A Little Omaha-8 Action

12:55 $200 - I'm at the Peppermill on July 4th to play $4/$8 Omaha-8. While I'm waiting for the game to start, I sit down at a $4/$8 Hold'Em table that's just opening. We are starting with a full 9 players.

1:30 $166 - I didn't even play a full orbit before they opened the O-8 table. All I did at the Hold'Em table was pay my Blinds.

The $4/$8 Omaha-8 game uses $2/$2 Blinds, and it's $4 to enter. There is a Half Kill ($6/$12) when there is a Scoop over $60. The Kill plays like a Straddle, as in they act last unless there is a raise, but how often does that ever happen at a $4/$8 Omaha table?

So far, it's a typical Low Limit O-8 table, with a couple of tight players and the rest playing 9-Card Bingo. I'm playing tight, and observing. I played two hands, but missed everything.

2:00 $185 - Very active time for me, but I didn't scoop any good pots.  I raised with A5hQJ but airballed the Flop, except for a Low Draw.  I called on the Flop hoping to pick up a Backdoor Draw, but I didn't.

In SB, I limped AJcK3 in SB. Flop Kd Jh 3d. I bet, but everyone folded. I guess I should have raised preflop. Very next hand, I get A2hA3s (the best starting hand in O-8), and raised. I flopped Nut Low (8 6 2), but got quartered by Nut Flush with A3c.

I also had KJh32. The Board was Js 5h 6h 4d 8h. I only got the Low thanks to another player hitting the Nut Flush on the River.

2:30 $259 - A quiet time, but I did scoop a huge pot with the Nut Straight.

3:00 $256 - Not much happened this time. A saw a few Flops, but airballed most of them. I did raise from Mid with AKhK2. Four players saw the Flop Jh 7d 6h. I bet ($4) with my Flush & Low Draws. Only a Lady calls. Turn [Jh 7d 6h] 7h. I bet ($8), and she called. River [Jh 7d 6h 7h] 6c. I bet ($8). She thinks for a bit, and folded.

3:30 $286 - Won a couple of half pots, and missed many others. Very last hand, I scooped a decent pot with just Two Pair (K9).

4:00 $264 - Once again, not much of anything for me. I seem to be in a rut of Half Pots. I know that O-8 is all about Scooping, but collecting many Half pots seem to be the nature of 9-Card Bingo.

4:30 $273 - I'm the Button with A9sT2. The Flop was checked around. The Turn puts a 2nd Flush Draw (Hearts & Diamonds) and a Low Draw. Everyone was still checking, so I bet ($8), and three players called. The River was Qd. One of the Flushes and Broadway got there, but the Low missed. They are still checking, so I take a stab ($8) at it. One player thought for a bit with 2-Pair, but folded. Naturally, I showed my nothing. Who says you can't bluff in this game?

In a different hand, I folded the 2nd Low (A5) on Turn. I was wrong.

5:00 $243 - In a Kill pot, I raised from UTG+2 with ATs45. I flopped a Broadway Draw, so I checked and called a bet. I missed the Turn, so I folded. I also folded a couple of other hands that would have won.

5:30 $209 - I had a really annoying hand when I flopped Trips, and the other player hit a Backdoor Full House. After that, I went completely card dead. Even the hands that I folded preflop were missing the Board.

There's a new player on my Right who's really getting on my last nerve. He complaining the table is too slow, acting out of turn, and he's God's Gift to Omaha. I'm leaving at 6:00 because I'm getting hungry and annoyed.

6:00 $227 - I hit a Full House with A2 on the Turn (A2X A). Another player had the last Ace, but had an emergency Low of 73, so I just got half the pot.

This was the first time that I've played $4/$8 O-8 since December, even though the game has been running on most days since the Peppermill opened their new room. This is mostly because I thought this game is a waste of my time. But after looking at the numbers in my database, I may be wrong.

In Reno, I've played eight sessions of $4/$8 Omaha-8 (+$345, 5-3, 28 hrs), and five sessions of $1/$2 PLO-8 (+$592, 3-2, 19.25 hrs). These numbers aren't bad, although the sample size is small. Considering how bad the $1/$2 NL and $2/$3 NL games are in Reno, I probably should play Omaha more often.