We didn't catch the hand, but we do know that Norwegian pro Ola Amundsgard just took a big hit to his stack. We arrived at the table to see him taking from Amundsgard's stack to pay off an all-in opponent. The board read and Amundsgard had the out in front of him while the other player had for straight.
Five players put in 800 each preflop and saw a flop of . Three checks put action on Max Lehmanski and he bet 750. Phil Galfond folded from the button, the small and big blinds did the same, and then the player under the gun made the call.
The turn saw the under-the-gun player checked and Lehmanski bet 1,300. His opponent then woke up with a check-raise to 4,400 and Lehmanski snap-folded.
On the flop, four players were in action. After the first player checked, Justin Schwartz checked. Then, Erick Lindgren checked and play fell on the defending champion Jan-Peter Jachtmann. Jachtmann fired 600, play folded back to Lindgren, and he made the call.
On the turn, the dealer added the to the board. Lindgren checked, Jachtmann fired 1,500, and Lindgren made the call. Then, the completed the board, and both players checked.
Jachtmann tabled the for a flush. Lindgren mucked, and Jachtmann scooped the pot.
Late registration is open for another two and a half levels and already we've surpassed last year's field of 297. Right now the tournament clock reads 300 entries, and that number is sure to go up.
Last year this event occurred a little earlier in the summer, so moving it back a bit toward the Main Event appears to have done wonders. We'll have the official numbers and payout information in Level 5 once registration is closed.
Four players each out in 250 preflop and saw a flop of . Erick Lindgren checked from the small blind and Jason Mercier did the same from middle position. Jan-Peter Jachtmann then bet 1,000 from the hijack, Justin "stealthmunk" Schwartz called from the button and the was put out on the turn after the other two players folded.
Jachtmann bet 2,500, Schwartz called and the completed the board on the river. Jachtmann fired out 4,100 and Schwartz didn't seem to excited to call. He did so anyway and Jachtmann tabled the for an ace-high flush.
"Nice hand. I knew you had it," Schwartz said as he flashed the for a king-high flush.
Pot-limit Omaha is one of poker's most popular variants, but a lot of recreational players are a bit intimidated to try it. That's a shame because it's surprisingly simple to learn. For those who don't know how to play, we encourage you to check out the nuances in PokerNews' Rules Section.
Here's a sample on bluffing in PLO, which may come in handy when following today's coverage:
Because Omaha is so focused on the nuts, it seems like an easy game to bluff. A player can represent a wider range of hands in Omaha, and also open up their game a bit more with many more semi-bluffs available. The more you learn about the game, the easy it will become to pick up on these spots and determine how to proceed against various opponents.
It is in this regard that "blockers" also become much more prevalent in Omaha than in Texas hold'em. Blockers are those cards you hold in your hand that prevent an opponent from making a specific hand. For example, if a board reads and you hold the in your hand but no other spades, you may not have a flush, you you know your opponent cannot make the nut flush. This gives you added power in the hand being able to push your opponent off certain hands as he is guaranteed to not contain the nuts.