JJ Masterclass Comes Again
The Festival is really excited to announce the continuing partnership with JJ ‘LuckyJJ’ Hazan. JJ will be offering a PLO Masterclass from 9 am - 11.30 am on Wednesday 15th February at The Crowne Plaza Hotel prior to our PLO Tournaments(see below).
The class is aimed at newbies and intermediate Omaha players and the style is collaborative, inclusive and practical. Participants will face different situations and play their hand as well as thy can. The Group will then analyse each hand and each player’s choices. This process means that everyone learns from each other and maximises the learning process. We will also look at the 4/5/6 variant, HiLo and some advanced strategies in the last 30 minutes of the session.
PLO isn’t just NLHE with 2 extra cards! It is often a drawing game and the basic rules are you MUST use 2 cards from your own hand and 3 cards from the Board, unlike NLHE, where you could use just one of your cards. The other key difference is that the maximum bet or raise at any one time is the value of the Pot. So, bettings amounts and raises play a key role in exacting value or pushing someone off a draw, when you have the Nuts. 4/5/6 card PLO is the same game, except you play a level with 4 cards, then 5 and then 6 and back to 4. In this game, it’s all about understanding your range at each level. For example, a set on the flop in 4 card PLO is often a winning hand, depending on the flop but in 6 card PLO, there will be other players with nut straight and/or flush draws who may not want to fold.
JJ has amassed more than $750k in Live Tournament winnings and has more than 5 PLO Trophies to his name, including 4,5,6 and HiLo. He may well be heard commentating on the late night streamed PLO Cash tables over the week. He has been a strong supporter of The Festival and hasn’t missed a day so far! Last year, he won the PokerListings Championship NLHE side event in Bratislava but will be playing the PokerListings/PLO/HiLo & 8-Game as well the Main Event this year. Recent results include 3rd in the Kings of Tallin HORSE, 3rd in the London EPT PLO & 4th in the London EPT 8-Game. He also won the Irish Open Seniors Trophy in 2019, beating up 150 other ole guys, including John Duthie, Dara O’Kearney, Andy Black and Joe Beevers of Hendon Mob fame.
JJ comments : "The Festival is the only Week outside of the WSOP in Vegas that offers such a fantastic range of Mixed Poker games. It is an absolute priority to make sure I can attend this amazing week. Plus it’s loads of fun and I enjoy the mix of European players from many different countries. In the UK, we are lucky to have just 1 PLO tournament in a Festival week. Here, I can play 4 as well as other mixed events. Poker Heaven! I’d also like to add that I have played at DTD for many years and know they will run a fantastic week for everyone. Good dealers, TD’s & lovely waiting staff make for a great atmosphere. The Food is also good and great value. You might also want to try some of the excellent beers and lagers from their well stocked bar. See you there!’
A small trial session was held in Tallin and one participant, Olivia Lindquist, finished an impressive 4/197 in her very first PLO Tournament, which was fabulous. She stated ‘The session gave me a much better understanding of Omaha and developed me as a player in only 2 hours! I didn’t know how much you can actually learn in such a short time, I really didn’t! I learned how I should play in different situations and applied that learning in my first ever PLO Tournament that very night.’ Last October’s session in Bratislava also saw Finland’s Anne Bezdek finish 5th in her first ever PLO Tournament after just one coaching session.
The PLO events are as follows:
Wednesday 15th Feb @ 8 pm: Round of Each (NLHE/PLO) £200 + £30
Thursday 16th Feb @ 8 pm: 4/5/6 PLO: £100 + £20
Friday 17th Feb @ 8 pm: PLO Freezeout: £200 + £30
Saturday 18th Feb @ 7pm: PLO/HiLo: £200 + £30
The cost will be only £50 pp for the 2.5 hr session and is payable in cash to JJ, prior to the session. The places are limited and will be on a first come, first served basis. Please email [email protected] to book your place. Alternatively, you can send us a pm on Facebook.
As an amazing bonus, The Festival is also offering ALL participants their Tournament Fee back for any one PLO Tournament. So, if you attend the Masterclass on 15th February and then play the Round of Each (NLHE/PLO) at 8 pm, JJ will give you back the £30 Fee (on the production of proof!), which means the class has only cost £20! We are just so nice.
