Red's Ramblings, Event #3 — $30 Limit Omaha High-Low, 8 or Better
by Mark "The Red" Harlan
31 players signed up for the RGP Open Event 3, a $30 Limit Omaha High/Low tourney. As with other RGP Open events, the blind structure had been custom made with 2000 starting chips and 20 minute levels. After five-and-a-half hours of occasionally feisty play, five people remained to battle for the near-$1000 purse: XaQ Morphy, elg26, GambleAB, A Webb, and BigEdJr17. But only four would walk away with prize money.
Short-stacked on the button and with no action in front of him (not to mention the added distraction of incessant schoolyard banter from the railbirds*) XaQ Morphy was dealt As 4h 6d Jd and made a raise that ended up putting him in the nightmarish situation of not only getting pushed all-in (for the fourth time in the tourney), but also having the small and big blinds (elg26 and GambleAB) calling. elg26 and GambleAB then checked-through the board cards of 2d 8s Kh 2c Ks in an attempt to eliminate Morph on the bubble and it worked. elg held a now-worthless Ah 5h 3s Td, but GambleAB took down the high-only pot with a pair of pocket queens — morphing XaQ from hopeful to burst.
As has happened in previous RGP Open affairs, the very next hand saw blood on the table. A short-stacked-but-now-in-the-money BigEdJr17 brought in a raise with Ac 2c Jc 9s, shaking all but GamesGrid Leaderboarder A Webb on the big blind. A flop of 3c 2h 6h brought a bet from Webb and a raise from Ed. A turn of Kh was bet by the webby-one and put Ed in the unenviable position of being forced to call all-in on a counterfeited, as well as heart-flushing, board. Sure enough, A Webb flipped over 3h 8h 6s 7c for a heart flush and sent BigEdJr home with $111 with which to dry BigEdSr's tears.
A few hands pass, and with three players left and the blinds now at an attention-getting 500/1000, A Webb raised from the button with a rainbowed A 6 6 10. GambleAB, now repeatedly cocky in his comments and with his stack dwarfing the table, quickly called. The flop of Ac 7c Qs resulted in a quick flurry of betting and A Webb all-in. Gamble smugly showed a staggering 3s 3d 5c Qc. The 5d turn and 6c river couldn't get caught by the Webb, leaving him with a fly $167.
Now openly taunting his final opponent, and holding a 10-to-1 chip lead, it was only a matter of time before GambleAB marbled elg26. For the abuse, elg26 was handed $232, with GambleAB getting both $418 and yet more bragging rights. (But not completely without reason; GambleAB's was all-in four times on the final table alone, and yet managed to divide-and-conquer when it was most needed.)
The next RGP Open tourney will be a $20 No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em event with rebuys and add-ons (by request of RGP and a first for GamesGrid). We are expecting this to be a multiple day event (also by request of RGP, also a first for GamesGrid). Keep an eye on RGP for more information.
* Anytime you're getting banter from outsiders you don't want to see on the 'Grid, you can always check
off the
Observers LED.
