WCOOB 2024 - Preparation
Yes, that's right, the biggest online poker event of the year is here, the World Championship Of Online Badugi (WCOOB)!
Pokerstars have announced the schedule for this year's greatest tournament series and it looks like this:
My intention, or rather hope, is to play all the events. The $22 low is a given, buying directly into the $109 medium event is just throwing bankroll management out the window, however, as it's such a special event I will make an exception if I can't satellite in. And, given that most of my poker playing currently revolves around playing $4.40 or less badugi tournaments, I should be able to carry on should it all go horribly wrong.
The trouble lies with the two bigger events, the $530 high and the $1050k championship event. I'm not begrudging the existence of these two events but looking at the guarantees and buy-ins, isn't it just going to be the same 40 players in both?
Anyways, I have been trying in vain to win a Power Pass package of tickets but holdem is such a silly game. I have literally went from a 50cent buyin, to a $1.50 ticket, to an $11 ticket to the $109 stage, and 12 places short of the money in the final stage, I lost a flip with TT vs AK, and that was it, back to square one. My second attempt at the final stage didn't go well either, but I might have messed it up. The chaotic level of play at the table meant I had to keep reminding myself it was a $109 buyin because boy were some of the plays... optimistic. And, I don't know, after witnessing chips flying all around for an hour, I submitted to the madness myself. I raised about 2.5x from mid position with 67suited, the button and blinds called. Flop came 452, the blinds checked and with two overs and a straight draw and was obviously going to cbet, but how much? This flop fitted the blinds range better than mine, but I didn't want to bet small and have everyone call, I decided to go big, and then because of my stack size, betting big meant I'd be committed, so thought best course of action is overbet, which should get rid of the button's flatting range, and if the blinds have something strong enough to call, I have outs.
Would it be third time lucky on my next final stage attempt? No. No it would not. My first table was good. I very quickly got a sense of how each player was playing, who to bluff, who was nitty etc and began chipping up quite well until the table broke and I was sad. My next table, I didn't really know what anyone's style of play was and it made it a bit of a struggle. I was moved table again, and had reset again, as the tournament went on my stack dwindled. With around 16bbs, I was cursing myself for folding a pair of fours preflop, UTG had opened and I didn't think I could really afford to set mine so I folded, and then watched not only as the flop brought out a 4 but also as two players got it all in with just one pair. I was getting periously close to the money though, with 42 remaining and top 31 paid, I was hoping to at least gain something from this scrappy tournament, alas, I lost another flip. The cutoff min raised, I called from the big blind with K4 of clubs, the flop came 746 with two clubs, and I check raised all in only to be called by pocket 5s, which held. Maybe next time...
Next time, I once again closed in on the bubble, but instead of losing a flip, I managed to lose as a 76% favourite.
Great. Would have been well above average stack as the bubble loomed but no, once again, out with nothing to show for it. I've played four of these $109 stage Power Path tournaments now, and I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall. If I could just win a flip (or better) I would be swimming in tickets, and yet here I am, with nothing.
Back to square one, I'm going to play the $22 low and the $109 medium tournaments, hopefully I can satellite in at a discount on the assumption there will be satellites on the day. This was not the WCOOB start I was looking for.
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