Omahahaha

Last Sunday, I entered the UKIPT Nottingham Pot Limit Omaha side event at Dusk til Dawn. I was playing 50% of the tournament for myself, with the other 50% backed by seven top individuals from the Hendon Mob Forum.

I’d been looking forward to the tournament all week. Sunday arrived and it was a beautiful sunny day outside… an excellent opportunity to ensconce myself within a darkened poker room. I had a large fried breakfast for an early lunch, topped up my energy levels (apparently) with a banana, and headed out to Dusk til Dawn.

I dutifully arrived an hour before the start of the tournament, as advised by Pokerstars… a good three minutes later, I was all signed-up and ready to go! I grabbed myself a pint, had a look in the Marquee Bar, and then neurotically alternated between smoking cigarettes and checking the registrations board for new runners (the tournament finished-up with 62 runners).

We kicked off at 1pm, and I got myself sat down at the table quickly, so I could have a good look at everyone else at the table. I was sat in Seat 2 between a couple of old fellas in Seats 1 and 3 who seemed to know each other. Seat 4 was a middle-aged chap, Seat 5 was a young woman, and Seats 6, 7 and 8 were occupied by younger men who looked like your stereotypical internet players (hoodies and headphones). I tried to figure out what I looked like to my opponents, and had a nagging suspicion I looked like someone with a bowel problem. I assumed my standard poker-game scowl and wondered why nobody was talking me at the table.

We started with stacks of 8,000 chips, and blinds of 25 / 50. I only played one hand post-flop during the first level – holding 6789 single-suited, flop was AT6 giving me an inside straight wrap with a backdoor flush draw. The hand was checked to me, I bet out and got one caller. I turned the nuts with AT6-8, bet about half the pot and got a call. The river paired the board (AT68-T) hand was checked to me, and I checked back – nervous about a possible check-raise with a full-house, but easily took down the pot with the straight. I’d won the first real pot I’d got involved with and felt a lot easier at the table with that under my belt.

The next hand I got involved with post-flop was towards the end of the second level, with blinds at 50 / 100. I was dealt A245 double-suited, and saw a cheap flop in position with several limpers ahead of me. The flop was great for me A3Q giving me a pair, and a straight-wrap. After the hand was checked to me, I made a raise of about half the pot, and got one call from one of the younger guys at the opposite side of the table. The turn was a beautiful-looking four, completing my straight. I made another raise about half the pot and got yet another call. The river was a two, and my opponent immediately put me all-in. I tanked and tanked and started to feel uncomfortable about not making a decision. I tried to think the hand through like I’m supposed to – 56 would give my opponent a higher straight and he’d have had an open-ended draw on the turn. Still I hesitated… my head was telling me to fold the hand, but my heart diagreed… eventually I came to a decision and called – my opponent turned over AQxx for two-pair – I turned my hand over in what felt like slow motion (NOT a slow roll!)… one of the old fellows muttered something darkly about two-pair having showdown value. I was up to around 17K in chips, and stood up from the table to have a much-needed cigarette break.

I had a quiet third level (blinds at 75 / 150). My plan (hastily decided upon whilst having my cigarette break) had been to mix-it-up a bit more now that I had playing chips, but the circumstances were never right. I was dealt a succession of unplayable hands; then I was dealt QQxx single-suited in position, but someone raised from early position, and the old fellow to my right re-raised pot. I [obviously] folded, and the old fellow advertised his Aces when the hand was folded back to him. I had a couple of runs in my hand, but never caught enough of the flop to continue. Finally, in the last hand of the level, I was dealt another QQxx hand, and made a small raise, which caught a couple of callers. Flop came down KKx, I checked first, and both opponents also checked. Turn was a third King giving me a Full-House – I bet out and took down the last pot of the third level.

I finished the third level with around 19K chips and was feeling pretty comfortable. We had a quick break before the start of the next level and then play got underway with blinds at 100 / 200. It was another quiet level for me – I lost count of the number of rainbow hands I was dealt, and nothing was working for me post-flop. A couple of players were eliminated by other players on the table, and we were joined by a player from another table with a hefty stack – he quickly began to splash them around, and won several pots with marginal hands, he made a pot-sized re-raise against one opponent on a paired flop, and showed the bluff. My stack began to decrease noticeably, although I finished the level with around 14K chips.

The fifth level kicked-off with blinds at 150 / 300, and fairly quickly, I got involved in my final hand of the tournament. Holding 8TJQ double-suited, I made a raise from mid position and got one call, before the player with the hefty chip stack re-raised. I called, as did the other caller. Flop came down AJ8 giving me two-pair and a flush-draw in hearts. I raise, the caller folds and the chap with the hefty stack calls. Turn came down AJ8-J giving me the full house. I check the size of the pot, it is just slightly more than the 8K I have left behind so I shove it in the middle. My opponent snap calls and shows two Aces for the nuts, leaving me drawing dead to the case Jack. I hold my breath and visualise the Jack. Time slows again, and the dealer turns over… a 6.

I’m not really sure how I feel about the last hand, I don’t think I’d ever give my opponent credit for Aces given his play at the table so far; but by the turn, I’m not sure anything other than Aces, was going to call my shove. I think I’d have been better off checking and letting my opponent bluff his chips away (except obviously he did have Aces); but all things considered, I don’t think the hand would have finished any differently on the day.

On the plus side, I really enjoyed the tournament, and it was a great afternoon; but it was over too soon for my liking, and it was a bit of a let down for the people that had supported me in the tournament.