Wild Kingdom: Hands 121—140

Bovada $500 PLO8 Bounty

Three hours into an online 65-entry PLO8 Bounty tournament and we’re down to twelve players, with three spots to go before the first payout. I’ve been at or under 10BB for the past 20 hands as player 21. Let’s get to the action!

HAND 121 1250/2500 26Q 9 4
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
65 D TTJ9 24.4K 9/0
16 SB KA35 8.9K 23/37 61/43 35/85 13/63 100/100
6 BB J2TJ 28.6K 17/0
7 UTG AT64 34.2K 27/15
28 HJ 797Q 13.5K 15/0
21 CO 3276 16.2K 17/22 39/30 65/2 87/0 0/0

Disaster strikes! I limp in with the third nut low draw. SB has a suited ace and three low cards, and pots to 8.8K, with only 120 chips behind. I re-pot and he goes all-in to call. I lose my best low card but make two pair on the flop to pull ahead for the high, and I’m still good on the turn, but the river gives SB both a straight and the low, and I double him up, leaving me with less than 2.5BB on the next hand with the blinds going up.

HAND 122 1500/3000 2AJ T 6
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
65 CO 46TA 24.4K 29/24 53/32 39/52 88/42 100/0
16 D T27J 20.3K 11/7
6 SB 79KJ 26.1K 15/0
7 BB 384K 34.2K 9/17
28 UTG QK29 13.5K 19/0
21 HJ QA38 7.3K 23/31 47/41 61/33 12/21 0/100

I’m in dire straits. I have so few chips that I can go all-in without making a pot-sized raise, and I do that as second-to-act. CO calls. Target on my back, bounty on my head. I’m double-suited with an ace and the second nut low draw, and just barely ahead for overall equity. My ace is better than CO’s, but he has a better low. The turn is grim, as it gives CO two pair for the high, as well as the better low draw, but I get lucky on the river, which invalidates his low, and we split the blinds.

HAND 123 1500/3000 85J 4 K
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
65 HJ 73Q6 26.6K 10/0
16 CO 2JQT 20.3K 32/0
6 D 437A 24.6K 15/27 56/28 29/44 13/87 0/100
7 SB Q96A 31.2K 24/2
28 BB 792J 13.5K 14/0
21 UTG 2356 9.6K 12/22 44/24 71/16 87/13 100/0

I’ve got four low cards, a five-rank run-down, and on the next hand I’m going to lose a third of my stack as BB. I shove UTG, D calls with a suited ace and four low cards. I get lucky and pair my five on the flop; we chop up the blinds on the river. Not everyday you win chips in PLO8 with just a pair of fives.

HAND 124 1500/3000 A9K 5 8
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
16 UTG T4T5 20.3K 16/11
6 CO 336A 26.9K 14/34 43/49 40/16 25/40 0/100
7 D JAQ4 29.7K 28/12
28 SB 576J 10.5K 18/3
21 BB 98K7 11.8K 25/>0 67/6 60/9 75/14 100/0

Player 65 is moved to the other table. CO min-raises to 6K with the low draw and suited ace, and when it gets to me in BB, I shove. He calls.He catches the diamond draw on the flop, but I make two pair, and he needs running cards for a low. I get lucky and my pairs hold up. He gets lucky and makes the low on the river for a split.

HAND 125 1500/3000 834 J K
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
16 BB 66J7 20.3K 26/1 41/2 36/5
6 UTG J83A 27.6K 21/28 30/30 25/20 34/20 89/7 0/0
7 CO 2T3Q 29.7K 32/6
28 D A4K7 9.0K 17/20 25/22 4/95 7/100 0/100 0/100
21 SB 4KA8 12.6K 15/14 23/15 44/20 75/20 11/7 100/0

Going for three in a row. Then again, we are at just five players on the table, so the blinds are coming around fast. UTG limps in, D calls, and I put in the extra 1.5K from SB. BB checks. I make two pair on the flop to move me up from the bottom of the equity ladder. UTG bets 6K, D is all-in for just about that much, and I have the option to fold with 9.6K behind, call with 3.6K behind, or shove and hope top two is best. I shove, BB folds, and UTG calls the 3.6K. We’ve got two all-in players and a pot of 37.1K. On the turn—well, I did get it in with the best hand at the time—a jack makes a better two pair for UTG, and I have 7% overall equity in the hand: UTG has the spade flush draw, as well. I get a massive save on the river with the king, and we short stacks split the main pot, with me getting a sizable (7.2K) side pot all to myself because neither UTG or I have a low.

HAND 126 1500/3000
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
16 SB 2877 17.3K 14/5
6 BB KJ5K 15.0K 32/0
7 UTG 992K 29.7K 20/0
28 CO 4J83 15.0K 14/8
21 D 6642 22.2K 21/45

My stack has gone from 2.5BB to 7BB in just four hands. Not exactly a spot where I can get complacent, but I can take a breather, even though this hand has 35% equity in this spot, better than even BB’s kings, overall (and mostly because of the low straight draw. BB doesn’t get to do anything with the kings, he gets a walk.

HAND 127 1500/3000
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
16 D 37T9 15.8K 34/6
6 SB 4K53 16.5K 22/48
7 BB AAAA 29.7K 6/0
28 UTG QK5J 15.0K 22/0
21 CO 8QJ6 22.2K 24/6

What a time to get dealt quad aces, eh? It doesn’t mean a thing in Omaha, so there’s not much BB can do when SB pots to 9K as an open with a suited king and three low cards. There’s no single card that can come that can improve his hand; he can’t make a set, a straight, or a flush. He folds.

HAND 128 1500/3000 745
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
16 CO 239K 15.8K 12/16
6 D K8J4 19.5K 19/1
7 SB 8T3A 26.7K 34/38 41/45 95/100
28 BB 889J 15.0K 12/0 24/0 1/0
21 UTG 73QA 22.2K 29/43 38/51 4/100

I limp my suited ace and SB comes along. SB leads out on the flop with the flush and second nut low. BB folds. I’ve got a low, but since I could be beat there and I don’t have much of anything for the high (I could get a backdoor full house or quads, I suppose), I fold.

HAND 129 1500/3000 K2A 8 J
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
16 UTG 859T 15.8K 23/0
6 CO T5Q2 19.5K 15/23
7 D 967K 32.7K 18/5
28 SB 3QJ7 12.0K 26/14 49/24 47/51 29/89 0/100
21 BB A48K 19.2K 21/26 51/41 53/26 71/11 100/0

SB limps into my BB. He bets 6K on the flop with the flush draw, I have top two pair and shove. SB only has 3K behind and makes the call. The cards run out to the river and he takes the low. My two pair stays good. Since there was nobody else in the pot and there aren’t any antes, the split doesn’t make a difference to either of our stacks.

HAND 130 2000/4000 428 Q K
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
17 BB TQK2 10.3K 20/0 45/0 46/0 69/0 100/0
27 UTG TA67 68.9K 18/27
16 UTG1 Q6AT 15.8K 5/27
6 UTG2 2J75 19.5K 16/6
39 HJ AJ49 54.0K 13/33 31/45 16/67 6/44 0/0
7 CO 8639 32.7K 13/0
28 D JA98 12.0K 17/0 31/21 40/55 31/44 0/0
21 SB 436Q 19.2K 10/0

We’re at final now with just eight players. The biggest stack is between the button and the SB (me!). HJ—one of the big stacks—makes the call with a suited ace, then D shoves for 12K double-suited with an ace. BB has even less and makes sort of a desperation shove with 1BB in and just 1.5BB behind. HJ makes the call, he’ll still be in 2nd chip position if he loses. The lows of both HJ and D are counterfeit on the flop, nobody has a club flush draw, D’s behind in the chance of having the best high hand on the river, but he does for the moment. On the turn, BB has the best high hand and D picks up the best draw, for the heart flush. The river prevents anyone from getting a low, BB takes a 33K main pot with queens, and D gets 3.2K for the side pot high, with eights.

HAND 131 2000/4000 J93 3 K
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
17 SB 9726 33.0K 7/3 11/11 3/6
27 BB 5452 68.9K 15/37 27/41 19/27
16 UTG JA73 15.8K 7/15
6 UTG1 678T 19.5K 20/0
39 UTG2 QQ4K 42.0K 10/0
7 UTG3 AKQK 32.7K 18/0 30/0 26/0
28 HJ J953 3.2K 9/11 15/17 28/0 63/0 92 100
41 CO 88TT 92.7K 8/0 19/0 24/0 37/0 8 0
21 D 8J46 17.2K 18/5

UTG3 has kings and a suited ace and limps in. HJ has garbege and goes all-in for less. CO and SB limp. BB checks, and there’s a bounty in the offing. The stack at risk hits three pairs on the flop: any pairing of the board will make a full house and likely be the winning hand. Nobody has the club flush draw, UTG3 and CO have straight draws. CO bets 19.2K on the flop after a check from UTG3. Everyone but the all-in player folds. The turn makes HJ’s full house, though CO still has an out (only the [tc] remains) for a better full house. HJ takes the main pot after the river, and CO gets a side pot of 3K.

HAND 132 2000/4000 55K J T
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
17 D 7688 29.0K 2/0
27 SB K73A 64.9K 47/14 78/37 82/15 92 100
16 BB 2JT3 15.8K 10/13
6 UTG JA69 19.5K 5/9
39 UTG1 J4Q6 42.0K 8/14
7 UTG2 48Q7 28.7K 9/0
28 UTG3 9293 16.2K 2/13 23/17 18/5 8 0
41 HJ 9Q8T 91.7K 9/0
21 CO T456 17.2K 19/28

UTG3 has a pair of nines and 23 for a low draw. He pots to 14K—almost his entire stack—and SB calls with a sllightly better low, suited ace, and suited king. And a lot more chips. SB bets the flop with two pair and an ace kicker, and UTG3 puts his last 2.2K in, if the board hadn’t paired, he might have won with two pair, but the fives on the flop work for SB and he takes out player 28 in 9th place: the first of the players to cash.

HAND 133 2000/4000
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
17 CO J26T 29.0K 10/9
27 D 2A78 85.1K 6/44
16 SB T847 11.8K 23/2
6 BB 3JJQ 19.5K 15/0
39 UTG QKK6 42.0K 27/0
7 UTG1 968A 28.7K 12/15
41 UTG2 8A9Q 91.7K 6/>0
21 HJ J529 17.2K 11/12

Action folds to D, who raises this pot and takes the blinds after knocking out player 28.

HAND 134 2000/4000 882 6 6
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
17 HJ 94JT 29.0K 20/0
27 CO AQ4J 91.1K 19/0 38/0 0/0 0/0 0/0
16 D K58T 9.8K 18/0
6 SB 3TJ5 15.5K 14/5
39 BB 22A8 42.0K 20/33 37/33 100/0 100/0 100/0
7 UTG QK93 28.7K 7/0
41 UTG1 3KQ5 91.7K 4/5
21 UTG2 A372 17.2K 12/68 25/71 0/89 0/100 0/100

I have the three lowest cards and open to 14K from UTG2. CO is in, and BB calls. Both have me well covered. BB flops the nuts (he’s got deuces over eights, but also eights over deuces). I’ve got the best low draw. I go all-in for my last 3.2K, CO raises to 53.5K, drawing dead on his flush, and BB is all-in for 28K. Everyone gets chips from the pot, but CO’s about 20K lighter after winning the low side pot. BB gets the high pots for both main and side, and I take the low main. Mmmmm, lo mein.

HAND 135 2000/4000 TA4 6 Q
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
17 UTG2 6582 29.0K 14/9
27 HJ 3JJT 73.9K 19/0
16 CO KKT4 9.8K 12/0
6 D 5A2K 13.5K 11/40 38/60 73/74 81/100 0/100
39 SB 728Q 51.6K 16/0
7 BB QT42 28.7K 6/28
41 UTG 3864 91.7K 12/0
21 UTG1 9Q9A 26.8K 20/0 62/0 27/0 19/0 100/0

I limp in with a pair and a suited ace. D shoves for 13.5K with another suited ace and a good low draw. I’m the only caller. It looks at first like I might be scooped, with D’s king kicker for the ace and his low coming through on the turn, but the river queen saves my bacon and we chop the blinds.

HAND 136 2000/4000 A5Q 4 7
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
17 UTG1 98QJ 29.0K 12/0 57/0 57/0 0/0 0/0
27 UTG2 9A6K 73.9K 17/3
16 HJ KQ82 9.8K 5/0
6 CO 82T6 16.5K 7/2
39 D 65J7 49.6K 18/0
7 SB 35J2 24.7K 4/30 43/48 43/60 100/100 100/100
41 BB 8A45 91.7K 27/22
21 UTG 34TQ 29.8K 12/4

UTG1 min-raises with a badugied rundown and SB calls with three wheel cards. Pre-flop, SB has a slight edge in equity because of the low draw, which increases slightly on the flop. SB shoves with bottom pair and a number of two pair outs, as well as a wheel draw on top of the low draw. UTG1 makes the call for 16.7K—most of his chips—with no low and just second pair (and an ace on the flop). It seems insane to me. The four comes on the turn, locking up a scoop for SB.

HAND 137 2500/5000 582 3 7
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
17 UTG 8273 4.3K 12/0 16/1 33/0 33/0 44/0 0/0
27 UTG1 5J59 73.9K 17/0
16 UTG2 Q7KA 9.8K 13/7 21/23 7/15 7/15 0/69 0/100
6 HJ 47AK 16.5K 13/34
39 CO JTQT 49.6K 8/0 12/0 10/0
7 D JJA4 53.4K 4/28
41 SB TTA3 87.7K 10/44 13/49 16/86 16/86 6/37 0/100
21 BB 6289 29.8K 32/5 42/9 54/0 59/0 56/0 100/0

The loser of the last hand is now UTG with less than a big blind. He shoves 4.3K, putting his bounty up for grabs (in his favor, he does have four low-qualified cards). UTG2 goes all-in for 9.8K, with a suited ace and three Broadway cards. CO calls with a number of the cards UTG2 needs to complete his Broadway and a pair of tens. SB has the other tens and a low draw and makes the call. Over 35K in the pot and I’ve already got more in the pot than I need to call, even with garbage? Why not?

SB bets 43.4K on the flop with the best made low. I decide my top and bottom pair and high pot draws are good enough and make the call. CO is the only other player not already all-in and he’d have to call off his stack on the hope of making something high, so he folds.

The turn counterfeits SB’s low and my two pair (which I was splitting with UTG in the main pot). That’s more of a significant issue for SB, since I’m still ahead for the high in the two side pots.

The seven on the river counterfeits one of UTG2’s low cards, meaning he’s sharing the same 7532A low with SB for the pots they’re involved in. It also makes my nine-high straight.

SB and I just get our money back from side pot number 2. Side pot 1 was the two of us and UTG2; I get the high and they quarter the low. The same goes for the main pot, which included just enough from UTG to keep them from losing chips because of the quarter. The bounty, unfortunately, isn’t awarded proportionally to who got UTG’s chips, it just gets split evenly between the three of us. Player 17 is out in 8th place.

HAND 138 2500/5000
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
27 BB 4Q96 73.9K 13/11
16 UTG Q6AJ 10.8K 12/15
6 UTG1 2852 16.5K 11/15
39 HJ J332 39.8K 20/30
7 CO 6T9Q 53.4K 9/0
41 D J978 88.8K 24/>0
21 SB 4T4K 41.7K 14/0

Yet another posty-bloodletting lull. BB gets a walk.

HAND 139 2500/5000 64J J A
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
27 SB 55J7 76.4K 20/0
16 BB 3T4K 10.8K 20/6 51/12 48/1 5/0 0/0
6 UTG 9839 16.5K 9/0
39 UTG1 4A86 39.8K 13/12
7 HJ 9Q27 53.4K 12/2
41 CO A27A 88.8K 12/15 49/28 52/56 95/35 100/100
21 D 7Q35 39.2K 19/9

Well, now that’s over, time to get back to carnage. UTG1 limps in with four low-qualified cards, CO has the nut low draw, a suited ace, and aces, and pots to 22.5K. BB calls all-in with a couple low cards and a king suited in hearts, just like CO’s ace. UTG1 folds his limp. Oddly enough, BB’s slightly ahead for the high pot pre-flop. He somehow manages to stay in contention on the flop, then gets dealt a blow on the turn, only to lose it all on the river as CO makes a full house for the high. Player 16 is eliminated in 7th place and player 41 takes the bounty.

HAND 140 2500/5000
PLAYER POSITION CARDS CHIPS START PRE-FLOP POST-FLOP PRE-TURN POST-TURN PRE-RIVER RIVER
27 D J977 73.9K 18/0
6 BB 87Q6 16.5K 13/5
39 UTG 9265 34.8K 8/33
7 UTG1 9T33 53.4K 26/0
41 HJ KK2A 107.1K 35/23
21 CO 286Q 39.2K 7/14

HJ raises to 15K with the kings and suited A2 to take the blinds.

Summary

By necessity, I get a bit more active in this group of hands, putting money into 10 of them (maintaining a 50% VPIP over 140 hands). Getting short-stacked after Hand 121, put me in the position of making three pre-flop raises in a row, nearly as many as I’d made in the previous 120 hands. I went to showdown nine times, profiting in all but the first (Hand 121, again). None of my profitable showdowns were scoops; I won the high hand in seven of eight and the low in one. I picked up a third of a bounty in Hand 137, though I got half the pot in which the player was knocked out. Even though I managed to pull off a recovery after the first hand of the group, I’m in the bottom three of the six players left in the tournament, and still down around 8BB.

Fourteen of twenty hands went to showdown in this group. That’s 25% of the showdowns at my table for the entire tournament, in just 14% of the hands. Ten of the showdowns resulted in low pots, a third of the low pots awarded (on this table) so far.

Fourteen of the hands that won either high or low pots had suited aces. In a sort of odd reversal, thirteen of the winning high hands had three or more low-qualified cards, including ten of the hands that won the high at showdown.