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Server Time: 10/11/2008 12:46:05 AM PACIFIC |
 Omaha 8 Tourney, HoldemNewbie, 31. Oct 2003 11:55 | ||
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| (Originally posted 9/30/03) Since we have moved to the Kingman area, I have played in three Omaha 8 tourneys at the Colorado Belle. The basics are as follows: $25 buy-in, no entry fee, $500 added to the prize pool, $5 bounties on each player's head. The levels are 20 minutes for the first hour. We are given 100 chips to start. Anytime a player goes below their 100 starting chips, they are allowed to rebuy for $10, giving them another 100 chips. The blinds are 5/5 for the first 20 minutes, with 5/10 betting limits, 5/10 blinds for the second level, with 10/20 betting, and 10/20 blinds for the third level, with 20/40 betting. After that, the betting goes to no- limit. The levels increase every 15 minutes, mostly double, with a bit of slowing towards the end of the tournament. After the first hour, there is an optional add-on for $20, giving the player an additional 500 chips. This is a very good buy, obviously. Unless I suffer a really bad beat, I usually try to survive for the first hour with my original 100 chips, as the rebuy isn't nearly as good a deal as the add-on. In my second Omaha 8 tourney, I placed 11th, on the bubble. Grrr. This post is an account of my third Omaha 8 tourney, played on Friday, September 26, 2003. Fifty players entered, with a couple of alternates who never got in, I believe. My table was shorthanded for the first hand, with four players yet to take their seats. I had the nut low, and got quartered on that hand. I never won another pot during the first hour. Unfortunately, I had to do the rebuy if I wanted to stay in the tournament. Ugh. There is little value for this rebuy, but I knew that there was +EV in remaining in this tourney. During the second hour, I kicked it up a notch. Players play considerably tighter once the limits are removed and we are allowed to shove all-in at any point during the hand. Most players are unfamiliar with any no-limit tournament, and play suboptimally after the first hour. Since my specialty is no-limit play, I am able to take advantage of this turnaround, even though I would consider Omaha 8 my worst poker game. There were two extremely aggressive players at the table. I knew anytime I was in early position and checked with the nuts, they would bet for me, then feel obligated to call my all-in, as they were pot committed. This worked as planned, and I was able to get one bounty on the most aggressive player at our table, while severely crippling the other, who had me slightly outchipped. I was never shortstacked again, after these two all-in moves. Our table broke, and I continued to build my stack with cautious, aggressive play. In Omaha 8, one can never be too cautious until the river. There are just too many nut hands that are beat on the river. Many players play as if this isn't true, so that is an advantage that I have in Omaha, but one can never be too cautious when every tournament chip is at stake, until their nut hand holds up, and they are able to bet their entire stack confidently. I fall into a category that may be called "too tight," as I will never raise before the flop in Omaha 8 (except shorthanded as a steal), nor will I put my entire stack at risk, unless someone goes all-in before me and I have more outs than a squirrel has nuts. We rapidly lost players until we were down to the final table. At the Colorado Belle, every player who reaches the final table automatically gets $50 (that is where the $500 added is applied). Then players are able to "vote" on the option to increase the final 10 players to $100. Most of them agree to do this, as Omaha is such a river game that even the chip leader can find himself out at tenth. I, also agreed with this motion. So we were each given $100. I had bought in for my original $25, plus a $10 rebuy, plus my $20 add-on. This adds up to $55. I had two $5 bounties, plus my $100, so I was +$55 at this point. The top five spots paid, with first place being about $800. I came to the final table as a slight chip lead. Unfortunately, three of the finalists were superb Omaha players whom I had encountered on other occasions. In cash games, they mostly played Omaha exclusively. I knew that I could never outplay these three, and was determined to try to move up in the ranks by playing mainly against the other six finalists. I eliminated two other players. One was the only other girl left, who had a decent stack. This helped me regain my chip lead status, which had been blinded down slightly with no playable hands. She claimed she was mainly just trying to steal the blinds, and never showed her hand. Since I was in the big blind, she didn't expect that I had been dealt A-2-3-5 double suited. I quickly called her all-in, and eliminated her, picking up another bounty. When we were down to five players, I eliminated number five. He was a novice Omaha player, and not a good tournament player, in general. I had played against him in another tournament, and at my first table in this tournament, so I knew he would always bet my hands for me, falling for check-raises and all-in's with the losing hand, often. I let him go all-in once again with the losing hand, and picked up his bounty. Once we were four, my original dread returned. Naturally, the three other finalists were the ones I had predicted to be the best players (Russ, Bruce and Howard). I knew I was outmatched. My decisions were only two; I could play a version of Sklansky's System, and just go all-in on every playable hand (which are a lot of hands, four-handed in Omaha 8), or I could try to hold my own, knowing I would get 4th place money regardless. Pride got the best of me, and I decided to try to hold my own. Naturally, this didn't work, as I was outmatched and outplayed. I was already the 3rd smallest stack, even after having eliminated the 5th place finisher, due to the great players gradually building their stacks. Finally, I went all-in with my small blind, to be called by the big blind, who had a slightly inferior hand. He got his flush, and IGHN. I won about $300 additionally, and experienced my first Omaha 8 (live) cashing. Next time I think I'll try a version of Sklansky's System, as I have absolutely nothing to lose, yet a lot to win. I am not disappointed in my finish, as Omaha 8 is definitely not my A game, by any stretch. I played good "tournament" poker, but my Omaha game has a lot to be desired! Hope you enjoyed! Felicia :) | ||
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