Mix It Up Real Good returns for 2013! If you want to play risk-free, and if you want to explore poker’s many variants, then come and play! You can also come along if you just fancy a game. If you’re the best player then at the end of the season you will recieve this magnificent glass-effect trophy:
There is only one prize so fight hard. Entry is free for all events, but you must be a member of Bother’s Bar’s poker club to play.
Everyone knows how to play hold ’em, but how will you fare outside of your comfort zone? All games are free to play and will begin at 8pm. Most are played to limits unless an alternative is offered or where noted. The ten events of MIURG this year are:
- Game 1: Omaha Hi/Lo – No limit – 27th Jan
- Game 2: Razz – 10th Feb
- Game 3: Stud (Hi) – 24th Feb
- Game 4: Stud (Hi/Lo) – 10th March
- Game 5: HORSE (double points!) – 24th March
- Game 6: 2-7 Triple Draw – 14th April
- Game 7: Triple Stud – 28th April
- Game 8: 5 Card Draw – No Limit – 12th May
- Game 9: Omaha (Hi) – Pot limit – 26th May
- Game 10: Eight Game Mix (triple points!) – Mixed limit – 9th June
Links have been provided so you can learn the rules, but as most are played to fairly gentle limits you can probably pick them up by playing.
Each game will start at 8pm. Each game will have 10 minute levels except for HORSE and 8 Game Mix which will have five minute levels. Players begin with 1,500 chips except for HORSE (2,000) and 8 Game Mix (3,000).
In the event of a points tie, the higher finish in the Game 10 will win.
Spirit of the League: With no entry fee it’s very easy to register for events, not turn up for them and fold your way into the points. To prevent this, a SofL rule is in place – if you register and don’t turn up, or turn up very late, you will not score points at Brig’s discretion.
Good luck!
Excellent, glad to see the return of MIURG. I’ll be going all-out to get a better position than I did last year, so WATCH OUT!
About how long do you expect games to last?
I’d have about an hour and 15 minutes to play before I’d need to head to work on Sundays.
Games have typically lasted around 90 minutes previously.
Hmm. Maybe I’ll at least try the first game or two and see how it works out. Unless you guys would prefer I don’t play knowing I might have to cut out suddenly before it’s over.
Of course, I might just get eliminated and make it a moot point..
Go for it, more the merrier.
You could use it as an excuse for highly aggressive play…
There is one more rule for this actually which I’ll add in the next few days, the Spirit of the League rule.
If you’ve paid money and then don’t turn up or turn up late, others will benefit financially so that’s your perogative.
In a free game there is no such risk and reward and I don’t see why you should benefit from others being knocked out, also it’s a bit rude. If you register then turn up very late or not at all you will score zero and everyone else will bump up a place. Half an hour late is acceptable. Turning up at the break is frankly pushing it. You are free to fold every hand as long as you’re basically engaging with the game.
I hope it’s not a rule I’ll have to invoke very often but it seemed to work OK last year.
I thought I’d write a crib sheet for you for each event as we play. It is assumed you know hold ’em as a basic starting point:
Omaha Hi/Lo (also known as Omaha Eight):
* Players are dealt four cards and an additional five will the laid on the table.
* Your made hands must consist of PRECISELY two cards from your pocket cards and PRECISELY three cards from the table. Being dealt quad aces actually useless in this game!
* You will try and make two seperate hands from your cards, a HI hand (ranked as in traditional poker) and a LO hand. The hands can use same or different cards. The pot is evenly split between the HI hand and the LO hand.
* A qualifying LO hand is five unpaired cards under 8 (hence 8s or better). Straights and flushes DO NOT count against you in 8s or better, hence the best LO hand you can make is A2345 – Aces count high and low. When comparing LO hands, the winning hand is the one with the lowest high cards (so 34567 beats 23458 – look at it logically, the second hand would win in a HI comparison, so it makes sense it would lose in a LO one).
* Because of the 2-from-your-hand, 3-from-the-board requirement, there MUST be at least three cards eight or lower on the board to form a LO hand. If there is no qualifying LO hand, the entire pot is given to the HI hand.
* Because you are effectively selecting five from nine in creating HI hands, winning hands tend to average a higher rank than in Hold ’em. Top pair top kicker unlikely to be good enough here!
* Betting and structure are the same as hold ’em.
OK, I hope you found that useful.
OK, for Game two here is a crib sheet for…
RAZZ
* Razz is basically seven card stud lo. It is played to set betting limits (each bet is a standard amount, this increases as the game progresses).
* The aim is to have the LOWEST five card hand. Straights and flushes DO NOT count against you, so the best hand you can have is A2345. When comparing hands, the lowest high card in the comparison will win (so 34567 beats 23458 – look at it logically, the second hand would win in a HI comparison, so it makes sense it would lose in a LO one). There is no basic qualification rule like in 8s or better, the lowest hand will win regardless of what is in it. Aces are always low in Razz.
* In each hand everybody puts in an ante to seed the pot. They are dealt two cards face down and one card face up. Only you can see your down cards, your up cards are visible to everybody. The player showing the highest upcard (ties broken by suit – the only place suit has baring in the game) is forced to make the opening bet. They have the choice of making it a standard bring-in (normally set at about 25% of a standard bet but it varies with game) or make a full-sized bet.
* There is a round of betting. The structure will suggest the value of a Standard Bet and a Big Bet (for example if the level is 50/100, every Standard Bet and raise will be exactly 50 and are usually capped at three raises unless heads-up).
* Everyone still in is dealt a fourth card face up. Betting rounds will now begin with the player with the best i.e. lowest exposed hand.
* Another upcard dealt and another betting round but from now on the amounts are Big Bets – the higher number in the structure.
* A sixth card is dealt face up. Betting.
* The final card is dealt face down. A final round of betting and a showdown. Lowest five cards hand wins.
I’ll probably be there, although I’m leery of playing limit when I know my time is.. limited….
I love razz too much to pass it up, though.
I’m sorry to have missed Razz, I was in London watching a TV show that went on a bit.
I note that MIURG games are taking in the region of 2.5 hrs. If people are happy with that then that’s great, but if enough people think that’s too long I can give slightly more chips but speed up the blinds. I wish there was an 8 minute level option, but the next quickest is five minutes.
OK, Game three, here’s the crib sheet for STUD HI:
Stud (Hi)
* The aim is to have the highest five card hand, made out of the seven cards you have in front of you. Traditional poker hand rankings apply.
* In each hand everybody puts in an ante to seed the pot. They are dealt two cards face down and one card face up. Only you can see your down cards, your up cards are visible to everybody. The player showing the lowest upcard (ties broken by suit – the only place suit has baring in the game) is forced to make the opening bet. They have the choice of making it a standard bring-in (normally set at about 25% of a standard bet but it varies with game) or make a full-sized bet.
* There is a round of betting. The structure will suggest the value of a Standard Bet and a Big Bet (for example if the level is 50/100, every Standard Bet and raise will be exactly 50 and are usually capped at three raises unless heads-up).
* Everyone still in is dealt a fourth card face up. Betting rounds will now begin with the player with the best exposed hand. IF that hand is a pair they are permitted to make a double-sized bet to open.
* Another upcard dealt and another betting round but from now on the amounts are Big Bets – the higher number in the structure.
* A sixth card is dealt face up. Betting.
* The final card is dealt face down. A final round of betting and a showdown. Highest five cards hand wins.
A heads up for Americans who play our free games – your clocks went forward last night but ours do not for another fortnight. If you’re joining us, make sure you do so at the right time!
I just went to register and discovered this fact. Alas, I won’t be able to participate this week.
Congrats to series winner Simon Fox! A MIURG trophy to add to last year’s BSOP one. Almost an upset, but I think the right person won.
Thanks very much to EVERYBODY who came along and took part!