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If last nite taught me anything, its that I really should play more stud hi lo. Idk wat it is about the game, but I've always had good success in it. Back in the days of my pokerstars freerolls, I only one won of them...a stud hi lo. I've gotten 4th in the 26 bucks stud hilo on tilt, and I cashed in my first live tournament for stud hi lo, a 9th pale finish in a field of 160.

So last nite started with 7k in chips so lots of play. The first 90 minutes of any limit tourney are really boring. I was the chip leader at my table after 90 minutes with 8600 lol. I think the first elimination occured 2 hours in and the first table was broken like 3 and a half hours in. No real action until I got moved to my second table. With the levels at 300 600 I had about 8k. The bring in completed for 600 and a guy raised to 1200 with a K showing. I had an A showing and an A in the hole, so I reraised and the K capped it. Two others came along. At this point, its hard to believe he has Kings rolled up, but its also hard to believe he'd 4 bet with anything else. On 4th, I immediately catch two pair with a 6, and say if he's got me he's got me. After constant bets by everyone involved leading the 6th street, we get it all in in a massssssive pot. I have 4k behind. I show two pair aces and sixes. One guy shows two pair queens and eights and a straight draw. The K guy shows kings and sevens( not sure what he thought I had) and the last guy shows a low draw with a pair of fours. On the river I don't improve. Kings and sevens doesn't improve, the low draw gets two small pair, and queens and nines draws a useless third pair on the river. I ship a 25k pot to take a big chip lead!!!!

On the very next hand, I'm in with 4 others on 6th street with a pair of 8's, a low draw, and a flush draw. On 7th, I pick up a 7 for a terrible 8765A low. One guy has been betting the whole way and bets the river. I call and the other two as well, and I show my low. Somehow, its good despite both others showing three low cards. The aggressor shows Jacks and 7's, and praises my call with that low. I didn't think it was that great more so just pot committed. I later lose a big pot in omaha with AA to a guy who hits runner runner flush, knocking me down to 13k.

I get moved, and commit an inexplicable blunder at the next table. Holding 2357 double suited, I see a flop of A58....or so I thought. In actuality it was A59! I call the whole way thinking I have the nut low, when I actually have a measly pair of 5's at the end. I flip it up, and didn't realize I had nothin till the pot gets shipped elsewhere. I pride myself on not going on tilt, but this was almost too much to overcome. I make a couple loose calls, and am down to 8k with the limits at 600 1200 in stud hi lo.

I make a comeback though with a sick call in stud hi lo. I call a raise with QJ4 all diamonds. The raiser had an A in late position, so I figured he could easily have air just playing position. I call a bet on 4th, and pair my Q on 5th. He checks showing AKJ. At this point, I'm very confident my Queens are goo, but I just check. 6th brings a pair of aces for him, but gives me a 4 for two pair. He bets and I call. The river doesn't improve me, and he bets out again. Here's the tough decision. My board is showing a low or low draw, with three low cards out there. I figure with any pair in the hole, he's betting 5th street. So I figure he's stuck on aces, and just hope he didn't catch on 7th. I call, and ask him if he has two pair. He says no, and I flip Queens and 4's. He looks for about 20 seconds at the board and mucks and I scoop to get to 13k. The guy to my right, who must have thought I was an idiot when I showed my "low" in omaha, shook my hand and said hell of a call.

I then get moved with 10k and blinds at 1k 2k in Omaha. For the first time all tournament long, I actually hit a streak in omaha. I river a straight to get to 15k, then scooped a big pot with the nut straight and the nut low. Couple more pots, and I'm up to 30k and the lead at my table. I get moved again, and we are down to two tables.

I'd like to take a break and say that I really feel for dealers sometimes. They have to deal with drunken assholes, or just plain assholes, all the time who are just waiting for them to make a mistake to pounce and say how stupid they are. This old guy at my table berated the dealer when she messed up dividing the side pot and main pot during an all in. IT was really disheartening and disrespectful and I really felt for her. On the other hand, some dealers have it coming. With 17 left, the dealer called a guy on saying the f bomb after losing a big pot that knocked him down to 6k with levels at 1k 2k. I didn't hear it nor did anyone else, but he was assessed a one round penalty, and as a result was blinded out. Later, he accused a guy of throwing cards at him when he folded. This guy was the best player at the able and a regular, and while I would have liked to see him out of the tournament, it was unfair and I vouched for him. He ended up being pretty nice and we chatted back and forth the rest of the tournament.

Back to the poker I had about 45k when things went south, or dead is the right term. Card dead to be exact from 17 people to 11 I was whittled down to 20k with bets at 3k 6k. I hung on long enough to make it to 9 people, where we all agreed to take 350 out of first and give it to 9th, which is where I would end up after losing to a full house in omaha.

With first getting 4400 I was obviously disappointed, but I had alot of fun and for the most part avoided any sick beats, so I couldn't blame bad luck this time. Another tournament tomorrow will post a full report when I can. Thanks for reading guys.