17th of 158: My Deep Run in the WSOP Circuit $400 PLO8 at Turning Stone

I just got knocked out of the WSOP Circuit at Turning Stone in 17th place. The game was Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better, and the field had 158 entries. So I outlasted 141 of them before my run came to an end.

If you’ve been thinking about trying a WSOP Circuit event, or you’re curious about PLO8, here’s a quick look at the tournament I played and where things stand for me now.

The event: WSOPC Event #8 at Turning Stone

This was WSOP Circuit Event #8: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better, $50K Guaranteed. It kicked off on Wednesday, October 21, at 4:00 PM.

Here’s how the tournament was set up:

Detail	What it means
Buy-in: $400	The cost to enter
Starting chips: 25,000	Everyone began with the same stack
Clock: 30 minutes	The blinds went up every 30 minutes
Late registration: until the start of Level 9	Players could still join for the first eight levels
Format: Unlimited re-entry	If you busted during late reg, you could buy in again as many times as you wanted
Guarantee: $50,000	The prize pool was promised to be at least $50K

With a low buy-in, a $50K guarantee and unlimited re-entry, it was set up to draw a good-sized field. In the end, 158 of us were in it.

What is PLO8, in plain terms?

PLO8 stands for Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better, sometimes called Omaha Hi-Lo. A few basics if you haven’t played it:

• Four hole cards. You get four cards instead of two, and you must use exactly two of them with three from the board.
• Pot-limit betting. The most you can bet is the current size of the pot, so there’s no shoving all-in out of nowhere like in No-Limit Hold’em.
• The pot can split. Half goes to the best high hand and half to the best low hand.
• “8 or better” for the low. A low hand only counts if it’s five different cards that are 8 or lower. If nobody qualifies, the high hand takes the whole pot.

That split-pot element is what makes PLO8 its own animal. You’re often playing for half the pot, and the big wins come when you take both halves, which players call “scooping.”

How my tournament ended: 17th out of 158

My run ended in 17th place out of 158. That puts me in roughly the top 11% of the field.

Getting down to the last 17 in a field this size takes a lot. With 30-minute levels, the blinds keep climbing, and you have to keep your stack alive through hours of play. In a split-pot game like PLO8, you also have to keep winning your share of pots, not just survive.

It wasn’t the final table, but outlasting more than 140 entries is a result I’m happy to put on the board.

What I’m taking away from it

A few honest thoughts after this one:

• Deep runs are built over hours. Finishing 17th means staying in the game long after late registration closed and most of the field was gone.
• PLO8 rewards patience. Because pots split so often, steady play counts for a lot. One big hand rarely decides everything.
• One result doesn’t define a series. There’s more poker to play at Turning Stone, and I’m heading into it with a solid finish behind me.

What’s next: PLO / NLH tomorrow

I’m not done at Turning Stone yet. Tomorrow I’ll be back at the tables for the PLO / NLH event, mixing Pot-Limit Omaha with No-Limit Hold’em.

Event Link: https://www.wsop.com/tournaments/wsop-circuit-turning-stone/

Conclusion

My WSOP Circuit Turning Stone PLO8 run ended in 17th place out of 158 in the $400 Event #8. It wasn’t the final table, but it was a strong finish in a big field.

If you’ve never tried PLO8, give it a shot. It’s a fun, thoughtful game where you’re always thinking about both halves of the pot. And if you’re at Turning Stone this week, come say hi at the PLO / NLH tables tomorrow. Wish me luck!