(the New King of Omaha)

Toby asked me last night at the old Pink Sky Poker Club...."What happened to the Blog man?". We were at the final table sitting side by side and it was down to 5 players. My personal best finish at Omaha since bringing the game to the basement 2 years ago was my non-cashing 4th place finish last week. I guess that finish was good enough for 1 point on the leader board but not much else. Seeing as how I was already invested x3 buy ins and had somehow survived the typical omaha outdraws and suckouts I felt pretty lucky to still have a chair at 10pm with a chance to get back some of that hard earned dough. I promised Toby 3 paragraphs if I was to win. Well......



Last week I had my best Omaha finish and I felt like I played poorly. I laid down trips twice when I felt they might have been good and I promised myself that no matter what, I was not folding trips all night, even if they were deuces no matter how scary the board looked or how much they bet. Perhaps not a sound rational strategy, but a strategy nonetheless. I was sticking to it and it was working. I made a few boats that got me some chips to play with after nursing the short stack all night. I even got those trip deuces at about 10:45, sat on them quietly, and I called down a bet and a raise and fat lipped the top two pair on an innocuous board of A K 9 7 2. That hand gave me some elbow room to see a few flops. I made some small bets into medium sized pots that nobody took interest in and soon enough I was in 2nd chip position behind the Omaha King Toby himself. It was down to me, Toby, Jimmy, Eddie, Ronnie and Johnny. Seeing how I was the only one without a name ending in the (E) sound I was sure to be a shoe in for at least a cash finish.



Ronnie was short and got all in with the Hilton Sisters after I bet the pot with pocket aces on the button and he was gone to the cash game table. Eddie fell victim to runner runner and saw his own set of trips pummeled by the Omaha demons. I had Aces again in early position but raised them big hoping the fear of my big stack might push out some weak hands but Johhny decided to play and my aces were not good enough, but the lowly Q7 I had forgotten about on the other side of my hand made me two pair that beat his two pair and Johhny Buzz was pushing back his chair and gathering his shit. Last weeks winner vanquished. Toby was the next in line for an ass whoopin and he took it like a man. I don't even remember what I had but it was good enough. The final two. Jimmy was nearly out before and Johnny both when he called I put him all in preflop with two suited Kings and he made a luckbox boat with a 7 and a 4. He tripled up that hand but still, as we began heads up he made me an offer to split the pot which I never even considered. I was guaranteed 2nd place money but with a 31/2 - 1 chip lead I wanted to see a few hands. I folded, he folded. Then Jimmy got impatient and tried to move all in preflop in the dark but I made him drag some chips back because the pot wasn't big enough for him to push since we were playing Pot Limit. I looked down at two JJQ10 and almost put him all in anyhow but I was content to call and see a flop, hoping agaist hope for a bunch of little cards. I got my wish. Jimmy still hadn't looked at his hand. The board was something like 33 7 and I checked, he pushed and I Phil Helmuth instacalled showing the two Jakes. They held up and I won. The new King has been crowned. I think that's three.