3 Hours of Pain, 15 Minutes of Fame

The title sums up my night perfectly. The wife and I went over to the local cardroom to play last night. Neither of us wanted to play in the tourneys last night as they were a little pricey but they were running a special where the top 3 hands each hour on the holdem tables get a bonus, $500 for the best, $250 for 2nd and $100 for 3rd. Plus one person at the same table gets a 20% bonus of what the winner got. It would be nice to hit something like that but when I play limit holdem I'm lucky to hit a set or a flush, nevermind quads which is what usually is needed to win. So I play Omaha Hi/Lo if there is a table going. When we got to the room, there was a line for Omaha so I signed up for it and took a seat at a $2 limit table while I waited. The wife did as well. I didn't have to wait too long for the Omaha table to open so I transferred over there down about $10. No luck on the holdem table for me.

Omaha is where the pain came in. I was drawing crappy cards for the most part and when I would get good cards, the flops were killing me. Early on I hit a Broadway straight (A to 10) on the turn and bet that with a few callers. River put a third spade on the board and I checked then folded to someone else who had the nut flush. That's the way Omaha goes oftentimes and if you don't have the nuts or very close to it, you are gonna lose. It just goes downhill from there though. I can't make anything stand up the few times I do play a hand. Get quartered on the low side a couple of times which costs me more than I make. Otherwise, just not hitting. Calling a few hands preflop and folding post flop or turn when I figure I can't win. And everytime I'm suited big I cannot make a flush, in fact my suit doesn't even flop. A couple of times I had good hands and was double suited and the flop was all in the other 2 suits and of course didn't hit my hand either. I did manage to get half one hand when my aces made a boat on the river. That made me a few bucks but otherwise I was just in a losing proposition.

What made this even worse is soon I am sitting between the 2 biggest fish at the table. One lady to my left is giving away chips to everybody. Except me of course as I can't hit a hand. The guy to my right is almost as bad and keeps raising preflop on marginal hands at best. This hurts me as the only good hands I get I'm having to call anywhere from 1 to 3 raises preflop just to see the flop miss me completely. One hand I have A245 and the flop is KQ9. Had to call 3 raises to see that crap. Another hand I had AKQQ with the AQ of clubs. Everyone stayed in the hand for 1 raise so I figure almost all of them have a low draw which means I should see high cards. Flop is J65 of diamonds. I'm toast. This is getting frustrating as hell. I do get a little luck once. I have AA76 with the A67 of clubs. Not a great hand but I'm in the big blind and no one raises. Flop is AQ4 with one club. I got top set and a back door flush draw but will probably have a split pot if I can win anything. I bet and a guy to my left raises. A couple of people call and I reraise. By now I'm getting short as I haven't won anything in an hour and a half or so. Everyone then calls. Turn is a crappy 5 and not a club so now there is a low and also anyone with 2-3 has the nut low and the nut straight. I do have a draw to a higher straight with my 6-7 and top set so I have a shot at the top end of this but I'm not happy. I check, guy to my left bets and 3 call including me. Turn is the 5 of hearts which completes a flush on the board but gives me my boat. I bet, guy to my left raises, guy to my right calls and I call all in. Guy to my left shows 2-3 for the nut low, I have the high with my full house and the guy to my right is shocked that the guy to my left had a low and folds his cards. He had something like 3-6 for the low.

That kept me going for a while longer but it's getting a bit late and still I'm not catching. Lady to my left buys back in for another hundred and in half an hour she is down to about 30. None of it came to me of course. Then the guy to my right goes broke and buys in for another hundred. Chips are leaving the table as a couple of people leave and I'm struggling to stay above water. Finally I get down to about $8. Call preflop for $3 with A247 with the A7 suited. Flop a low draw and straight draw. I bet $3, lady to my left goes all in for $5, two guys call and I put in my last 2 bucks. I'm about ready to leave but my luck finally changes. My low comes in though my straight does not and I am not quartered and get half the pot. Lady to my left is out, she won't rebuy again and this hand is the first time I got some chips from her. 2 hands later I get confirmation my luck has changed. I get into a hand with A249 with A2 suited. Flop is 569 with one spade. I bet, one guy raises and 3 of us call. Turn is a 4 which makes my nut low. Guy to my right bets (on what I wonder), I push all in and 2 guys call. I'm hoping for another 9 on the river for the boat but am denied. It is a 4 however which gives me a lower boat. Guy to my right bets and is called. He turns over a pair of 7s for 7s and 4s for the high and the other guy has A2 for the low and they split the side pot. I get 3/4 of the main pot with A2 to split the low and 4s full to take the high. Sweet. Finally making some cash, I'm only down about 60 for the day.

Get a text from the wife asking if I'm ready to leave as she is getting tired. She is up about $80 from where she started, of which $50 is from being in the right seat when a lady got the 2nd best hand for one hour. At this point I will be happy going home with some cash after being down to the felt. But while I wait for her to get to my table, I win 2 more half pots. Nothing special but decent none the less. By the time I get up I'm only down about 25 for the day and fairly satisfied with that. My table was breaking anyway since another guy left so I got up and cashed out. We will be going back again today to play a tourney. I'll let you know how that goes. Till then stay lucky you nuts