Yorky Pud

The fifth events of the Grand Series of Poker (GSOP) and mini-GSOP saw Omaha being played for the first time, but not just any old version of Omaha, Pot Limit Omha Hi/Low Split, possibly one of the craziest games you will play; especially in a rebuy format! How did Team Betfair get on? Let's find you.

GSOP Event #5: $50+$4 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo $50,000 Guaranteed

My experiences playing Omaha have usually being quite pleasurable and profitable but that is in the Omaha Hi version of the game, the split version of the game has always puzzled me. Lifetime I have probably only played 1,500 hands and those were at the fixed limit cash game tables so this tournament was a whole different kettle of fish.

Due to my inexperience in the game I had absolutely no intention of rebuying, instead I planned to sit and wait for premium hands and gamble it up when they found their way to me. Unfortunately I was picking up hands like Qc-9h-8h-6h and Jh-8d-6h-2d from the start and not a playable hand at all. This is probably why I decided to play the hi-only hand that was Kc-Kc-Js-4s around 40-minutes into proceedings, and almost certainly why I was stacked and sent to the virtual sidelines with my tail firmly between my legs.

The blinds were 25/50 and I picked up the aforementioned hand in hijack and misclicked it to 100. The cutoff called but the button clicked it back and made it 175 to play, a bet that the beautifully named madmuffer called in the big blind, I called and the cutoff came along for the ride too. The flop came down 4h-9d-Kd giving me a vulnerable top set so when madmuffer checked I thought it best to bet pot of 725, essentially committing myself I guess. The cutoff, willowz909 raised the pot, putting me all in, and when the other two active players folded I made the call to be shown Ad-Kh-Tc-4d for two pair and a nut flush draw. Apparently that gave me 67% equity but that counts for nothing if the turn competes the flush and the river bricks off! Well played Pudding, 331/358. I might as well have set fire to $54!

Thankfully my dire performance will go relatively unnoticed as seven Team Betfair players made it through to the money. Poland's paymybils was the first of them to cash, finishing in 41st place for $196.16 and he was followed to the rail by LluLlaiLlaco, ggoba87, aerpjkef, LEGOisfun and midastuck all between the places of 39 to 22. But our star performer in Event #5 was Sweden's HenrikX who made it to the final table before busting in eighth for $1,188.48.

HenrikX only rebought once and purchased the add-in so he had more than $1,000 in profit, nice work that man.

Event #5 in numbers

Total entrants: 358
Total prize pool: $50,000
Total Team Betfair entrants: 59 (16.48%)
Total Team Betfair ITM finishes: 7
Total Team Betfair prize money: $2,750.25 (5.50%)

Mini-GSOP Event #5: $5+$0.50 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo $7,500

I was slightly more confident about my chances in the $5.50 Mini-GSOP event mainly because the fishes were probably closer to my skill and understanding of the game. A total of 644 of my fellow micro-stakes players entered but like the GSOP that was running alongside this event I simply did not pick up any real playable hands but managed to limp into break with a stack worthy of adding onto; so that is what I did.

For the next 30-40 minutes I basically folded, folded and folded some more; I felt like the I was making Origami not playing poker. My demise started when the action folded to me in middle position where I had been dealt Ac-4c-3d-2d and I raised pot to 1,050 with blinds at 150/300. The button, erevos7, three-bet all in for 2,782 in total and I made the call. Villain showed Ks-Qd-7d-2s and I'm a bout a 60% favourite. Again, this counts for nothing at all as the board runs out 8h-Jd-10c-5s-Kh. Thanks for that.

My tournament was over seven hands later when I raised 1,050 of my 1,365 stack in the hijack with Ah-Kd-4c-2h and then called when Rabia Sorda three-bet from the button. My hand was up against As-7h-5s-3d which is pretty good for my hand but the 8c-Ac-2d flop gave me the high but the deuce made my low a worse one that what villain was drawing to. The 7c turn was horrible and the Qd river meant villain scooped the entire pot and I finished 366/644.

Unfortunately we only managed to get five Team Betfair players through to the money places, those being Unschaerfe (84), LEGOisfun (72) who also cashed in the main GSOP, DONTOPRMEPLZ (61), Boujik (41) and our best placed finisher in 28th place Switzerland's genNNnious99. Congrats on making it to the money guys, see you at a different final table!

Mini Event #5 in numbers

Total entrants: 644
Total prize pool: $9,955
Total Team Betfair entrants: 79 (12.23% of field)
Total Team Betfair ITM finishes: 5
Total Team Betfair prizes: $164.90 (1.66% of prize pool)

These results mean that the combined figures for GSOP events 1-5 are, 149 cashes for a total of $211,938.13 whilst in the mini-GSOP we have cashed 165 times for prizes of $15,063.91.

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