Back to Back Quads

Johnny Storm: It's like some higher calling.
Reed Richards: Like getting girls and making money?
Johnny Storm: Is there any higher?

”Fantastic Four”

I had a fantastic weekend, thanks for asking. We saw the movie and it was alright, not without it’s charms. Poker was great too, and be sure to sign up to Poker Rewards through my links if you want a freeroll into “Heafy’s Honeymoon Classic” on August 6th. But enough of that for now.

I decided to try out a little NL Omaha at Poker Rewards, because I like fixed limit Omaha but nobody else does, and I can’t get the hang of pot limit. I thought it best to try it out in the smallest buy-in SNG I could find to test the waters. Since only hi/lo was running, I went with a $2 NL Omaha hi/lo to get things rolling.

Quickly it became apparent that nobody else knew how to play this properly either. On the forth hand, I was dealt double suited pocket Kings in the big blind…and TEN players saw the flop. I couldn’t be bothered raising from the big blind, so I let it slide. Wouldn’t you know it, both Kings come out and I am left to check/call this one to the river. I took a little more than half of the stack of three players and was happy with that return.

Then on my small blind, I am dealt pocket fives plus whatever else and I get to limp. There is a five on the flop and a push from a small stack after I bet, and then another all-in, and another – the same three stacks are all-in against my set. I also had a draw to the nut low, so why not? I called them and hit the case five on the turn. Yep, back to back quads baby! I ended up finishing second and winning $6 for my back to back quads, but it was still worth it I guess.

After some ups and downs, I entered a MTT when we returned from the Fantastic Four because the tournament was starting in 45 seconds after I logged on – why not, it’s only a $5 NL tourny…



My biggest single pay day ever, and by far my best tournament finish. I have won freeroll tournaments before, but they hardly count. I set out to be more aggressive and open my starting hands a little so that I wasn’t blinded down and crippled by the third round as I can tend to be. I was one of the small stacks when there was about 30 or so left, but was able to steel enough blinds to keep me alive for when the big hands came. When we finally made it to the final table, I knew I wanted to win, not just place well in the money.

Another big competitive advantage I had was I wasn’t scared to take on the big stack. If I thought he was just trying to bully, I pushed regardless of what I had. Since there was a lot of blind steeling going on it was well worth it – never underestimate the power of a check-raise all in.

I did have a bit of luck when my A4 split a pot with A6, but those things happen. When we were heads up and nearly level, my computer shut me out for two hands and I couldn’t act – lucky too, because on one of those hands I was dealt 99. My hand was folded as I couldn’t act in time, and the other player showed JJ. It’s nice when these things work in your favour for a change. The end came when I had a 3-1 chip lead, forced him all-in with AQo vs Kxs. Only a queen came and it was good night sweetheart.

There is nothing like a MTT win to get you pumped up, even if it is in only a $5 tournament.

And now to return to our shilling normal shilling schedule…

Ok boys and girls, we finally have the details set for "Heafy's Honeymoon Classic"!

WHEN:
August 6th, 8.30pm EST for our North American friends, or August 7th about 10am for the Aussies.

WHERE:
Poker Rewards! Please use the links on this website! Look under private tables and search for table named "Heafy" - I should already be enrolled in the tournament there.

PASSWORD:
Fiji. We really want to go to Vanuatu but I thought that would be much harder to remember and to spell.

FORMAT:
It's a $20 + $2 MTT, No limit holdem as always.

WHY:
Well it's a poker tournament, so it will be for fun won't it? Truth be known, I need to raise some cash for the honeymoon that my lovely Distraction so depseratly wants and needs. I know it's not a very worthy cause or anything, but hey it's a poker tournament and should be fun regardless. You need to deposit a minimum of $50 for the affliate to work, but $400 will give you the entire bonus.