I could spend days and days recounting all the wonderful moments we’ve shared, and one day I will, but today is all about tomorrow. Yes, we’ve done well for the local economy, local charities, and ourselves, but we can do better. Yes we can!

And this week’s Puff’n’sip is not just a birthday gala, it’s a festival of future and hope. And we’ve planned a few things for you to keep the ball rolling:

The 4th Anniversary of Puff’n’sip will commence on January 21, 2009 promptly @

5:48 PM @ Cigar Bar and Grill, 850 Montgomery (@Jackson)

We will have fun and things, including Puff’n’holdem and Liar’s Dice, and a special appearance of ever-crowd-pleasing

Porkchop Express @ 6:57 PM

All proceeds from Puff’n’holdem and Liar’s Dice will benefit a local charity — see more details below. You don’t have to play to donate. All contributions will be greatly appreciated.

More on Puff’n’holdem Rules
It’s Texas Hold’em, and $20 gets you a seat at the table.
It is a tournament, so you can buy in at any time. Almost.
There will be some obsessively competitive players, but no in-depth knowledge required.
All winnings go to the charity below in the name of the winner.

Liar’s Dice Rules
It’s a dice game, players use sets of dice and cups. $1 to stay, but we might increase the stake.
You can buy in any time as long as there are seats available.
All winnings go to the charity below.

Charity Below
All proceeds from Puff’n’sip will benefit Tenderloin Neighborhood Development, the community group that provides support, after-school programs, and educational enrichment for local kids. The group has been working in Tenderloin since 1981.

Hope to see you all at the gala!

Lotsa love,
Big Red.

That’s correct! It has been four very busy and exciting years.  We had some reeeeeal good times… And there is much more coming!

But to celebrate the 4th birthday, we will have a very special Puff’n'sip next week.

January 21, 2009 @ Cigar Bar & Grill @ 6 PM

Featuring unforgettable performance by Pork Chop Express!

As well as a poker session with Puff’n'holdem and Liars Dice competition.

See you there!

3 wonderful years. Dear. It has been!.. Full of discovery and wonderment, tears and laughter.. So much love and support. So many friendly faces, happy moments, sweet memories. If anyone would have told me then that 3 years later I would still be drinking and smoking cigars every Wednesday, I’d be like:”Nah. You crazy. Seriously?…” But here we are. And while we at it:

This week’s, February 6, 2007 Puff’n’sip day is a very special day – we have the 3rd Anniversary Formal and Puff’n’holdem VIII and a guest appearance by Pork Chop Express. Read on for more details.

Kick off @ 6:07 PM @ Cigar Bar and Grill,
850 Montgomery (@ Jackson)
Tables open @ 6:67 PM @ Cigar Bar and Grill
PCE opens up the dance floor @ 8:03 PM @ Cigar Bar and Grill

Dress code is formal. Smoking jacket encouraged. CBG Special Editions brown liquor flights (whiskey, scotch, rum) will be served.
Let me know if you are planning to play – need to make ser we have enough seats @ the table.

Puff’n’holdem VIII Cause
Yes, we’ve done it seven times before. To-date Puff’n’holdem has contributed $2,200 to a number of local charities. This time all the proceeds will go to SFCASA:

Over two thousand of San Francisco’s children are victims of abuse and neglect and are living in foster care.

Adrift in an overburdened public social services system, these children urgently need safe and permanent homes, educational and healthcare services, and the support of a responsible and caring adult.

SFCASA volunteer advocate/mentors are sworn court officers trained to work one-on-one with these children, to assess individual needs, to advocate for necessary services, and to serve as trusted mentors and friends.

The SFCASA volunteer’s commitment is intense, and his or her impact on the child’s life is significant. SFCASA is the only agency operating in San Francisco providing court appointed volunteer advocacy and mentorship exclusively to this group of highly disadvantaged young people. Read some of these children’s stories, which illustrate the vital role of CASAs in their lives.

You do not have to play to donate. Give!

Puff’n’holdem Rules
It’s Texas Hold’em, and $20 gets you a seat at the table. Watches, cars, trendy furniture and other symbols of riches are accepted.
It is a tournament, so you can buy in at any time. Almost.
There will be some obsessively competitive players, but no in-depth knowledge required. More on the rules here.

All winnings go to the charity above in the name of the winner. We also have special recognition tchachkas for 2 and 3rd  – thanks, DM!
Again, please let me know if you are sitting down. We will keep tables small (ish) and the game fast.

Lotsa love,
Stas.

Next week is Puff’n’holdem – exciting!
Tomorrow is Russian Festival @ SF Russian Center. Food, beverages, and the sweetest entertainment ever! Come!

Lotsa love,
Stas.

When it rains, it’s wet. When it’s wet, it’s slippery. And due to a slippery circumstance, The Management regrets to inform you that Puff’n’holdem VIII is held up by one week. New date is looking to be February 6th, 2008.

A regular, pleasant and eventful Puff’n’sip will take place this week. Details are coming shortly. Please adjust your calendars and expectations accordingly. The Management apologizes for the lack of control.

The Management.

PS. Just in case you are still working it out — NO Puff’n’holdem this week. Next week is Puff’n’holdem.

Things change. Peering out of the window this morning I observed white and fluffy. I called it fog. LD corrected me with “cloud”. “One big cloud”, – she said. Cloud was awesome. That got me thinking, but soon it stopped. And cloud was not awesome anymore. Things change. Last night I got my February FastPass. This morning market lost another 100-some points. My password just expired. The world is trying to teach us something. It points, it gestures, it calls out…The rest gets very personal, and I’ll skip that part. But at the end I, and I am sure you too, arrived at the obvious – it’s all about Puff’n’sip!

Yes, for the past 3 (three!) years Puff’n’sip has been a pleasurable point of permanence in this ever changing world. Indeed, a lifebuoy in the troubled waters. They already renamed Wednesdays into Puff’n’sip days. Soon they will add Puff’n’sip to death and taxes (good balance!). Things are changing, but it’s all good – we’ve got Puff’n’sip. Actually, we’ve got a whole celebration with Puff’n’holdem and special appearance by Porkchop Express on January 30. Get ready!

So, still looking for charity nominations for Puff’n’holdem. Please rush them in for consideration (local impact, “our future” focused organizations are very much favored). For Puff’n’holdem rules and regulations, check here.

Today’s, January 23, 2008 Puff’n’sip will predictably begin at exactly
5:11 PM @ DaDa, 86 2nd (@ Mission)
and unsurprisingly proceed @
7:19 PM to Cigar Bar and Grill, 850 Montgomery (@ Jackson)

For those of you who got to the bottom of this email, the Annual Russian Festival is due in town on February 1. I am there, and you should check it. Out.

Lotsa love,
Stas.

What’s so cool about poker? Think about it for a second, and if your answer is “cigars, sunglasses, and brown liquor”, you are among 89% of Americans, per American PWLP Institute, who agree. But outside of the above 3, you have so many other options — sparkle your geeky side and argue about numbers (call them “odds”), show off your mental strength and focus, or simply trash talk opponents (definitely included in the rules). No matter what you choose, it will be fun!And all the winnings go to charity. Bam!..

Puff’n'holdem VII is coming to you this Puff’n'sip day (Wednesday on pre-Puff’n'sip calendars) October 24, 2007.
Tournament begins @ 6:33 PM promptly @ Cigar Bar and Grill, 850 Montgomery (@ Jackson).
It’s Texas Hold’em, and $20 gets you a seat at the table.
It is a tournament, so you can buy in at any time. Almost.
There will be some seriously competitive players, but no in-depth knowledge required. More on the rules here.
Winner gets to contribute to a fundraiser (2 tickets to Cirque du Soliel and a pre-party!) for the charity below.

Huckleberry Youth Services at Cole Street Clinic:

Quick reminder: to-date Puff’n'holdem has contributed almost $2,000 to a number of very worthy local causes. So become a proud contributor — join us!

Lotsa love,
Big Red.

Great news! Due to a generous last minute contribution the total $$ raised @ Puff’n'holdem VI jumped to $300!

Sweetness.

Lotsa love,

Big Red.

$280 in support of Support for Families of Children with Disabilities (SFCD). Well done!

Puff’n'sip’s own Senior Intern took the pot. I’ve never seen her so happy. I had a quote from the winner prepared last night, something about dreams-come-true and ‘I am so happy I can cry’, but I forgot it.

So here is the PR release quote:
“I couldn’t have won without the help of my friends: Stas, for never believing I could do it (made me want to win even more); Andrew Cheung for going “all in” on the second hand; Yung, for going “all in” on the last hand against my winning combination of super low cards; and last (but not least), Anastasia, our friendly bar lass, who leant me her lucky pair of Channel sunglasses…frankly, I think the bling blinded the competition!” — Senior Intern, May 17, 2007.

Thanks again to all who played or donated! You rock!

Lotsa love,
The Management.

We are at #5! So last year we have donated $1,200 to the charities below:

826 Valencia
826 Valencia is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

City of Dreams
City of Dreams is a non profit organization dedicated to helping youth living in our public housing communities by expanding their perspective in life.

Casa de Las Madres Mission
La Casa de las Madres provides shelter to battered women and their children; we strive to empower women and children to know their own strengths, take risks, and better control their own lives.

People you ARE good!

Big Red