 Vegas November 2011 |
| Day 2 - VDSE PLO/PLO8 |
| Last Updated: 2011-11-07 02:15:19 |
| Another deep run, another departure with empty pockets.
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| I'm turning into a lightweight or something, on the previous night I was in bed before 10pm and as a result woke up at a time, well, let's just say it was closer to my usual Vegas bed time than it was to my usual wake-up time out here...
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| So after typing up yesterday's blog entry this morning, Leon and I hit the Bellagio buffet for brunch. As always a great meal, I was stuffed. Back up to our respective rooms for a few minutes and then it was on to Venetian to watch football in the re-modeled sports book.
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| Lemme tell you, it was an impressive site. The wall is now just one massive screen that appears to be about the size of two stadium video screens side-by-side. Great way to watch football on a Sunday morning/afternoon.
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| Leon watched about a half with me before heading out to Wynn to play in the nooner. Like me, it was a deep run for him but no cash. But don't feel too bad for him, he did get a nice cash the night before in the Aria 7pm.
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| Halftime of the Packers game was time for me to take my seat for the tournament. Thankfully I was able to watch the rest of the game from my seat, there was a wide column directly between me and the game I wanted to see so I spent the first hour and a half of poker leaning back and forth a lot...
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| The first 2 hr segment of the tournament went very well for me. I built my stack up to 17K from a starting stack of 12K playing very solid poker. I had the table down and I was feeling good. But then I got moved in a rebalance...
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| I went from one of the tightest Omaha tournament tables I've ever seen to a very loose one. That didn't really play much into my demise, I think there was only one hand I didn't play that I wish I had in the rest of that segment of the tournament.
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| But I did flop a nut straight only to have it counterfeited on the turn, called preflop raises with nice single suited rundowns that missed, every A-2 in 8/b would flop high cards...and it just seemed like almost every time I had a decent starting hand and played it, I would badly miss the flop. I did catch a few hands but still by the time the next break rolled around I was down below starting stack at 9000.
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| And not to whine, but the other issue was that it seemed like every time I had a good starting hand it was from out of position, and every time I was on the button or in the cutoff I had utterly unplayable hands.
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| Position is important in Hold'Em. But it is CRITICAL in Omaha. There is very little check-raising and bluffing out of position is very difficult, so you always want everyone else acting before you do. And I spent way too much time playing from out of position.
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| A short 2 round segment instead of the usual three before the dinner break, and things didn't get much better. I went into break number three having increased my stack from 9000 to 10,000. Woo hoo.
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| But finally a big positive for me not long after dinner. Omaha 8/b, a few limpers in the pot with me I think in a blind and I look down at A-A-3-4 with at least one ace suited. That's a very premium hand. I raise out, only one caller. Flop comes 2-5-10 rainbow.
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| Short of catching quad aces or flopping a wheel, that's about as good a flop as I could possibly hit. A 13-card straight wrap, an over-pair, and a nut low draw that can't be counterfeited. All the chips go in and the other guy only has pocket kings, he might have had a 10. The guy had agonized over the call, as he should have, but then apologized for thinking so long and said he should have insta-called. Really? OK, if you think so bud, glad you called. Finally I'm still short compared to the rest of the table, but now I'm solid compared to the blinds.
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| Folks, if you don't play Omaha 8/b, here's your educational moment for today. K-K-X-X is an unplayable hand in Omaha 8/b unless the X-X is A-2 or A-3. K-K-BIG-anything is a hand you should throw away unless you are in the big blind and nobody raises, and you probably should consider for a moment folding even in that circumstance. This isn't hold'em...
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| And if you find yourself playing that hand and you don't flop a third K or a straight draw I guarantee anyone betting at that point has you crushed. And if two or worse three low cards come on the flop and someone bets into you, you are crushed. And in this case, he didn't flop a K or a straight draw and there were two small cards on the board. Guess what. He was crushed. And he apologized for not insta-calling me. Can't make it up...
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| But then back to having a tough time. After one time around I get the button and catch A-2-4-K with the ace suited in Omaha 8/b. Another premium hand. I raise out, get a called, flop comes paint-paint-rag, not my suit. All I have is a gutshot and I have to give it up. Next hand A-2-4-10 suited ace, I call a min-raise, this time an A-K-Q flop and again I have to go away. Argh. That should have been the run of cards I was waiting for for the last 4 hrs...
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| So I float between 12K and 15K for a while (pick up some pots, but also have a few more tough misses). And again, finally, a premium hand.
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| A-A-K-J double suited in Omaha high. This is a very premium hand. The top hand in Omaha is a tie between A-A-K-K double suited and A-A-J-10 double suited. It's close, with both hands you have Aces plus two nut-flush draws. What is up for debate is whether the second pair is better than the larger number of straight possibilities the other hand gives you.
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| But if you don't have specifically one of those two hands, this is one of the hands that's next on the list.
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| So I was in the big blind with this hand and got four limpers. Perfect, blinds at 500/1000, I can pot it to 6000. Only caller is a monster stack, the perfect guy to double me up 'cause he can't fold with hardly anything after the flop based on pot odds if he has any kind of hand at all. Really he should have just put me all in pre-flop instead of just calling...
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| Flop comes 3-4-7 rainbow. No chance of me folding at this point, all the chips go in and he rolls over A-4-3-3 single suited. Are you kidding me?
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| Sigh.
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| I did pick up a diamond draw on the turn, but no love on the river and I was done. Dammit. I'm out 25th of 87 paying 9 places.
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| After getting 100+ for their non-hold'em tournaments last week I'm a little disappointed that they only got 87 for this one on a Sunday. I think that fact is going to alter my plans for the rest of the week.
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| I really wanted to play in the Omaha 8/Stud 8 mixed tournament on Tuesday, but now I'm concerned that they just aren't going to get enough players to make it worthwhile. So I think I'm probably going to join Leon in the NLH at Venetian at noon tomorrow instead. Tuesday I now think I'll just slum it at the Wynn at noon and then either Aria or Venetian 7pm to finish off the trip. |
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