This year’s Irish Open has put special emphasis on the mixed games offering, and the €350 Big O Championship exemplifies precisely that. It will be the first non-hold’em contest held at the festival. Introduced to the World Series a decade ago, the five-card split pot Omaha game now debuts at the oldest-running European event.
For those who are not familiar with the rules, they stem from PLO8. Players are dealt five cards preflop (instead of four), but the rest stays the same. Qualifying hand consists of two hole cards and three board cards, with the pot split into two halves, high and low. The high half is essentially the best hand and is awarded in every single pot regardless of strength, while the low half only applies when an 8-or-better hand has been made.
With that in mind, players will be trying to earn a “scoop” or three-quarters to nab into their opponent’s stack. Many possibilities and five hole cards to draw to are the ingredients that turn Big O into a very entertaining game for both players and observers.
That said, the Irish Open will have you covered. Follow the action to find out who will become the inaugural Irish Open Big O champ.
Play starts at 2 p.m. local time with a 30,000 starting stack and the initial blinds at 100/200. All levels will be 30 minutes long and registration is open through the first four hours of play. Early casualties may opt to re-enter, a maximum of two bullets is permitted in this tournament.
