Thoughts On The Foxwoods O8 Tourney Structure for WPT WPF

[grandgnu]

Hello everyone:

Hitting Foxwoods for their Nov 1st $600 Omaha hi/lo limit tournament. Based on an educated guess, the structure looks like it will devolve into a real crap shoot (or lots of bluffing and/or heads-up) after you hit levels 4 or 5.

Here's the breakdown of levels, please let me know your thoughts, but it looks like one or two hands after level 5 can really break you, even if you're managed to accumulate some chips here and there:

LEVELS ARE 50 MINUTES
STARTING STACK 3000 CHIPS
(estimated turnout 350 players, so a little over a million chips in play)

1. 25/25 blinds with 25-50 limit
2. 25/50 blinds with 50-100 limit
3. 50/100 blinds with 100-200 limit
4. 75/150 blinds with 150-300 limit
5. 100/200 blinds with 200-400 limit

a little over 4 hours has passed at this point

6. 150/300 blinds with 300-600 limit
7. 200/400 blinds with 400-800 limit
8. 300/600 blinds with 600-1200 limit
9. 400/800 blinds with 800-1600 limit
10. 500/1000 blinds with 1000-2000 limit

A little over 8 hours in

There's 20 levels on their sheet, but I think what I've provided should be enough for someone to chime in whether it looks crap-shooty or not.

[jba]

"estimated turnout 350 players"

where did you get that from?

This is the same structure that is used for the limit holdem events. It's less than ideal but I think there is plenty of play, four hours is a long time. and really if you want a chance to win the thing I really think you should have doubled up by the first break.

Is there a 1k event? for holdem those start with 5k chips.

[toots]

Having second thoughts about entering this tourney...

[grandgnu]

350 players was the turnout last year from what I've heard, so I anticipate a similar crowd.

I guess I'll just have to pick my spots. Four hours is a long time, if you're playing online with a structure like that. But live, Omaha hi/lo is very slow.

There's tons of arguements between players when they misread the board and think they have the best low and they don't.

There's plenty of dealer error, especially considering that Foxwoods doesn't spread a ton of O8 tables.

So I expect to maybe get 20-30/hands an hour if we're lucky, given all the arguements at showdown that I anticipate.

Still, I figure to have an edge, just need to work on my game as far as short-handed goes (I anticipate that when the blinds and betting gets significant enough, even full-ring you'll find only 2-3 players to a flop, which means I need to be more comfortable playing marginal holdings in both directions)

[grandgnu]

[ QUOTE ]
Having second thoughts about entering this tourney...

[/ QUOTE ]

Toots, if you don't feel comfortable in the tourney, the cash games should be amazing. I'm bringing about 3K for those. I've heard they run higher than the 4/8 with a half-kill when the WPT is in town for O8 cash games, so I'm hoping to play some 15/30 or 20/40 (actually, I'm hoping I just win the tournament and become bankrolled to play 75/150....)

[toots]

Yeah, maybe I'll still do the cash games.

The problem that I've been dealing with, aside from virtually no experience with limit tournaments that level up to crapshoot level too quickly, is the fact that the Omaha schneid I've been on for most of the year is more probably reflecting the fact that my game sucks.

I mean, I was holding my own online at .5/1 and 1/2 a couple years ago (ground out a few hundred off a $50 initial deposit), but then I took a bit over a year off, and when I returned to the game this spring, it's been hit and miss at best.

Granted, I still don't think I've ever lost at the cash O8 games at Foxwoods, but I am talking about spewing $800 ($200 for the room, $600 for the tournament) that I'm pretty sure I'm never going to see again.

[grandgnu]

You'd still probably have an edge over most of the field, since I expect plenty of hold em donkeys to be in there raising it up with bottom two pair on a flush/straight/low flop.

[Catul]

[ QUOTE ]
the cash games should be amazing. I'm bringing about 3K for those. I've heard they run higher than the 4/8 with a half-kill when the WPT is in town for O8 cash games, so I'm hoping to play some 15/30 or 20/40 (actually, I'm hoping I just win the tournament and become bankrolled to play 75/150....)

[/ QUOTE ]

I was there last Fri and Sat (20th and 21st) - they had an HOE 15/30 game going on Fri, and a 20/40 HOE on Sat. Now I don't care much for Stud/8, but the other two were a blast! Some decent players, but pretty beatable. They seem to mostly like Stud/8, some good O8 players but not great, and mostly pretty bad at Hold'em. I did well both days, and hope these games go more often. Sure would like a 20/40 O8 game too; wish I had the bankroll for the 75/150 O8 - looked like fun, Linda Johnson & Jan Fisher from CardPlayer were both in it.

Oh, they apparently even had a Pot Limit Omaha High and Hold'em mixed game going - I think it was pretty high, like 5/10 PL; never knew they spread PLO there!!!

[chaos]

I'll be playing this event. 350 entrants should be about right. The rate of increase slows after the first 3 levels. There is plenty of play. I've played it twice before and cashed once.

You need to acculumate chips to stay ahead of the curve. People play pretty loose early on. It is important to get some chips at this stage.

Once the limits get large the results of a single hand may determine your future. One way hands will only show a small profit and do not cut it. Getting quartered may spell doom.

Last year someone had a heart attack during this tournament and had to be taken to the hospital. The tournament got put on hold for about 45 minutes while dealing with the medical emergency.

[chaos]

How did everyone do?

There were 284 entrants.

I got knocked out in 75th place. I got quartered on two consecutive hands I played at the 600/1200 limits crippling me. The second was the last hand before the dinner break leaving me with only 600 to play my 400 small blind after dinner. I did manage to survive my small blind but got knocked out latter in the round.