Oct 6th - £200+£20 Omaha FREEZEOUT - Gutshot (London)

Omaha...now heres a game! In a cash game its a virtal certainty that I'll end up broke inside 5 minutes. There's just so many combinations that can win it for you and just as many that you can lose with.

I tend to take tournament play a bit more serious though and tonights £200 Omaha freezeout at the Gutshot gave me both the highs & lows of tournament poker!

The game was a 3k 'Double Chance' FREEZOUT. Basically you got 3k in chips to start and could take the other 3k at any time during the first two levels or, of you hadn't done all your chips by then, you got the extra 3k at the end of level 2. I took mine immediately as it means I don't get scared about someone who's only playing a 3k stack as opposed to a 6k one.

I played a steady first hour!

In tournament Omaha I never raise with A-A in hand. Only re-raise! My first holding of A-A came just after the hour mark. I held A-A-J-3. In EP I flat called the blinds. Immediately to my left was a player who LOVED raising. He raised. All passed to me and I RERAISED. He flat called. The flop came J-3-6. (I'd hit my backhand for 2 pairs...J's & 3's). I immediately bet out! He called all-in and flipped J-6-8-9. His two pairs (J's & 6's) held up and I'd done 2.4k.

My next A-A holding proved more successful knocking out a player sat immediately to my right and I was moving along nicely. The hand that came about next proved pivital to my night!

Holding 3s-4s-9c-10c I flat called a small raise from across the table in LP. The flop came 7s-8s-2h. The initial raiser bet the pot and I assesed my hand. I had both the straight draw AND the flush draw. There was no doubt I was behind but if the bettor had A-A and NO flush draw I was undoubtedly the favourite. With this in mind I re-raised all-in (about 6k)

My opponent sat back and pondered. 'Set of eights?', he asked. 'At least!', said I. 'Ok', he said...'I call'. He flipped Ks-Js-6d-9c for a bigger flush draw and 2nd straight draw! Surprisingly enough neither of us had a pair!

The turn card was the 4c (giving me a pair of 4's)..the river the 8c. My pair of 4's took down a massive pot! My opponent was flabergasted!

For the next 3 hours things went well. We got down to 2 tables. 15 left and then I get Ad-Ac-9d-9h. Oooooer missus!! I'm in EP and flat call the 2k blinds. I have 27k in chips (just above average). To my left there's a pot sized raise. I can hardly contain my excitement! I re-raise the pot but my opponent (on 21k) then goes all-in!

'We must have the same hand', I say! He nods and flips Ah-Jh-As-5s. Its a coinflip. The flop is Kh-10h-7d-4h-8s and I'm cratered 21k. I have 6k left!! Ooooo. That hurt!

Three hands later I get all my chips in the middle with A-Q-J-5. I get two callers. Flop is A-10-J-9-K and I make broadway to get myself back upto 18k.

Five mins later I'm all-in again with A-A-K-10 against K-K-Q-8. My hand stands up and I'm back to 30k. There are now 12 of us left with 9 getting paid!

Then the poker gods conspire against me!

Blinds are still 1k-2k and I flat call in LP with Q-Q-4-5. The BB checks and the flop is a marvelous looking Qh-3s-2c. I bet 4k. The BB calls. The 5c falls next. I bet 5k. The BB calls. Now at this point I should have got the message. I'd put in 11k already and he'd called me all the way. With what though? The Kc fell on the river. 'I'm all-in', said the BB!

I should have thought but I didn't and said 'Call' instead. He flipped Ac-3c for the nut flush and I was busted in 12th place. It was 2.20am and the £50 cab fare home made things slightly worse than they could have / should have been!

Entries ->57 - Place -> 12th - Loss -> £220 ($408) Profit/Loss for 2006 -> +$13098

(As from 7th August rate of exchange is calculated at £1 = $1.85)