The Coach’s Game At Resorts World: Part 1

A little over a year ago I completed a sale of my home in New Jersey and made the move to Las Vegas. Living in Sin City has always been a dream of mine, and it seemed as good a time as any to pursue it. When I was younger and took vacations there with friends, I used to joke that I should buy a one-way fare because I was probably returning in cargo, but this was quite different.

My flight was delayed and the trip was tiring, but instead of immediately unpacking. I decided to head over to the Strip to get some food and play some poker. Resorts World is a relatively short walk from my rental condo so I chose to check out the beautiful new $4.3 billion property.

There I checked out Mulberry Street Pizzeria and was greeted by a smell that instantly transported me back to a New Jersey boardwalk. I got several slices extra crispy and was quite content. With my belly full, I could now focus on other things, and decided to check out the poker room. As is the entire resort, the new room is stunning.

I wandered over to the $8-$16 mix and asked if there was an empty seat. An affable older gentleman greeted me with a Kris Kringle like twinkle in his eye, “Sure thing son, there is one empty chair.” New faces are always a welcome sight; particularly in Vegas as the potential is high for them to be in a fun gambling mood.

So, I took my seat next to Donald Shiflett Jr. (aka. Coach), who has successfully been running mixed games in Vegas for over a decade. He’s an outstanding host, works tirelessly to run the game several days a week, and Resorts World is the ideal venue.

Coach’s mix encompasses 17 different variants, including a few I had never even played or frankly even knew existed. The entire list is as follows:

• Limit Five-Card Omaha 8/OB
• Badugi
• Drawmaha High-Dugi
• Stud 8/OB (Three Cards Down)
• Badeucey
• Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball
• Deuce to Seven Drawmaha
• Razzdeucey (Three Cards Down)
• Badacey
• Drawmaha 49
• Archie
• Drawmaha High
• Five Card Double Board Omaha 8/OB Ultimate
• Stud High-Low No Qualifier (Three Cards Down)
• Drawmaha Low-Dugi
• Drawmaha Zero
• Badugi High-Low

That’s quite the lineup, and it takes approximately four hours to get through an entire rotation.

There are six different Drawmaha variants included in the mix; these are all a five-card split pot game between the best Omaha high hand and the best draw (i.e. in your hand) holding. What constitutes the best draw hand depends on the particular game you are playing. In Drawmaha High it is simply the best high hand as in old school Five Card Draw, whereas in 2-7 Drawmaha you want the lowest hand where 2-3-4-5-7 (that isn’t a flush) would be the nuts.

Two Drawmaha games are based on total points in your five card hand; “49” and “Zero.” In both of these, face cards are worth zero while the points for aces through tens are worth 1-10. In Drawmaha 49, the best five card draw hand is 10-10-10-10-9, while in Drawmaha Zero it would be five face cards. It’s very important to realize that in Drawmaha Zero tens are not worth zero; this is a common mistake that many, including myself have made.

In Drawmaha Low-Dugi you want the best low badugi, the nuts being A-2-3-4 with four different suits. If no one has a badugi, then the best three-card badugi will win the draw side.

You also want four different suits in Drawmaha High-Dugi, however, in that game quads, trips, two pair, and pairs are good. The best possible holding for the badugi half is A A A A, not an A-K-Q-J badugi as some might expect. Typically, a single high pair containing four different suits (i.e. K K 10 4 3) will be the best badugi hand at showdown, and should be played as such until the action possibly indicates otherwise.

Five Card Double Board Omaha 8/ob Ultimate can also create some confusion because the pot is split between the best possible low and high on both boards. One aspect that throws some players for a loop is that A-2 won’t always make the nut low as there are two boards in which it can get counterfeited.

For example, if you hold A-2-K-Q-J and the two boards are 6-7-8-J-8 and A-4-6-9-K, you will lose the low side at showdown to someone holding a 5-7 combination. In this case your low is A-2-6-7-8 and they have A-4-5-6-7.

However, out of all the games in the mix, Badugi High-Low is almost certainly the variant that causes the most angst for new players. But it is also a ton of fun, and many players who were initially turned off by it now rate it as one of their favorite in the mix. It is a split-pot game where the best low badugi chops with the best high badugi. The best low badugi is easy to understand as it’s the same as in normal Badugi where the nuts is a rainbow A-2-3-4.

The best high badugi is defined as who has the highest lowest card in their four-card badugi. For example, if you hold J 8 7 5 you have a “jack low” and a “five high.” It’s the extremities that come into play, and when playing with experienced players you call your hand as “jack-five” or “Motown” to be clever.

The J 8 7 5 would scoop someone holding Q 8 5 4 because that player has a queen low and a four high. In order to determine the high, you simply read the hand backwards.

An ace is a great card to have because it plays both high and low, and is thus “invisible.” For example, J 8 7 5 would get scooped by A 8 7 6 because the latter holding is an eight low (8 7 6 A) and a six high (6 7 8 A).

By the way, it’s interesting to note that an A 8 7 6 cannot get scooped heads-up, but could get nothing from a three-way pot. For example, A-8-7-6 would lose both ways in a multi-way showdown against K-Q-10-9 and 7-6-5-3 badugis. This particular aspect of the game makes it quite different from any other form of poker.

It’s what makes Badugi-High Low such an interesting variant, and has a big impact on your outlook and strategy towards the game. In the next few installments we will delve into the fundamentals of some of the more unique games offered in Coach’s Game. ♠

Kevin Haney is a former actuary but left the corporate job to focus on his passions for poker and fitness. The certified personal trainer owned a gym in New Jersey, but has since moved to Las Vegas. He started playing the game back in 2003, and particularly enjoys taking new players interested in mixed games under his wing and quickly making them proficient in all variants. Learn more or just say hello with an email to [email protected].