Randy James Finishes 5th in Borgata’s $600 O.E. After 115k-to-276k Run

I finished 5th out of 59 entries in the $600 O.E. at the Borgata in Atlantic City. It was my second final table. At the dinner break I had 115,000 chips. By the time the final table started, I had 276,000.

The event was Event #14 at the Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker, which ran during the 2026 Borgata Fall Poker Open. O.E. is a mix of Omaha Hi-Lo and Stud Eight Hi-Lo. Here’s how my run went.

What Is O.E.?

If you mostly play Texas Hold’em, “O.E.” might look strange on the schedule. It’s a two-game rotation:

• O: Omaha Hi-Lo (Omaha 8 or Better). You get four hole cards and must use exactly two of them with three cards from the board.
• E: Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo (Stud 8 or Better). There are no community cards. Each player gets seven cards, some face down and some face up, and makes the best five-card hand.

Both games are split-pot games. The best high hand wins half the pot and the best low hand wins the other half. A low hand only counts if it’s made of five different cards ranked 8 or lower. That’s what “eight or better” means. If nobody has a qualifying low, the best high hand takes the whole pot.

Winning both halves of the pot is called a scoop.

The event was limit betting, so you can’t move all-in whenever you want. Every bet is a fixed size.

The Event at a Glance

• Event: Event #14, $600 O.E. (Limit Omaha Hi-Lo / Stud Hi-Lo)
• Series: Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker, Borgata Fall Poker Open
• Venue: Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City
• Date: Monday, 9 November 2026
• Field: 59 entries
• Prize pool: $29,500 (top 8 paid)
• My finish: 5th place, my second final table

My Run: The Key Moments

Dinner Break: 115k

When we went to dinner, I had 115,000 chips.

In a one-day mixed event, the dinner break is a natural point to take stock. The field has shrunk and the limits are higher than they were in the morning. What I had going into dinner was what I’d have to work with for the rest of the evening.

The Final Table: 276k

When the final table started, I had 276,000 chips. That’s about 2.4 times what I had at dinner.

In a limit game you can’t double up on one all-in the way you can in No-Limit, so that growth came over the evening session.

Finishing in 5th Place

I made the final table, which also meant I’d made the money. Only 8 of the 59 entries got paid. From there I outlasted three more players and finished 5th.

Place	Prize
1st	$10,010
2nd	$6,150
3rd	$4,010
4th	$2,780
5th (me)	$2,060
6th	$1,725
7th	$1,480
8th	$1,285

Payouts are from the official prize ladder.

Looking at the Numbers

• 59 entries, 8 paid. Fewer than 14% of the field cashed, and I was one of them.
• 115k to 276k. My stack grew about 2.4 times between dinner and the final table.
• 5th of 59. I finished ahead of more than 90% of the field.
• Second final table. It wasn’t a one-off. This is the second time I’ve got this deep.

What I Took Away From This Run

Fifth place in the $600 O.E. at the Borgata, from 59 entries. I went from 115k at the dinner break to 276k at the final table, and it’s my second final table.

O.E. switches between Omaha and Stud all day, so getting deep means playing both games well, not just one of them. In limit poker, stacks grow a bet at a time. My jump from 115k to 276k came over the evening session, not from one all-in.

If you’ve only played Hold’em and you’re curious about mixed games, O.E. is a good place to start. Omaha Hi-Lo and Stud Hi-Lo use the same eight-or-better rule, so once you understand split pots in one game, you understand them in the other.

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