Riverside $2-6 Spread Limit O8

A lot of you know that when I was recovering from chemo I had a hard time playing poker. I was never very good as it was, but my biggest strengths were rendered pretty much null and void.

In Omaha, I've never had to look back at my cards. I memorize them first time through, and then watch the players on the flop and after, instead of constantly sneaking peeks.

I also like to fish and trap a lot, a holdover from my spread limit Stud days while learning poker. I like to put in lots of bets and raises late in the hand, not early.

Well, chemo kind of killed that, too, because half of the time I couldn't read my hand. The suits and ranks sometimes just blurred together and I wasn't sure where I was.

Finally I am recovering some of my poker skills, small as they may be ;)

I have also loosened up considerably, and make plays now that I formerly didn't consider due to my lack of ability to read boards and take advantage of good situations.

While this is mostly just an update on me and my play, I do have a funny hand to talk about.

For three years I've been playing O8 at Riverside in Laughlin. Anyone who has been here knows it's still a pretty shady place and virtually anything goes. The dealers have to pay to work there, and hustle tips. If you don't want to tip, well, you just won't get dealt in. There are many other stories on my journal about Riverside. Suffice it to say, I could probably write a pretty interesting book about the past three years, and how the "modern" mob is still alive and kicking in Laughlin.

So anyway, the player in the O8 game are very, very loose. If I'm in a pot, it's 10:10. If I'm not, it's 9:10. Yes, every hand. It's typically passive, so not many players are worried about the pot being raised up to the full bet ($2+6=8 in 2-6 spread limit). Only if certain players are in the game will the pre-flop limping reduce to less than 100%.

I have learned not to bluff or try to steal pots in this game. Ditto raising and reraising nut low hands. They overvalue low hands to the point of almost ridiculousness.

Yesterday, however, the game was typically loose and passive pre-flop, yet was being bet regularly with nut high hands post-flop.

So I have this hand on the button: A23To

The flop comes down with a ten, two spades and two non-counterfeited low cards for me. I decide that no one has the nut flush draw since it isn't bet.

The turn completes the flush in spades with the 2s. Now I have the nut low, with two pair. I decide to bet my two pair (tens were still high pair) and nut low, figuring anyone sticking around with A2 was just killed for low. Since it was passed to me, I want to represent the nut flush and take it away from the non-nut flushes. I absolutely know that no one has the nut flush because it was passed to me twice on the button.

I got four callers, lol. So much for that!

On the river, I made one last stab, knowing that even if I was quartered, I'd still get my money back.

Not only was there another A3, but there were two flushes! One was an eight high, the other a jack. So much for representation!

No, I didn't know either of these guys, and they didn't know me, which is probably the only reason why this play didn't work. A couple of guys I've played hundreds of hours with at this table were chatting, "Now you know his non-nut flush is no good. She's not betting anything else, she's a rock!"

Boy, were they suprised when I turned up my two pair with the bare nut low!

Suddenly the whole table erupted. "What was she doing? What was she thinking?"

Although my play backfired this time, it was still a good play that I haven't been able to make for over a year, and would have worked with the regulars in the game, to give me 3/4th of the pot.

I still made over $100 in two hours, which is not abnormal for me at this game. I have my brain again. Thank God!

Felicia :)