International Round of Each - In Harry We Trust......

“Eez like putting a round peg in a square hole!” exclaimed my Turkish taxi driver on the way back to Brixton last night.

The source of my taxi driver’s consternation, was the effective deployment of Autralian luxury Harry Kewell in the Galatasaray team. Apparently the issue is Kewell is being paid a lot of money (as always) and there is considerable pressure on the manager to fit him into the team. However, Kewell’s natural left wing berth is filled by Turkish wonderkid Arda Turan, so old Harry has to be plopped somewhere else, woe betide he be left on the bench.

While my driver filled me in on the shortcomings of every Fenerbache fan he had ever met, it occurred to me that the Omaha hand AAxx is very much like Harry Kewell. Looks good, achieves little and costs you a lot. I really don’t like the hand at all - so often you end up playing the backhand (as in the other 2 cards), and you rarely know if your fronthand Aces are good. Incredibly in the two tables I played on, AAxx was cracked eight times out of nine, and on every occasion cost the victim at least 50% of his stack, if not his whole tournament.

On a personal note, unfortunately I spent the entire tournament shortstacked after losing a huge early Omaha pot, and eventually bust out 11th out of the 35 or so runners and was someway short of the 5th spot cash. Deven and Sir Mike also joined me for this tournament, but none of us got the year off to a winning start.

Hand1
I raise AK to 150 and get called in two spots. Flop comes King high, and I bet 300 and all fold.

Hand2
An early position limper and then a raiser to 200. I make it 700 from the big blind with JJ and all fold, to get me off to a good start. On a side note, the 200 raise came from the presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli, who starred in the Channel 4 documentary “£50 says you’ll watch this”, in which he interviewed and played poker with Tilly, Laak, Hellmuth and Negreanu. Kohli was good fun at the table, and added humour to what began as a fairly sombre atmosphere.

Hand3
The first hand of Omaha was a disaster. I call a raise and a call with J987 double suited in position and the big blind calls. The flop arrives J95 rainbow giving me top two. The initial raiser bets out and is called. I call, intending to pot a non straightening card on the turn. The turn brings the flush draw, but otherwise a brick. Initial raiser checks, but the second guys pots it and I shove over the top of him. Hardeep Kohli calls me muttering that he has so many outs. the initial potter calls as well. Sigh. I am up against a flush draw + straight draw, and a wrap, so need to fade about half the deck. Kohli hits his flush to take down the monster 12k pot.

I take my £30 rebuy for 4k in chips.

Hand4
Nothing eventful for a few rounds and blinds are now 100/200. Button raises to 500 and I make it 1600 with AQ from the BB. I actually hate this play in retrospect, as I am effectively turning AQ into a bluff, and if he shoves I puke and call with nearly half my stack in already. Nevertheless, he passes.

Hand5
I get a free flop out of the big blind with 2258. I flop bottom set, which is a spot I don’t really like as I have zero redraws (apart from to worst full house). I call some small bets on the various streets and am surprised to see my hand hold up despite the board finishing with numerous straight possibilities. I get up to 6k after this hand.

At this point the first victim chances his arm with AAxx, all in pre-flop and gets wiped out by QJT9.

Hand6
If AAxx is Harry Kewell, I don’t know what AAAx is, but that is what I find on the button. I raise, using the excuse that the dangler is a flush card, and at least I have two nut flush blockers. Somehow I bink the last Ace in the deck and take down the pot with a bet.

Another AAxx victim departs the tournament.

Hand7
I have decided to play a tighter Omaha game this year, and I fold KJ99 rainbow UTG (obviously I’d have played in later position, but didn’t want to be raised off it as my stack size was still a little vulnerable). I am rewarded when the flop naturally comes 99x :(

Sir Mike gets about 70% of his stack in pre-flop with AAxx and of course gets nailed by AKJT.

Hand8
I make up the small blind with A987 single suited. Flop arrives A99 :) Checked around. Turn is a brick. Checked around so I bet and all fold :(

Sir Mike decides to give Harry one more go after previous disappointments, by getting the remainder of his chips in with AAKT single suited. He finds himself on the train home.

Despite the winning hands above my chip stack is getting a bit low now - I have 6.5k and the blinds are 400-800. Table change.

Hand8

The SB makes up and I shove it in with AK, happy with either a call or just to pick up the 1600 in the middle. He passes.

Hand9
I raise in mid position to 2200 with 99 and win the blinds

AAxx is beaten another 3 times out of 4 (!).

Blinds now 500/1000 - my stack is 7k so fairly desperate now for a double up. I consider making a stand with AJT3 in the BB to an UTG raiser, but decide this is probably not the hand to do it with, as it will play badly against his range.

Hand10
I shove Q6 in mid position and it gets through.

Hand11
I find 77 UTG and decide to shove my 7k in with the blinds about to reach me. I am snapped by the big stack behind though. Oh-Oh. Best hope is AK/AQ but he has KK and I am toast.

A fun tournament, but a fruitless start to the year. I don’t think I made too many mistakes, so I guess in that respect I am pleased.

In the cab home, while discussing Galatasaray with my new Turkish friend, I marvelled at the odds of all those AAxx hands not holding up. The cab driver continued to ruminate:

“We pay all this money for Kewell, and as soon as he starts to play well he breaks down with a hernia and needs an operation. I hope he comes back soon so we can get our value for money”.

Quite.