Another final table in the 8-game. This time, I finished 5th out of 95 for $12.35. I entered the FT as a hopeless shortstack, but then managed to suck out with KJ against AK during the NL Hold'em section, then got a chop pot with A6 against A8 in the very next hand, and went to double up during the PLO part as well. This was enough to get me to 5th place, but not any farther.
Other 8-game or HORSE players might be familiar with the hilarious situation where you miss the change from Razz to Stud Hi and go all-in with a garbage hand. This time, I actually had the opposite problem once. I folded a perfectly playable hand (A56, with 5 showing) towards the end of the Razz part because I thought Stud Hi had already begun. I was probably thrown off because I was asked to do the Bring-in with my 5, after which I folded to a raise and a call by the players to my left who both had 4 showing, thinking to myself "oh well, too bad this isn't Razz anymore... (fold) ...wait a minute, this is Razz!".
I also played a Badugi tournament at the same time, with no success. Maybe this wasn't the best choice, because it can be difficult to concentrate on both, especially when the format during the 8-game is either completely different (e.g. PLO) or deceptively similar (e.g. 2-7 Triple Draw) to Badugi.
Kansai Riichi cash games
Form: 2nd, 2nd, 3rd
Profit: -$1.07
Not so great results in here so far. I did make a slight profit in the first two games, but the loss in the third one wiped it away again. It is common in these games to end up in a situation where one player is a long way behind the other two, partially because he is forced to take risks to catch up once he falls behind, which often lead to more losses and a bigger gap. In the third game, I was this player. But it is worth it, even necessary, to take these risks. There are plenty of rare, but possible hands in Riichi Mahjong that are pretty much the equivalent to the Golden Snitch from Harry Potter.
Also, I don't think I ever explained how Mahjong cash games even work. This is how it goes, at least for the Japanese/Kansai version, which is the only one that has any traffic anyway:
Each player receives a certain amount of starting points (think of it as their stack) and play continues until either a certain number of rounds is over or until one player loses all of their points. You will then get paid based on your rank. At the moment, for example, I play the $1/2 games. In those, the payout goes like this:
Japanese Riichi
1st $1
2nd $0.50
3rd -$0.50
4rd -$1
Kansai Riichi
1st $1
2nd $0
3rd -$1
This is only half of the prize pool, though. The other half is based on your stack size. Basically, your stack is worth as much as the 1st place payment (or the last place loss). This means that in the $1/2 games, you would lose another $1 dollar if you lost all of your points, win $1 on top of your place finish if you manage to double your points, win an extra $0.50 if you earn half a stack, etc. However, this is also the part where rake comes in, so your cash winnings are not completely equivalent to your points winnings.
In a $1/2 game, the $1 is called the "bet" (value of your stack), and the $2 is called the "max loss" (amount you have to pay in case you finish last and lose all of your points). A player can only join a game if their account has enough money to cover the max loss.
I hope that makes sense to you, but feel free to ask if it didn't.
VS
I used to live near a huge woodland so I know how you feel lol.
with your mahjong and mixed tourney journey, its an interestingly unusual journey to be on! Ill be following as always:s_thumbsup:
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