Black Belt Blog: Ashby Denied Hattrick in $10K PLO

Last month, Black Belt Poker hosted the 'Slice of the Action' Freeroll in which four Orange Belts earned shares in Richard Ashby's action ranging from $25 to $100 in the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship event. With two final tables already under his Belt, the Orange Belts were right to be confident.

Unfortunately, Richard was unable to make it a hattrick and pad the wallets of his investors as he crashed out on the penultimate level of the day.

Event #42 was possibly the most star-studded yet with a plethora of big names hitting the felt, including fleeting visits from Daniel Negreanu who was deep in Event #40 over in the Amazon Room. Richard's table, however - and with all others littered with 'big stars' - was surprisingly void of any familiar names; only online pro and fellow Brit Gavin 'gavz101' Cochrane offered a friendly face.

Whether this was a positive or not, is unsure (famous Hold'em pros don't necessarily make successful Omaha players), but, nevertheless, Richard got off to a non-catastrophic, if somewhat uneventful start, his only moment of excitement being when he doubled up to 5,000 (players have two 10,000 tokens behind) with As-Ks-8h-2c rivering a flush against Ad-Ac-Jh-4c on an ensuing 7c-6s-2s-Kh-4s board.

At the time, I felt obliged to ask if Richard was feeling the pressure of his virtual rail: "I'm feeling the pressure a little bit of having those guys follow me," he confessed as he open-folded from early position. "I think it might make me play a little more snug if anything."

"Snug" or not, Richard continued to avoid any huge potholes, ultimately grinding his stack up to 35,000, then 45,000, then finally 50,000 (by which point he'd already exchanged both his tokens). It was around this time that he found himself among more star-studded company, and sandwiched between Negreanu and 2005 WSOP Champion Joe Hachem.

With his wife-to-be watching anxiously from the rail, and the break just seconds from commencing, the crucial pot took place: on a board of A-T-8-6, Richard check-raised all in with 7-9-9-T for the flopped open-ended and turned straight and was called by top set and the nut flush draw. The flush came in, and a monstrous 110,000 pot (the average had yet to reach 50,000) went sailing to his foe.

In what was somewhat of a rubdown, Richard had just 700 of his initial 30,000 waiting for him when he returned from the break, and on the first hand, his 450 inevitably went in with his 250 small blind for his final showdown of the day: 9d-5d-7h-7c versus Jd-Qh-6h-8d. Amazingly, he was ahead when the chips went in, but not when the 4h-2d-Qc-9s-Ac board hit the felt.

"I was in pretty good shape if I'd won that one," he commented in the aftermath. "And I was playing pretty well too." Unfortunately, "playing pretty well" isn't always enough in poker, and a frustrated Richard exited stage left and returned to his room at the Bellagio in preparation for the Razz event the following day.

On this occasion, it wasn't to be for Richard, but it was a great opportunity for our Freeroll winners to grab their 'Slice of the Action'. Only last month, four jubilant Orange Belts received in excess of $16,000 courtesy of Sam Razavi who became UKIPT Cork Champion, so it proves it can be done.

Only at Black Belt Poker can we turn nothing into thousands and have it sitting in your account the following day. If you fancy receiving the same treatment, then make sure you get yourself up to Orange Belt and enter our 'Slice of the Action' Freeroll which takes place on the third Wednesday of each month.

In the meantime, be sure to follow the rest of the Vegas 11 in the Rio as they seek to bring bracelet-gold back across the Pond. All the relevant information can be found on our Vegas page (including interviews, articles, and more), as well as coverage from 10 bracelet events, including the $10,000 Main Event.

Schedule/Results page...

WSOP Content:

Vegas 11: Operation Bracelet
Vegas, Baby - Jerome Bradpiece
Vegas: Advice from the Pros
Paint It Black - Part One: Wassup With WSOP?
Cashing In; Where to Play Cash in Vegas - Sam Razavi
Snoopy's Top 10 Las Vegas Tips
For the Love of Ivey
Interview: Ashby Going for Bracelet #2
Richard Ashby Finishes Fourth in Event #11
Cody, Perrins & The UK Upsurge
Vegas 11 - Meet the Team
Chufty Makes Second Final Table
Paint It Black - Part Two: The Wait to Regulate
Meet the Mansion
Interview - Jared Tendler
Two Blue Belts; Two Cashes