The Jack Binion Tournament

"Where will the pot-limit Omaha capital of America be at the start of the third millennium?" If I had been asked that question back in 1983, when my favorite game first hit Vegas, my answer – and everyone else's – would not have matched today's reality. No one could have guessed back then that some low-lying farmland in Northwest Mississippi, near a country town named Tunica (which was not much more than a place where two roads intersected), would be the correct answer to the question. What crystal ball back then could have revealed the modern presence of 11 gleaming high-rise casinos out among the cotton plants and mud flats? Who could have guessed that Jack Binion, the famous Vegas casino owner and poker promoter, would be making a 31-floor hotel there the site of the best pot-limit Omaha action on the planet in the year 2001?

This year, the second one for the Jack Binion World Poker Open, saw fantastic action from March 23 to April 12. I was there for nearly all of it, since pot-limit Omaha is my favorite form of poker. Here is my report:

When inquiring about poker action, the first question asked is, "What games are spread?" Poker in Tunica has a character all its own. Of course, there is hold'em, both limit and pot-limit. For limit play, there was $20-$40, $30-$60, and $50-$100 most of the time. The two most common blind structures for pot-limit hold'em were $5-$5-$10 and $25-$50. The pot-limit Omaha games mentioned earlier had blinds of $5-$10, $10-$25, $25-$50, and $50-$100. One player reportedly won $500,000 for the trip in the $50-$100 blind game, which played even higher than it sounds. There was also some Omaha high-low split played, at limits of $20-$40, $50-$100, and much higher. Then, there is that Mississippi favorite, triple-draw lowball, which can be played either pot-limit or limit. A frequent triple-draw game that was spread was $75-$150 limit.

If you are a stud player, I recommend that you stick to places like Foxwoods or the Taj. In Mississippi, stud has something to do with a breeding male farm animal. I did not see any stud high, split, or razz games. Southern poker players don't like opponents to see any of their cards. Some other names for things also might not be what you are used to. One fellow from Tennessee, Jeff Smith, told me laughingly that if you mentioned L.A. down there, they might think that you were talking about Lower Alabama.

The trip was a bad one for me financially, even though I liked everything else about the tournament. I couldn't even take top set and beat two pair with it. Don't attribute that to Omaha (as opposed to hold'em). I had 10-10, saw a flop of 10-6-5, with the 5 being a heart, and was up against the 10 6. (The other two cards in our hands did not matter.) You can guess the disgusting rest.

Attendance this year was up about 20 percent over last year, according to the tournament's supervisor, Kenny Lambert. Also, there were more foreign players this year. In particular, I saw quite a few Irish players, all of whom were tough opponents and not lacking in a bit of Irish humor. For example, a fellow from Kentucky who put a lot of action into our Omaha game said, "I have to go home tonight, but I'll be back on Saturday." One of the Irish lads replied, "What time?" I think the Irish enjoyed visiting Mississippi. One of them confided to me, "Even the a———- are a bit nicer down here." High praise, indeed.

Some of the Southerners also indulge in picturesque speech. In Vegas, you might hear, "That guy doesn't have a lot of gamble to him." What I heard in Tunica was, "That guy's afraid to bet two German shepherds could whip a three-legged Chihuahua." Here's another one: Roger from Houston told me, "It's unlucky to be superstitious."

When you think of Southern hospitality, good food naturally comes to mind. There was an upstairs buffet for the poker players that was open from 9 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. At breakfast, the cook fixed you up with eggs or waffles to order. The thing I liked the most – besides getting a freebie – was not having to wait in line. The longest I ever had to wait for the buffet was one minute. They had everything from black-eyed peas to quiche. If you got hungry anytime the poker buffet wasn't open, you could eat in the downstairs buffet. You know that when you go to a Jack Binion poker tournament, you are going to be treated very well.

I have a good bit of news for most of you. Kenny Lambert told me that all of the tournament events next year will be nonsmoking. There is a possibility that the whole tournament will be nonsmoking. That would take away the only possible objection that I can think of regarding the way things are done in Tunica.

I have to tell you about a fairly humorous incident regarding tobacco use that happened to me on this trip. An elevator door to the guest rooms opened for me to get on, and a young fellow exited who was puffing away on a cigarette. I said to him curtly, "You're not supposed to be smoking on an elevator." The fellow replied, "I'm real sorry. I'm from Chicago; this is my first time here." Nothing about the way he said it made me think he was kidding, either. Is Chicago a hick town compared to Tunica?

Those of you who read my column regularly know how I hate the hold'em rule that states the dealer should not burn a card when dealing from a deck that has been reshuffled. My opinion is that anytime the dealer puts out a boardcard, he should burn first, whether the deck has been shuffled or reshuffled. One night there was an incident at the table when the dealer dealt the final card too early, before everyone had acted. Of course, a ruling was called for, and the card had to come back. Unfortunately, the dealer was told to reshuffle the deck before the betting was ordered to be completed. We were betting on our hands with the boardcard to come sitting on top of the deck! Of course, the betting should have been completed before the deck was reshuffled. I have not encountered this type of mistake before, but it is one more reason to burn a card before dealing in all situations.

I know that you want to read about at least one poker hand before we conclude. Here is a problem that a friend of mine faced while playing pot-limit Omaha. He held A A K 7, had raised the pot on the button, and was called in five places. (I told you there was great Omaha action in Tunica.) The flop was J 9 6, so he had two aces with the nut-flush draw, the draw being marred by the fact that he had three clubs in his hand instead of just two. There was about $500 in the pot, and he had about $1,400 left at this point. Two players checked, the third person bet $500, and the fellow on his right called. What should he do? I thought this was a tough problem. (They usually are when a good player gives you a hand for an opinion.)

An all-in raise, a call, and a fold are all in the realm of consideration. I think the bettor probably has two pair or a set, but one cannot be sure about these things. The caller evidently has a big straight draw of some kind, with possibly a flush draw or pair to go with it. I told my friend that I thought a call was the worst of the three choices. There is something to be gained by running the caller out of the pot, if possible, because then maybe you can win without making a big hand. I was ambivalent at the time about whether to raise all in or fold. (I now favor the fold.) He then told me that he had moved in and spiked an ace, and that his three aces had held up and won. Who can argue with success?

Editor's note: Bob Ciaffone is available for poker lessons. He may be reached at (989)792-0884, or by E-mail at [email protected]. His website is www.diamondcs.net/~thecoach. His books Pot-limit and No-limit Poker, Improve Your Poker, and Omaha Hold'em Poker, Millennium Edition are available through Card Player.