O8 limit tourneys

Is it possible to win an O8 limit tournament without getting cards and/or hitting flops??


Last night in a limit-betting, O8 tourney (online, but what the hey) I got no premium starting hands whatever, just 5 or 6 playable hands in my whole sit, none of which hit any part of the flop at all. I managed to steal one pot on the flop when 5 players checked to me, but as a rule you have to show down in limit O8.


So I guess my question is, apart from players who have no clue at all, is the result of such a tournament down to who gets the cards and hits the cards?

Hey UK Player,

Yeah, I used to play a LOT of O/8 tourneys online, still do sometimes, and my experience has been just as you suggested: you need the cards. It's a great game if you don't feel 100% confident with your holdem abilities (particularly your ability to win pots with garbage), but if you don't get the cards, unlike holdem, you have no chance, and you can kiss your buy-in and entry fee goodbye.

It's a different story when the board makes it a high-only game, but without the starting hand you're not even going to see the flop, let alone bluff it.

I'd be curious to know what hands you're folding. While it's easy to get dealt a slew of 5567 and J983-esque garbage -- and last night may have been just that -- I might venture that you need to loosen up a tad if you're only seeing 5 or 6 flops in a tournament. There are people out there who think a hand like AKJ4 is completely unplayable in any circumstance.


Seeing more flops usually dictates that you play well postflop, but if your opponents are typical O/8 players, this will be the case by default.

As Luke pointed out, what type of hands do you consider playable? Those AKJ4, especially with the A suited may not be premium, but are more than playable, especially in the early rounds and with position. The key would be to have the disipline to fold those non-nut draws after the flop. If you wait for only "premium" hands in an O/8 tourney, you are not a favorite.


Two quick examples:

A couple of nights ago, I held A23 + either 4, 5 with the A suited or a K double suited at least 7 times - and did not win once:(

Then, last night, I scooped a huge pot playing KJs42d in the cutoff with 8 way action (very loose passive game) when a diamond and low hit on the river - this propelled me to an easy win:)