There’s always a danger that one can take the World Series too seriously. I’m not bankrolled to be doing $1.5k and $2.5k tournaments day in, day out, and it’s probably just as well. Even world class players can have runs of twenty or more dots, and that’s a whole lot of cheese. And since I’m not world class, I think my cheese should stay in the fridge. Whatever.
The thought of going $40k into the red on one trip would send me to Ebenezer Tilt. This WSOP, I started nitting it up bankroll-wise after only two failures in four-figure buy in tournaments. I guess with an attitude like that I’m not likely to win a bracelet.
It’s just as well there are so many other poker festivals out there during June in Vegas. A past Pickleman article has covered this area, but to summarise, there are about another five or six casinos which have their own series during the WSOP. Most of these are much for smaller buy ins, ranging from around $100 to $500.
I tried to convince myself that I should be playing higher, but the truth is I’d already lost my mojo before I sat down for the $2.5k PLO/PLH. Besides, if you want to play Omaha events the choice on offer usually pushes you to the sub $500 buy in level. There was an absolutely great event this year at Caesars – a $340 buy in six max “Big O” tournament (Big O is five-card Pot Limit Omaha hi/lo). But the one I want to talk about today was the $210 PLO hi/lo at Binion’s.
I’ve played in quite a few events at Binion’s and I have to say, the more I play there, the more I like it. There’s something unapologetically down to Earth about Fremont St casinos that is sadly lacking from their Strip counterparts.
First, when you ask for a drink at the poker table, you get a decent drink. Not a thimble full of water in a bottle or half a cup of Coke filled with ice. At Binion’s you get a can of Coke – that’s right, a bona fide, not-cutting-corners Coke. Another thing I loved was a trolley of sweets and nuts dispensing just a small handful for a quarter. That’s often all I need during a poker tournament. I don’t want to go to Walgreens or the casino shop and spend four bucks on an oversized bag of trail mix. I just want something small, something worth 25c.
In addition to all these small bonuses, the tournaments at Binion’s are well run. The tournament director (Brad Thomte) is efficient, hard working and gave an excellent ruling as follows:
On one of the early hands of the day, two players get to showdown. The board has a couple of deuces on it and I believe three paint cards (so no low). The big blind bets into the UTG raiser who calls and the big blind insta-mucks without waiting to see the caller’s hand. The winner mucks his hand and takes the pot. I ask to see the caller’s hand and am informed that that’s not necessary – only if the other player in the hand wishes to see it does it need to be shown.
I’m sure you’re aware of the almost universal rule that if a pot goes to showdown, regardless of whether the other player(s) muck(s), the winner has to show down a hand. This is to prevent chip dumping. I asked to see the player’s hand, not because I thought he was being dumped chips, but because the rule states that I’m allowed to. This is of course upholding the rule of the law rather than the spirit of the law – something that in a previous article I have spoken out against.
At Binion’s the ruling is different. You can ask to see the winning player’s hand only if you believe there’s collusion (i.e. chip dumping) taking place. Otherwise, the player can take the pot in this instance without showing his cards.
What an excellent ruling. Of course, the trouble with these rulings (and with Law in general) is that it provokes a lot of argument in marginal cases where judgement is required, but when it’s not a marginal case, the rule actually isn’t necessary. It should be quite obvious in most cases that there is no collusion going on and the hand does not need to be shown.
Sure, I’d like to know whether the guy had raised UTG and called a bet on the river with AAXX, A2XX or A23X, but that’s just my tough.
All round it was a great tournament. For sure, I wouldn’t have won very much if I’d come first (it was around $7k for the winner in a 149 runner tournament), but as I busted about half way through the field, I drove back to the Strip only $210 down.
