Events 4b & 6: Limit Omaha High/Low & Limit Holdem

In this blog update, we have highlights from Event 4b- Omaha High/Low $330 Tournament and Event 6- Limit Holdem $330 Tournament. Team Poker Across America has a final table finish!Read on for more highlights.

Here are the highlights from Event 4b: Kelly Wall, Manny V and Chewey entered the event. This was a 2 day event with a field of 140. You started with 2,000 in chips. Early on, Chewey had the chip lead in the group during level 1 with nearly 3,800 but Level 2 with Blinds at 25-50 and 50-100 limits was not kind to Chewey and ended the level down to 2,550. Meanwhile, at another table Kelly had built his chip stack to over 4,000 and was gaining momentum. At another table, Manny was severely low in chips and looked at Chewey and basically said it's time to go aggressive.

Note that there is a difference in limit tournaments that you cannot just raise any amount that you want. Patience is rewarded and it takes chasing in order to build your chip stack. Pocket Aces, two pairs often do not hold up in limit tournaments. Here is an example: let's say you are dealt pocket Aces in the cut-off position with the blinds at 25-50 and 50-100 limits. What this means is that you cannot raise more than increments of 50 pre-flop. So in No Limit, you can raise whatever amount you want. In this tournament you cannot, that is why this is called Limit Hold-em. Okay, you raise with Aces to 100. Small Blind folds and the big blind raises or 3-bets it to 150. It's called 3 bet because it is 3xs the original bet. You decide to call. The flops is A,K, 4 with two spades and you don't have any spades in your hand. Big Blind now bets 50 (Big Blind Amount) which is the max amount you can bet on the flop. You decide to raise to 100 and he calls. So right now , you have a set of Aces and a backdoor full-house draw by pairing the board. The turn brings another spade. You now have 3 more outs for a total of 10 outs but are vulnerable to a flush. He checks and you decide to raise. But what amount do you raise. Well, the math is simple because this is a limit tournament. Earlier, I said that the blinds are 25-50 with 50 100 limits. The turn and river it is mandatory for the minimum bet to be 100 and you raise in 100 increments. Long story short, limit tournaments are a different beast and require you to be wise about how far you decide to play your hands because it is very hard for you to double your stack. But you can easily have your stack decimated by calling all of those single bets which add up over the levels. Remember this crash course on Limit Hold-em. There is also Pot Limit Holdem and other types of Poker but I will save that for a future blog/article.

The hand I just described is what happened to me during Level 2 and is a large reason that I busted out in 80th place in the omaha Event. Kelly had the chip lead in our group but was sent to the rail shortly after I busted out. Manny, the once short-stacked was at Poker Legend Amarillo Slim's table and was able to win a few pots from him and was gaining momentum. Manny's new goal was to make it to Lunch (really dinner break) but we poker players are really on a opposite schedule during tournament trips. We eat at weird times and at the whim of tournament directors. Manny makes it through dinner break with roughly a stack of 6,000 and blinds at 500-1000 with 1000-2000 limits. Manny makes it through Day 1 and is guaranteed a spot at the final table. Manny starts out the final table with 82,000 in chips and is second in chips.

Before the tournament had started, I made a prediction with the group that Manny would finish in 6th place. Wish I could have someone lay me odds on my prediction because it was precisely what Manny finished. Am I nostradamus himself, can I really predict the future? Team Poker Across America's Manny V finishes the Omaha Tournament in 6th place and a good chop between Manny, Kelly and Chewey. Congrats Manny from the rest of Team Poker Across America.

In the other Event of the day, Event 6- Limit Holdem, Chewey, Chuck and Kelly's girl- Ginger were looking to secure back to back table finishes for Team Poker Across America at the World Series Circuit in Council Bluffs. After one event of limit betting structure, I was coming back for more limit and had played more limit betting in this trip than ever before. I have come to learn and love limit format tournaments in that it rewards patience, taking calculated risks and learning to fold the second nut (second best hand) when it only takes one more bet to call. After all, those one bets really do add up. Early on, Ginger is down to 1300; we started with a stack of 2,000 in this tournament and Chuck was steady at 2300. Chewey did not play much in the first level due to bouncing back and forth to watch the Omaha Final table at which Manny was playing. This is a pro manuever in that the first level blinds are at 25-25 and 25-50 limits. This is a trap level in that the small and big blinds are the same amount and lots of player notoriously play loose in this level because it is so cheap to call. I play 3 hands during the entire level but use my tight image to grow my stack to 3075. I am not at the table much because I am watching Manny play the final table and Kelly and I have action/chop with Manny. So the prize money won from the Omaha event will be chopped amongst Manny, Kelly and I. Also, I would like for the blinds to go up more in order to thin out the action and aggression of No-Limit style players at our table.

I end level 2 with 2,850 in chips and Chuck has nearly 3,700 in chips. Ginger is eliminated during level 3 and I take a series of bad hits and a down to 1700 at the end of the 3rd level. Manny finishes in 6th and there is no more watching of the final table for me as Manny, Kelly and I chop the prize money and I now have my own event to best Manny's 6th place finish. The Limit Holdem Event is now down to 80 players and only the top 18 are paid. Come back next time to see if Chuck and Chewey can carry Team Poker Across America to another final table finish at the World Series Poker Circuit in Council Bluffs. Here is a flash: Chuck and I do go fairly deep in this event and it will be an exhilarating blog emotionally and mentally.

Be able to fold after the flop in Limit Poker!
Chewey