shot, earning instant credibility and respect (and SHHNHB points). Later in the game, he shot the moon. So he clearly knows what he is doing and isn't out of place among this group of sharks. Last, and probably least, is Gerald, but you can never discount the value of beginner's luck. His inexperience could also be a boon for Andrew's shooting aspirations.

Based on these rankings, the two semifinal tables will be:

Table 1
Chang
Lisa
Andrew
Gerald

Table 2
Annaka
Hubert
Rob
Daniel

Rankings will be reevaluated before each tournament, as will the invite list.

Let the games begin. Good luck!