HORSEplay

I notice I have been amiss in updating the blog recently - I'll try to do some catchup posts!

In the meantime, the current blogworthy news must concern the London Poker Masters - a festival that is going on this week at The International Club in London.

I decided to stay down in London for a few nights, and play a range of events. I cannot play the 2-day main event, but instead I am playing all the run-in tournaments.

The first of these was a £200 HORSE last night. When the club originally mooted such a competition, there was real doubt that it could be staged. Who would play it ? I said I'd play it for one - just to give it a bit of support. I was surprised when they put it on the calendar, but when a £50 warmup event attracted 58 runners, it was clear that it was a real winner !

It turned out that I was only able to make the event by registering in advance and turning up about 2 hours late. Normally, such late-entry conditions are the preserve of certain laid-back pros in 5day events. But, in fact, with a deep-stack limit event the consensus was that I would not be seriously disadvantaged. As a bonus, I was guaranteed not to make a too-early exit.

I have literally never played any of the games in HORSE. "H" is for Hold'em, which obviously I am familiar with, but it's limit poker and - let's be honest - this is a different game. "O" is for Omaha (sort of) but as well as being a limit game, it is Omaha Hi-Lo which, in fact, is a very different proposition to the PLO that I know and "love".

"R" is for Razz, "S" is for 7card Stud and "E" is for "Eight or better" which is 7card stud, Hi-Lo.

I did some homework by dabbling in the HORSE cash games on pokerstars in the last couple of weeks. This hardly prepared me for a tournament situation, but I did at least learn the mechanics and brushed up on the lingo.

So, although I knew I was dead money in the event, I was looking forward to it. I wasn't quite sure how to explode an H-Bomb in limit poker but it turned it to be possible.

I arrived slightly ahead of my estimate at 8:45 - 105minutes after the start and in level 4. We were playing Hold'em in my first hand. I had 6,450 chips left from a starting stack of 8,000. This was slightly less than I had expected due to the structure being changed a little in light of the marathon in the £50 warmup.

"Tight is Right" I had chanted to myself on the journey in. I really wanted to put that into practice. However, when it was folded to me in the cutoff, I surely have to raise with Q9-suited ? I make it 600 and the Big Blind makes it 900. I look up - the BB is none other than Hit-Squad pro Karl Mahrenholz. Uh-oh.

I can hardly fold, but it doesn't look great; Karl is short stacked as well, so my implied odds are not great.

I prepare myself to start on a downer. But, wait ! The flop comes QQ3 !!

Karl bets. I know now that it's going to be a good situation. Of course I just flat call. The turn brings another 3. Karl bets, I raise now and he's all in. I announce "Queen" and before I can even turn up my cards he's mucked his cardss and got up out of his seat.

Karl is only the 2nd elimination from the 48runner field. My HORSE career is off to a to major start.

My table is full of "faces". 2 to my left is another famous "H" - Simon Hennessey - widely and rightly credited for making HORSE a success at The International. On my immediate left, limit-game pro/specialist Jon Shoreman.

The table also features Gutshot/International stalwarts Timmy Mann, Cameron Angus and Pedro.

After my initial boom, surely I must play tight now but next hand I get AK! What can I do but raise Timmy who has open-limped? I face a re-raise and I cap it vs Jon Shoreman. The flop is 2-3-4. I check-call, not wanting to get too busy out of position to a top expert. We both check the turn (2) and river (4) and it turns out that I was rivered ! Jon has AJ-suited and had picked up two clubs on the flop. This pot was always going to be a chop - he was never going away, although maybe I should have at least tried to take it down.

I end up seeing the river in 2 Omaha/8 hands. In both cases I have the nut low by the river (runner/runner !) but in both cases I am losing to a monster for the high. So, split pots.

I have 8,875 at the end of the level - got to be happy with that !

I think I am playing tight but it's amazing how the chips disappear. I play AA98 from the big blind in O/8 and lost to T862. Pedro called my raise pre (??) but when he made 2pair on the flop he was massive I guess, but I don't see how I can get away when he only had 2 big bets left.

I then lost half of my remaining chips in Razz. Starting with (85)3 to Timmy's (56)3, I picked up an Ace on 4th while he caught a 4. He paired his 4 on 5th street whilst I made a 5card low with a Ten. Thing is, I should have realised I could not take him off the pot. Having said that, if I catch well on 6th instead of him, it would have been a different outcome.

When he received a 7 and I showed a Jack, I had to give up. Timmy showed his hole cards and claimed that he thought he was semi-bluffing. He said that he wasn't aware that 76543 was a valid low - as, indeed, it is NOT in lowball which he is maybe more familiar with. Thing is, I am genuinely not sure whether he thought this or was just having a laugh at my expense.

Either way I only had 2,100 chips left now and it wasn't too long before I was all in in StudHi. In a rather strange hand, Simon Hennessy had only 1,900 himself and raised showing a 4up. I had a 5-up and 2 other 5s were showing !

Anyway I decided I was happy to gamble with Simon with my KJ in the hole - I know he is gambling as well. Strangely Pedro with a 5 showing as well comes along and Simon and I are both all in on the first betting round.

Simon has (Q6)4; I have the (KJ)5 and Pedro has (A5)5. A it turns out, Simon overtakes me but Pedro stays in the lead eventually making 7s up and eliminating Simon and I.

In the end, Timmy, Cameron and Jon Shoreman from this table all make the final table with Jon's quality eventually seeing him take home the inaugral HORSE trophy.

Coverage and pictures here: http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/showthread.php?t=31190