Match 2 - Omaha Hi/Lo (OH8) - Single Table SNG
Karaoke Phil
For match number two I chose a single table Omaha8 (Omaha Hi-Lo) sit-n-go. I was the sixth player (9 needed) to sign up and number 7 came in right behind me. Then, in what seems odd to me, Steamroller left our table and signed back up on an empty table. Why would he do that? I've played Steamroller before and had notes. I wonder if he had notes on me and decided I'm too much competition. Maybe this is a harbringer of things to come.
I tried Stud8 in my first match. I probably should have done this - played OH8. While I'm happy with my Stud8 abilities it's pretty much the "youngest" game that I've studied and learned, having begun to play it in earnest less than a year ago. OH8 is a stronger game for me. Let's see what transpires. We'll start with 1500 chips and 9 players in the SNG.
I start out well, nailing a full house on hand 4 to put me up to 1710 in chips. On hand 10 I get a nice A/2/2/6. Donkeypro777, who has played every hand, has three bet (I had raised). I go ahead ans cap the action with position. The flop brings 2/3/5 - all clubs. It's checked to me so I bet it. Donkeypro777 check raises me. I slow down and just call as it seems like he has a flush or an A/4 for the nut low (and a straight). A Q comes on the turn - it's bet/call. Another Q comes on the river. I know have 2s full of Qs and an A/2/3/5/6 low. Donkeypro777 bets out and I raise. At worst I'll split the pot and may well have the best of both sides. Indeed, Donkey does have a nut flush but my boat beats that and he has no low - I scoop and things are really looking good early. At this point I have 2070 chips and am in 2nd of 9.
Several aggressive players in this sng and then there's Donkeypro777 who isn't necessarily aggressive but will play EVERY hand. We loose our first player (AlCapone23) on hand 22. And, Donkeypro777 is kicked out on hand 24.
Hand 27 sees me in the BB with A/3/6/6. Several players limp in so I check my option. The flop is 2/2/6 for a flopped boat of 6s full of 2s. I decide not to slow play this one at all since at least two of the players (Pokerdegree and Coo Saw) in the hand are very aggressive. I think they'll raise my bet and then I can then smooth call to feign weakness. Pokerdegree does indeed raise and I smooth call. The turn is a 5 - giving me the current nut low as well. I lead out again, figuring Pokerdegree will raise again. But, this time Hankitup 2-bets (the other player still in the hand at this point). Pokerdegree 3-bets and I cap with the second nut high and the nut low. I'm thinking I'll scoop or 3/4 this pot. Oh boy, the river brings a 2. Now, I'm in trouble to a 2. I check call (as does Hankitup). Yes, Pokerdegree has a 2 (hitting a three-outer for the high, a 7 would've helped him as well). Hankitup and I split the low and I get 25% of the pot instead of the 75% I was expecting. I hope this isn't an indicator of shifting winds.
I lose several more hands and drop to 765 chips (4th of 7 remaining players). On hand 47 I'm dealt A/3/6/6 in late position. The flop comes 2/4/9 - giving me 4 cards to the nut low. Pokerdegree and Coo Saw (the two most agressive players) are in the hand. Pokerdegree bets out, AHill58509 stays in the hand. The board pairs the four on the turn. I check call hoping for a miracle card - as I now have less than a bet left. BOOM - I spike the 5 on the river for the nut low and a wheel. I sccop the pot and move up to 2185 in chips. That puts me into 3rd place and the tide seems to be changing. We lose DCL on the next hand leaving us with 6 players remaining. After hand 50 I'm knocked down to 1165 in chips but we lose IamJoe829 in 6th place.
In hand 60, I'm dealt 2/2/3/J in the small blind. I'm able to limp in and the BB checks his option. The flop is A/7/9 giving me 4 to the nut low. I bet out and get 2 callers (AHill and Hankitup) . The turn gives me the nut low when a 6 comes out. I bet out and get put all in (again) by AHill58509. A Ten of clubs come out on the river - that gives me a flush as well (one of my 2s and the 3 are clubs). I scoop the pot and move into 2nd place with 3345 in chips.
By hand 70, I'm back down to 4th (of 5 players remaining) but positions 2 through 5 are all within 400 chips of each other. Pokerdegree, by far the most aggressive player in the tournament, has 5155 and leads us all as we head into break.
Three hands after break I get A/4/5/5 (two hearts A/4). I limp in. The flop is 2/4/K with two spades. I call a bet. The 8 of hearts comes on the turn. Coo Saw and AHill are both staying in. Coo Saw bets it up which will put me all in. I click "time" and have 20 additional seconds to decide what do to. I have A/2/4/5/8 for a low and am four flushed for the nuts. This is for my tournment life though and going out in 5th won't be pleasant. I'm down to 5 seconds. You've got to take some chances to win. Plus, I have outs and, maybe, already have a good low. I put in the last of my chips. The river is maybe a miracle - it's the 3 of hearts giving me both the nut low and the nut flush. The worst I can do is nail down 3/4 of the main pot. I scoop the pot and Coo Saw shows a 9 high flush. I'm up to 6165 in chips and am the chip leader.
Two hands later I river the nut low and the second nut high flush to scoop that pot and move up to 7965 in chips. Hankitup is down to about 200 chips and Coo Saw is crippled with about 260. I feel victory coming now. I'm going to take this baby down.
We quickly loose Coo Saw in 5th place and Hankitup in 4th. We're in the money now. AHill58509 is now very shortstacked with about 700 chips. I have 9300 to Pokerdegree's 3500. Pokerdegree proceeds to eliminate AHill58509 and we're heads up (me with 9353 to his 4147).
The blinds are at 400/800. Pokerdegree is able to take the lead about 7 hands into heads up. And, after only getting a quarter of the pot on hand 8 we have reversed the chip stack positions that we started out with. We slug it out and got back and forth over the next 10 to 12 hands, including one hand where he had me all in. Blinds move up to 500/1000. I finally get a couple of solid hands and force Pokerdegree out to even us up and then take another 9K to 4.5K lead over him. I'm able to get him all in with A/2/3/J - I hit a boat, but we split the pot and he stays alive. I get him all in again when I'm dealt 2/3/3/4. I hit the nut low (wheel) but he gets a higher straight to stay alive with the chop.
Pokerdegree's aggression gets him to nearly even. The blinds also now move up to 600/1200. I'm able to steal a hand and move up to 10.4K to his 3.1K. I call his raise with 2/4/8/Q and flop a nut low draw. Two bricks give me nothing, but he has only 194 chips left when he goes all-in. I call (and lose). It evens us out again (and he takes a small lead the next hand). He proceeds to get me all in again, but we're able to chop it up.
We've been going at this heads up see-saw battle for nearly 20 minutes. I think I've earned some respect from him and I also think I've largely figured out how he plays. I'm dealt 3/4/8/9 on our 39th hand heads up. The flop is 8/9/K (all clubs - I have none). He leads out with a bet, but I'm going to see where I'm at and play off that I have the flush. I 2-bet. If he raises me, I'll know I'm in bad shape in the hand. He only smooth calls. The turn brings a 7 - I think I'm ahead so I move all in again hoping he'll fold. He doesn't. I'm ahead on the high and he only has a nut low draw. The river is another 9 - giving me a boat and a pot scoop. Yes! I'm back ahead about 9K to his 4K.
On our 40th heads up hand, I'm dealt 3/6/8/8. He raises it up. I call. The flop is 7/7/T giving me gut shot straight draw and a two pair. He leads out - I call. I'm very bad to a 7 or T but I'm banking that he doesn't have either. There's a 4 on the turn. I call his bet. Another 4 comes out on the river. He bets all in. I've come this far. If I can fade him having a 4, 7, T or a pair higher than my 8s then I'm good. He has none of them (showing only 3/5/J/K) . It's all over - the game is done and I've taken it down.
Pokerdegree's aggression took him a long way, but not all the way. I take down $45 for first - putting me $5 short of the stake (Mark - the backer - has said that the "cake" will be for $50, not the full $55).
The rest of the way is now basically a free roll.
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