EPT11 Grand Final - Winning With Second Best Hand

13:50
06 May

In the myriad of all the different events with medium, high and super high buy-ins happening in Monte Carlo around this time, it is super easy for a small €100 tournament with €50 rebuys to go unnoticed. However, due to its interesting and highly unusual format, this event deserves a special mention, if for no other reason than to break away from the everyday routine.

To spice the things, PokerStars and Monte-Carlo EPT Grand Final organizers decided to throw this unusual event into the mix and see what they end up with. The rules are quite simple; it is the standard No Limit Hold'em, with just one exception: the second best hand at the showdown gets awarded the pot.

The event did not have a too big turnout, which is somewhat surprising, considering it sounds like a lot of fun and the buy-in shouldn't represent an obstacle for the EPT high rollers. Perhaps it was a somewhat late start that deterred some players from participating, but still there were a few full tables of those willing to experiment and put their poker brains to the test.

As expected, there were some really funny situations during the play, like open folding Aces and Kings and giving up flopped sets, but the real mayhem would ensue in the multi-way pots. The reason is that the pot is awarded to the exactly the second best hand, not the worst hand of the lot, so there are actually some serious calculations if you want to do it right. Of course, you can always just gamble it up and hope for the best (worst?).

Heads-up is easy, though -- there you're just thinking of hand values and reversing them. Jennifer Shahade, PokerStars Blog;
Jennifer Shahade, a chess master and the winner of the first-ever OFC Poker World Championship High Roller Event, was one of those who took the bait. She found the play very interesting from a game theory standpoint, although she admitted that she hasn't figured much past that, at least in terms of multi-way action.
In the end, four players finished in the money, with the final second best hand taking this funny title. Certainly an interesting concept and the one that would be super cool to watch if it gained some momentum.
Who knows, we might see some more of the "Second Best Hand" events in the future, with more players and bigger prize pools.
Photo: Tomas Stacha, PokerStars Blog

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