Taking a Pot Shot: WSOP $2000 Pot-Limit Omaha with rebuys

Old nemesis

Since I had had some success playing Pot-Limit Omaha on line with play money I decided to plunk down $2000 for the World Series of Poker Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys event. Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments are usually played with rebuys because there is a tendency to go all-in frequently, usually when one player flops top Set and another a big draw. In Omaha, players are dealt four cards instead of two and are required to use exactly two cards from their hand and three from the board to make a five-card poker hand. Other than that, it's just like Texas Hold 'Em. I decided not to max out the rebuys and add-ons in this event so I just bought in for the minimum $2000. There were 145 entrants, underscoring the relative unpopularity of Omaha versus No-Limit Hold 'Em.

 

I drew table 101, seat eight to begin the tournament. WPT finalist James Hoeppner sat at my left; tournament pro "Miami" John Cernuto had seat two; Late Night Poker star Joe "The Elegance" Beevers was in seat four; and the passionate George "The Greek" Paravoliasakis, finalist at this season's Paris World Poker Tour event, filled seat five. Miami John got knocked out early and was replaced by a very tired Jamie Posner, getting a nonstop massage after having played poker nonstop for the last day or so. WPT finalist Charlie Shoten sat down in the vacant seat six. I doubled up on a man named Gene, wearing a cowboy hat in seat three, and then when seat seven busted out he was replaced by WPT winner Barry Greenstein, one of the most feared all-around players in the game. Charlie busted and was replaced by Elie Marciano, who raised me all in on a bluff. I looked into his soul, called with bottom two pair, made a Full House, and doubled up again.

 

Then I got half my chips in before the Flop with Aces against Jamie Posner. I didn't hit the Flop but I moved the rest of my chips in with just an Overpair. Perhaps groggy from lack of sleep, he called with practically nothing and my Aces held up to double me again to 11,400 chips. Then cowboy-hat Gene, who had just won a big pot with wired Aces, raised in middle position before the flop. I called with Nine-Nine-Jack-Queen, three Diamonds. The Flop came Ace-Queen-Six, two Diamonds. I check-raised him all in and he called, having wired Aces for the second straight hand, leading my Set of Queens with his Set of Bullets. The Diamond didn't come so he doubled up on me, leaving me with only 4400 chips as we went into the dinner break.

 

When we returned from dinner, Joe "The Elegance" Beevers busted out and my old Bellagio nemesis Can Kim Hua, two-time WPT finalist, sat down. He opened for 1050. With Jacks and Fives double suited, I reraised him all in before the flop and he called, showing Nine-Ten-Queen-King double suited. I was about a 55% favorite but he made a flush and I was out of the contest, finishing 36^th and out of the money.