After my good run to 4th in the £200 NLH, albeit no trophy, I was excited about the prospects for the £300 PLO.
I arrived just after the start, at the exact same moment as Nik Persaud and James Akenhead also walked through the door fashionably late.
It turned out to be quite a small field – just 29 players – but every one of them was a familiar face.
My table included James, as well as Scottish Rob and Miriam, and many other well known players from the club.
The structure was 5,000 chips at 25/50 to start, with an optional 5,000 extra chips any time in the first 3 levels. After a previous experience with this structure, I opted NOT to take the extra chips early on (this was the standard choice).
Emboldened by the prospect of a second life, I started out with check-calling the flop, air check-raising the turn and then bluffing the river vs Miriam who always suspects I am doing this but often opts not to pay me off just in case.
Actually in this case I did river a pair, so maybe it was a value bet ;)
Second hand, in the big blind. There are 5 limpers to me. I must raise, surely, and what do I find ? Double-suited Aces ! I pot it to 350, to find Scottish Rob now making it 850. Akenhead calls this, and I see no reason not to bang it up to 3,350. In a few moments we are all-in 3 ways.
Obviously I am winning, but they both have pretty Ace-cracking hands and I have to dodge most of the deck on the river. However, one pair takes the lot and I have over 15k after two hands.
Someone utters the dangerous words “even Howard can’t blow this chip stack”. The fact is, I hardly knew what to do with this many chips and it caused some odd plays.
Notably, when I picked up double-suited Aces again and bumped it from the small blind, I actually led the flop and folded to a pot bet from Miriam even though I had flopped the nut flush draw to go with my overpair. A short stack called Miriam so we saw that she had top pair with a weak kicker, plus a flush draw (dead to my hand) and a gutshot. At showdown, a pair of Queens, Ten kicker was good.
So, as it turns out, I might have moved on to 30,000 chips here if I re-pot and she goes with her hand. My thought at the time was that I didn’t want to play a 30,000 pot with a player who covered me. In hindsight I think I would play the pot smaller but not give up so early in the hand.
After that, I made some expensive hero calls (eg calling Dan Do’s shove with top pair, 9 kicker).
After I dwelled and called, he said “good call” but in fact I was outkicked. He assumed I had made a tough call with the bare overpair of Aces. Several hero calls later, I needed my rebuy chip but I did calm my play down and tried to ensure I would remain in the hunt.
By this time, a £50 rebuy sat to the Main Event was underway and Miriam and I were multi-tabling.
Back on the Omaha, I receive a lucky break when I 4-bet shoved with KKQx and JymJam appears to dwell up over the call a little bit. So, when he doesn’t instacall I figure I cannot be facing Aces.
However, I am ! I guess he was just taking a moment to think about the tournament situation.
I am in jeopardy but I flop more outs, and turn a straight. An unnecessary King also comes on the river. I am now in decent shape and make the final table again. Only 4 places to pay with this small field, though.
What a final table ! £50 rebuy PLO champ George the Cake is there. Nik P, Barry, Jym Jam, Mike Selzer. It doesn’t look great for me ...
However, I score a major H-bomb vs George. I make a raise on the button in a limped pot with the mighty J-8-6-3 and get two callers. The flop is J-J-3 !! George check-raises me all-in – he has the other Jack with overcards. Those don’t come, so I more than double up to a very useful 40k or so.
I’m having another spell over at the rebuy sat when I hear that a deal is in the advanced stages of discussion. I am not a huge fan of deals but, by the time I come back over to the table, six of the remaining seven players have agreed an even money chop.
I really want the trophy, however, so I only agree on the basis that we are playing on properly for position. Clearly some are more interested than others in the trophy and the play can never be 100% “normal” once the money is chopped. Indeed, a couple of players get their chips in quickly and very light.
We’re down to 4 players when I find a hand I am happy to get it all in with – double suited Kings. We play a big pot 3-way all-in with George playing Queens and JymJam a nice rundown. My Kings hold to take me into a heads-up for the trophy with Miriam.
Who would have predicted this !
We are very even in chips and we are both clear that we are playing to win. It would be a first trophy for either of us.
I felt a had a good chance, but in the end the battle was short. In one hand, we both flopped big draws and I had to give up a big pot on the turn after Miriam had clearly hit her straight. In the very next hand, my Aces were outflopped and I went broke vs 2 pair.
So ... disappointed to have fallen short of the trophy once again, but pretty happy with a 100% cashing record at the festival so far !
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