I got there and got on all of the lists (2/4, 4/8, Omaha, 1/2 NL). Got on the 1/2 game first. The game looked alright as far as people, but there wasn't much money on the table. A lot of people with 100 bucks or less. So I was definitely ready to get over to the Omaha game as soon as possible.
Luckily enough though, I was able to do pretty well at the 1/2 game. I played a bunch of hands, some were pretty fun. I made a flush with 10-7 suited against pocket kings and got a $60 bet out of him on the river when he made a set (but with a 1 card straight out there... just needed a 10). I raised with J-J and flopped a set on a J-5-6 board with 2 diamonds, and got 40 on the turn when I got min check-raised from 20 to 40. I reraised to 120 total and he folded.
Couple fun bluff-related hands though. I had 9-8s and called a raise from early position from an older black guy that was playing pretty tight. Maybe 5 people saw the flop. The flop was K-10-x with one of my suit. He bet $5. I just called, figuring whatever... maybe I can take this later or turn a flush or straight draw, etc. So a few people call. The turn is a total blank and everyone checks. On the river, he bets out $5 again. I grab some chips and he's like "Don't raise if you don't mean it!", LMAO, and I made it $25. Folds to him, he sits there and thinks and thinks, says he knows I'm bluffing, etc. I mean, it did look pretty obvious that I was bluffing, but whatever. So eventually he folds and I immediately show the bluff. Haha.
Then later I raise in early position with A-Ks. I get one caller, this guy that I was just crushing all day. Literally every big pot I won was off of this guy. Flop comes J-6-7. I check, he checks. Turn, 8. I check, he bets 10. I didn't feel that he was super confident or anything, and it seemed like a good spot to bluff, so I figured I'd peel one more. River, 10. So now there is a 1 card straight on board. I check, he bets 20. Again I wasn't sensing confidence from him. Also, the board was super scary. In the past that would make me lean towards folding. However, after listening to some recent podcasts I was able to think about it in a different way. Would this guy bet middle pair or even a jack here? Probably not, because he's scared of the 4 card straight. So it's pretty likely that he either has the straight or nothing. And if he has nothing, A-K could definitely be good. He probably wouldn't bet with something like bottom pair either because it has some showdown value so these people wouldn't be smart enough to turn that into a bluff. So I call. He just sits there. He says, I have queen high. I say, REALLY?!?!?! And joyfully flip up the AK. :-) He had Q-5. That felt awesome.
Some other pretty funny hands too. I had Q-9 suited and called a raise with it in position. Flop came A-10-x with 1 of my suit. The raiser bets 5 (less than the preflop raise). I call, thinking maybe I can turn a flush draw or take it away from this guy later. 3 people see the turn. I turn a flush draw. He bets out 15. I call. Guy behind min-raises to 30. He calls, I call. Haha. River, the sweet 5 of hearts giving me the flush. The one guy only had like 22 bucks and he goes all-in. The preflop raiser was thinking about it for a while and folded, and I of course call with the flush and win.
The funny part about that one was that the black guy across the table could NOT believe what just happened. He was just like, you called a bet on the flop with that? You had no pair, if he had the ace you were beat, what were you thinking?!?!?! It just shocked him to the core. Haha. Granted, maybe it wasn't the best play and I did it thinking I might be able to steal the pot later. But it's pretty funny to see the guy go crazy seeing that. He was like, if you keep playing that way this game is going to turn! Haha. Awesome.
So I wound up winning $211 at the NL game. It started to slow down some and I put my name back on the Omaha list. I went and played there for about an hour and a half, and literally didn't win one hand. It was frustrating.
Omaha definitely wasn't as fun as I remember it. It was an exercise in patience. There were a ton of people on each flop. Each pot was like 7 people to the flop, 9 people... it was insane. And people were winning with garbage hands. I played pretty damn tight. I did some stupid things in the pots I was involved in though, like raising to isolate people when I really didn't have that great of a hand. Like top two pair with no draws. Probably could just fold and play a different hand.
I literally didn't win one pot outright. I had Q-10-10-9 and turned a straight, that held up but I had to chop it. The only other hand I flopped was when I flopped top set on a K-6-4 board with 2 clubs. My hand was pretty sick in that one, I had A-K-K-5 double suited. But of course the flush came on the turn and I didn't improve to a boat on the river.
I think I used to enjoy Omaha more because I played SO tight at NL holdem. I would play super super tight and since I was obviously playing tight, I wouldn't get the action I wanted all the time when I did get a big hand. Playing Omaha that way was fun because even if you play super tight, the hands you do play are like 7 way action to the flop and you're getting paid no matter what. Now that I'm playing way looser in NL holdem, that game is a lot more fun to me overall.
I think it's still a good idea to try out that Omaha game from time to time. Especially when I can put in some long hours and just grind it out hardcore. Actually if they allow iPads at the table, that would be a perfect spot to bring my iPad and do other stuff while I sit there and nut peddle. I should check on that. :-) Since I'm playing so much looser at NL holdem, it would do me some good to play in a game where I have to play super super tight, just to give me some practice at the discipline needed to fold for hours on end. It really is brutal and it's SO tempting to play more hands, especially when you see the shit hands that are raking in $100+ pots every other hand. I mean it doesn't matter, K-Q-7-5 single suited, J-7-3-3, people just don't give a fuck. X-X-X-X is absolutely a playable hand to pretty much all of these guys. It's torture playing tight while people are racking up $300+ profits in the matter of one or two orbits. Of course, maybe I'm not playing right either and I'm playing way too tight, but so many hands are garbage. I don't think I was playing too tight overall, and I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable calling with 10 high flush draws and whatnot like these idiots were doing all night.
I ended up losing $98 playing Omaha, so overall I won $113. Not a bad night. I'm not playing tonight, but definitely Friday and on the weekend. :-)
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