Adelaide - Feb 2009 - Omaha result

Played in the pot limit Omaha tournament today and came 4th out of 61 runners for a win of $2440. Here is the tale....

We started with 4,000 in chips and blinds of 25/25 with 30 min levels. Early on there was a lot of limping so I got to play AQ97 with 2 hearts on the button. Flop comes Q96 - it is checked to me so I try to nick the pot but get called in 2 spots. The turn is 3 of hearts to go with a heart on the flop. The SB bets pot and there is one caller, so I think I have to call. The river is a blank so I am down to 1500 chips by the end of level 1.

Level 2 is 25/50 and I get no cards until have to make a tricky decision. I raise with KK88 2 spades from late position and the button and BB call. Flop is 567 two spades and the BB bets pot of 550. If I call I will have 1000 left but if I move all in he will be getting good odds if he's got a better flush draw and it is quite possible he has a set - I decide to fold - but in fact I discover later he did not have the A of spades - so perhaps I was being a bit wimpy. However I am vindicated a few hands later when I pick up AAJ7 in late position and after 3 limps I can raise pretty much all-in - I double up against a call of A995 to get to 3000.

Level 3 is 50/100 Shortly before the break I have QQ76 on the button and I call some limps. We see a flop of QT7 with two hearts so when it is checked to me I bet pot and get 2 callers. Turn is a black A and they both check to me. I don't think I can bet here because there could easily be a straight and I don't want to face a bet for all my chips, so I check. The river is a beautiful T so when there is a 1000 bet I go all-in and get called by the straight. Sweet - I now have 8000.

Level 4 is 100/200. Don't get many cards but after several limps I check my BB of A776 with 2 hearts. Flop is Q83 with 2 hearts and I pull off a big check raise with my dodgy draw. Up to 11k

Level 5 is 150/300. Raised with KK87 2 spades and got called by the SB. He bets 1500 into 2100 pot with a rainbow board of J97. I think I smell weakness and he only has about 4000 left so I put him all-in. Unfortunately I was completely wrong - he had 99. Oops - down to 8k.

Level 6 150/300. Card dead until the final hand before the break. I have a A765 on the button and call some limps. The flop comes 3 diamonds. I have the A so when it is checked to me I bet the pot and all fold. This is a textbook play that actually worked! Now I have 11k

Level 7 200/400. No hands - down to 10k

Level 8 300/600. Have one monster hand at this level. Call 2 limps from the SB with AsJ44s two spades. Flop is A9s8s. I decide to take a stab but get called. Turn is Js. I check raise all-in and luckily he is not full so I am doubled up to 20k.

Level 9 400/800. No cards but we are getting close to the money. 18 left and 10 get paid. I am ok at 20k

Level 10 600/1200. Down to 18k when there are 11 left and a deal is done so the the winner gives bubble boy his money back. Then I get A993 with a raggedy flop of Q94 and I get to do a massive reraise that puts me up to 32k for the final table of 10.
There are 240k chips in play and there are 2 big stacks with about 80k each. A couple of shorties and the rest are about the same as me.
Then we get the key hand. I have JsTc7c4s in the BB and there are 2 limps. The flop is Qc9c8s so I have the nut straight and a draw to a rubbish flush. I bet the pot of 4800 to try to protect my hand but the big stack makes a pot reraise. All fold to me and I have a big decision to make. I am influenced by this guys play from earlier. He has been very aggressive and has been hitting a lot of cards. My biggest worry is the we both have a straight but he has a better redraw, but I think that this is my chance to double up - since there are some good players. I reraise all-in and he calls. All he has is a set of nines, so when the board does not pair I double through to 64k. He immediately goes on tilt and is eliminated about 15 minutes later.

I now go completely card dead so just keep folding and soon we are down to 5. At the end of 800/1600 I have 60k and the end of 1000/2000 I have 55k. Still I get nothing and at the end of 1500/3000 I have 40k, but at least Tony Hachem was eliminated so we are 4.
Blinds are now 2000/4000, so when I pick up QQ87 on the button I make a pot raise. The BB calls and the flop comes JJ7. He checks so I bet the rest of my chips hoping he does not have a J - but unfortunately he does.
...but I am happy with 4th - at the end they were clearly better than me...