Vegas June 2017 (WSOP)

Day 8 - WSOP PLO

Last Updated: 2017-06-22 12:38:01

Note that the title of this post doesn't include the word "Aria"...

As the trip has been progressing I'm getting to the point where we are half way in and between the cashes and the things I haven't played in because I was too busy playing other things I'm already close to guaranteeing at least a break-even trip with still a week to go. So I decided that maybe I would try and lock that in a little by playing in the $1500 PLO Wednesday instead of the $3K HORSE Thursday.

I wasn't going to play in this tournament. When I've played Omaha tournaments outside of the WSOP they haven't gone well for me.

But...my only cash at the WSOP was PLO/PLH. And I learned at the 8/b mix that at the WSOP it isn't just 6 handed every hand pushing and praying. People play poker in these events. And, again, my only cash...so we made the decision to play in this tournament and skip HORSE. Well...maybe skip HORSE :-)

Got to bed around 4am after my cash in the Aria 7pm, up at 8 to get back at it. I typed up half my blog, we got ready and got out the door for PLO. Breakfast at "Hash House A-Go-Go" at the Rio and on to the Amazon room.

Didn't take too long for my first big pot. I have AA88 single suited, I raise out, flop an ace and I get paid on the flop and turn. In hindsight I made my only mistake of the day right here when a straight card came on the river and I still bet pot. I should have checked it down, or made a much smaller bet because I could have only been called if I was beat and it was possible tho unlikely that I was beat.

Second time I got aces it didn't work out so well and after one level was a little above starting stack at 7850.

I didn't have any notable hands in the second hour, just picked up a few pots here and there and was able to go into the first break at 9750.

Third round was pretty much the same. ABC poker, build up a few more chips. The most interesting hand for me was when there was a limp or two followed by a pot sized bet from the guy directly to my right. I look down at aces again, I believe with one suit. I repot it.

Folds around to the guy to my right and he can't understand why the pot is so small. So apparently he had asked the dealer what the bet was, he didn't say "pot". The dealer, thinking he had said "pot", naturally told him what a pot sized bet was instead of telling him what the current bet was (which was 150). So he thought he was calling 675 instead of raising to 675. He wasn't happy about it, but he folded to my reraise and said he had kings.

10325 at the end of level 3.

About midway through the level our table got broken up, and I got moved to a table that had some fairly big stacks in it. Lots of chips for me to win, right? The good news was that my previous table was directly under a vent and it was like being in a fridge. No such problem at this one, I actually had my hoodie off for a while.

I'm not at the table even 10 minutes when a great hand comes up for me...

Aces in Omaha are not nearly the dominant hand they are in Texas Hold'Em. In fact, there are hands that contain two aces in Omaha that are bad enough to fold preflop. But sometimes even bad aces can work out very well for you :-)

I'm under the gun and I look down at AA5T with no suits. Aces without suits are always a borderline hand at best. You want hands in Omaha that can not only flop well but also have additional ways to improve even when you flop well. Having a flush draw or two is a great way to improve. With this hand all I can hope for is to flop a set or hit a nut-but-unlikely straight.

I limp in. Several limpers behind me including both blinds.

Flop comes 9-A-9. GIN! If someone has quad 9s I'm busting...

Another thing about Omaha is that you should never, ever slowplay a big hand because of what I said above. Everyone is playing hands that not only can hit flops but can draw out better hands. So, in general slowplaying is bad because you never want to give free cards. Even with full houses because you don't want to allow people to draw out better full houses. Again, rarely a concern in Hold'em, but a big concern in Omaha.

That is...unless you flop a full house with aces and you actually want someone to hit a straight or a flush and pay you off...

So I check after the blinds check. This is a beautiful circumstance. I didn't raise aces so noone can put me on them and I flopped second nuts. Unfortunately it checks around.

Turn is a K. Blinds check again, I have to get some chips in the pot so I lead out. UTG+2 calls and the big blind calls. River is a Jack.

BB leads into me for over 1000. Got him! He must have hit a straight. I go over the top for 3200, UTG+2 folds, BB goes into the tank. "You must have aces" he says. Eventually he calls, I roll over my aces, he says he had Kings. What a perfect board for me...

I'm up to 15,500 at the time, into the next break at 14,875.

5th round was a card-dead round, one sizeable pot with trip Kings, down to 13,575. First time I finished a round below where I started it.

But early in the 6th round I drew out broadway, hitting a gutshot because the flop had checked around, and I got paid! Not long after that, however, I get AA99 double suited (diamonds and clubs). This, folks, is a premium aces hand. I've got two different flushes I can make and when you have two pairs preflop you will flop a set 24% of the time. And with As and 9s it's a lot less likely someone will make a better set than you, another thing you have to be a lot more worried about in Omaha than you do in Hold'Em.

Flop comes all hearts. I have to go away, but I do see at the end of the hand that the guy who won it had A-9 of hearts...what are the odds...

So I lose chips with premium aces and I win a big pot with crappy aces. Welcome to poker...

I try to steal blinds from the button just before break with a not-so great hand of I think A-J-9-3 with hearts and diamonds. There is really nothing good about this hand aside from the suited ace, but I've played so tight I think I can get away with it. Big blind calls.

I c-bet the Ace high flop, he calls, check-check blank turn, I lead out a value bet on the second ace on the river, he calls, I win with trips and go into the dinner break at 19975. I'll take it!

Dinner at Noodle Asia at the Venetian. We learned a couple of years ago that's a perfect dinner trip for us. We can drive to Venetian, eat dinner and be back at Rio in a little under the 90 minutes we have without rushing through the meal. And much as I hate giving that prick Sheldon Adelson even a penny of my money, we really like the meal. Sort of how Paul McCartney the vegetarian (vegan?) who doesn't eat meat on moral grounds but still wears leather shoes because they haven't come up with an adequate replacement yet (I saw an interview :-) ).

Back from dinner break and who shows up across the table from me as a late registrant but Hoyt Corkins. What an incredibly nice guy. And he decides that I'm the guy he wants to chat up at the table. He's showing me pictures of his wife and him at their place in the Phillipines, telling me how he's mostly retired and would much rather be there than anywhere in the states (tho he LOVES Colorado!).

I'm really not one to be star struck, but it was really cool sitting there chatting with a poker legend for an hour or so!

Now that we're past the dinner break and the numbers are in. 870 players, paying 131. Top prize $231K. There are 270 left.

Hoyt was all the excitement for me in the 7th level, 19225. I get through an hour losing only a little pocket change.

Remember what I said about slow-playing? Rules are meant to be broken...

A-A-J-9 with diamonds on the button. Folds around to me, I raise, hopefully looks like a steal again, same guy who called my steal on the trip aces calls again in the big blind. Flop comes three diamonds. And I, ahem, reluctantly check hoping he will lead out and wanting to look like my aces were the wrong suit. My opponent does not oblige and checks. In hindsight I can't believe he checked...

Turn is a blank, I lead out, he quickly calls. River another blank but a straight card. Hope he's on a straight draw! I lead out again. He tanks and calls, I show my nut flush, he shows is K-high flush! He lost the minimum! I'm impressed...

I'm also at 22K. Close to triple a starting stack.

My table gets broken up, again I move to a table with a guy who looks like he could be chip leader he has so many chips.

Don't get anything going on the rest of that level, 21,125 at the break. Make that 21,200, I win the chip race with one 25 denomination chip.

Tables are breaking down fast and furious. 180 left. Are we getting to the money tonight?

There are a bunch of limpers and I look down at aces. I pot it to 4400, I get one caller. Flop 9-6-9. About as safe a flop as I can ask for that doesn't include an ace. I could be going broke if he has two 9s or a 6...I pot it, he quickly folds. 26K, my high point of the day.

At this point I'm 99% confident I'm making it to Day 2 and the money, one way or another. I could probably just fold my way to the money...but I'm not here to min-cash. I'm here for a shot at $231K. Yes I was willing to go broke that close with aces, you have to win pots...

24,500 at the end of level 9. One hour to Day 2.

Unfortunately I'm card dead through level 10. I pick up a small pot or two but that was it. Tables continue to break down. 171 left... 162 left... 153 left. Up until then they only updated the player counts as 9-handed tables broke. Then they started updating as each player busted out. My table is going to break when there are 144 left. That happens with about 30 minutes left in the level.

Well...long story short...we get down to 9 from the money when they announce "dealers complete the hand you are on and deal 3 more hands". Dang it, the last hand is going to be my big blind.

We get through three hands, 2 more eliminations. We bag up chips 7 from the money.

I have 22,000 chips. I am 100th of 138 players. There will be someone with almost 150,000 at my table, good for second overall in chips. Lots of chips for me to win, right?

But the really good news is that there are two shorter stacks also at my table. Hopefully those guys will be the ones that get picked on instead of me.

I could just not show up and get into the money, guaranteed. I can definitely fold my way to a cash. But that is not my intention. I'm not going to simply get blinded down if I pick up playable hands just to get in a min-cash.

Of course I say that now. We'll see if that's how it works out when I'm sitting at my table and it's hand-for-hand :-)

I will be at table 710 in the Brasilia room, the "final table room".

Assuming I do cash, if I bust any time before about 7:40 I will turn around and immediately buy into the $3K HORSE tournament that starts at 3:00PM. I probably would not register as late as the 5th or 6th rounds but you never know. Again, one thing for me to say it now, we will see what happens when I'm feeling all full of myself and I have a wad of cash in my pocket :-)

Wish me luck!