Omaha is my friend, and then it's not.
Hi everyone,
I arrived 4.5 hours late to LV thanks to Northworst airlines sending out my connection with 9 of us that got in late due to what the pilot called paperwork issues. I sprinted to my gate to see the plane being pushed back. Not good times. But I get to the IP about 1:00 AM and win about $25.00 in 1-2.
Saturday I went to Venetian to play some 4-8 Omaha 8. I get some good cards and scoop enough times to leave up a little over $200.00. Tight pre-flop hand selection was key after that the hands play themselves. No memorable hands just betting out my winners. Saturday night I play 1-2 NL at IP again hoping to find the supersoft games I hear about but the players were better than I thought. I lose about $90.
Sunday I go back to the V for more 4-8 O8. Here's where it gets fun. In a 1/2 kill hand I have KsJsJxxx and I am in last position on the flop. Flop is J48 2 clubs and a spade. There are I think 6 of us in the unraised pot. There's a bet and all calls. The Turn brings a 2s. Bet raise fold fold call call raise raise call call cap call call call. I may have the order a little wrong but 4 of use each had $60 in from the turn bets alone. I am praying that my set of Jacks holds up to the the river but I really want the board to pair. The river is a 9d. I have a straight to sweat out but I think I am good unless someone has A3TQ. Bet raise call and me all in for $23 Call. My high was good and they all 1/6'ed the low. I pulled back $217 pre-tip for the high half. It was crazy! I have never seen a 4/8 limit pot get that big. I left up about $100. From there I went to the mixed game at the IP. I opened it at 7 and closed it at 6:30. I lost about $350.00. It was still fun and I couldn't draw anything. I had a 6 high Badugi and a 76432 for my baduci hand and was scooped by the nut 2-7 and a 5 high badugi. That hand cost over $50 by itself.
Monday was more of the same daytime O8 at the V adn nighttime 1-2 at IP. I lost both ways when none of my up and down straight draws could ever get home in O8. In 1-2 the only notable hand I had 44. 6 limpers ot the flop of A48. The small blind bet he had about $100 behind and I had in covered. I call. Turn is another A to fill me. He bets I call. River is a blank. I put him all in. He rolls A4 for a better full house. I would have considered a raise pre flop but the button in this hand liked to re-raise and I didn't want to risk stacking off on the coin flip.
I think going back and forth from O8 to 1-2 was starting to mess me up. I felt like my 1-2 play became very weak and I started to chase draws like it was limit.
Overall it was a lot of fun even though I lost for the trip. I think next time I'll only play O8 and leave 1-2 to other people. I'll play the mixer again though.
Not sure if we were there at the same time, but I was in the 5 seat on O8B Saturday night from about 9PM-3AM. You might recognize me as the guy who got his ass handed to him by a bunch of donkeys. The guy in the 4 seat was coked-up and playing any 4 cards, sometimes blind. The 7 and 8 seat were quasi-maniacs. The 6 seat to my right was a nice college girl, though seemingly inexperienced at O8B. Most pots were 2 or 3 bet pre-flop, with 6-7 callers. Needless to say, almost every pot was huge. It was the kind of game where you just need to sit there and be patient... because even when the rock bets out (that would be me), there was tons of action. I got off to a good start, maybe +$50 at one point, but I got a serious case of cold cards and folded a lot pre- and post-flop. Every time I tried to limp in with a marginal hand, one or both of the maniacs to my left would raise... didn't matter if they were in the blinds. Post flop, it was very expensive to chase to anything but the nuts. I was just waiting for a monster, and I knew I'd get paid huge.
Probably around 2AM, I was hanging around my buy-in when I was dealt QQJJ double suited in the BB, and it was a kill pot ($6/12). Pretty much everyone called, giving me odds to see the flop with about anything. I tried not to fall off my chair when the flop came KQ4 rainbow. I knew if I bet out, I'd get all kind of action from anything from Ace high down to a weak low draw. I figured by the time it got back down to me, everyone would forget that I bet out on the flop. Sure enough, I bet and got raised by one of the maniacs. A couple more cold called 2 bets. When it got to the button, a quiet older woman who I read as an experienced/no-nonsense player, she re-raised. That caught me off-guard. My first inclination was that she was setting up the free card play with JT. Then it dawned on me she could have 44 or KK for a set. I decided she had some kind of made hand, but I wasn't about to fold. I re-raised, chasing all but 1 other player out. The button just called, giving me hope she was on 44. Another 4 came on the turn, giving me queens full. I checked it to the button, who bet. I knew I was dead to a queen. I made a crying call and the third player folded. Another check-call on the river, and I got a first-hand look at Kings full. She had me all the way. It was demoralizing to sit patiently for so long, finally flop what could have been a monster, only to take it royally up the tailpipe.
The very next hand (after reloading $100 more), I picked up A2Qx double-suited. I flopped the nut low draw, turned the nut flush and broadway draw, and managed to miss everything (only after heavily investing in the pot). After that, it was academic. I quickly donked off my remaining stack and called it a night around 3:30AM. It turned out to be one of the crazier tables I've ever been at. I consider myself an above-average O8B player, and never felt uncomfortable. In hindsight, there was one too many maniacs at the table, and it made it really hard to maneuver. I ended up -$220 for the session. Overall, I was down -$50 on the week... which I pretty much attribute to that one cooler. Still, I can't wait until I return in April to give it another go. Great room, great game!
I was normally there during the day from about 2pm to 6 pm. There were usually 1 or 2 dealers in the game. At that time of the day most pre-flops were limped in except every once in a while a guy who looked to be asleep most of the time would raise. We was pretty much announcing that he had A2 and his Ace was suited.
I've decided that I will only play O8 on my next trip, I seem to do better at that then 12NLHE. I'll play the later night games next time. I am sure they are much more action.
headed out to Vegas next month. Looking to play some O8. Was wondering what the buy in was for you guys. We play 2-3 at my home game but no maniacs to deal with, so my bankroll doesn't have to be large. Was hoping to sit for $100. Will that be enough to get started. Thanks for info and trip report.
I buy in for $200.00 $100 will leave you pretty short with only 12.5 big bets and 8.33 big bets in a 1/2 kill pot. Starting hand selection is they key otherwise your chasing 2nd best hands. Good luck!
Thanks, man i wish they had a 2-4, that is where I would spend my trip! Hopefully I can hold off for some good hands and limp when in position to get lucky. I got to be careful not to let A2 get me in trouble, it has before.
I'll let you know how I do.
I think I was buying in for $100, and would back it up with another $100 if I started going in the wrong direction. If you know how to play o8B, I think you can hold your own at a "normal" table with a $100 buy-in. Of course, the table was at was extreme, but even then it took a huge cooler to cripple my buy-in.
You should be able to find O8B at Orleans and Red Rock too. You can't beat the V for location, comfort, amenities, etc.
You can buy in for $100 but I'd didn't like that two missed draws make me the short for the next hand. On the hand I won big I ended up all in. I would have raised again and put an extra $48 at least in the pot which I would have receieved half of.
Thanks for the advice fellas. How late does the game at the Venetian run and what times did you guys prefer to play. It seems the later hours may help you to avoid the local pros but then you have to deal with the drunks, which sometimes can be OK$$.
I played during the afternoons but on my next trip I'd play later too. I kept going back to 1-2 NL at night trying to pick off the drunks. I couldn't change gears weel enough though. Next trip all Omaha!
There are probably more older locals playing during the day. I played for a couple hours one afternoon, and at least 2 of the players were dealers playing off-shift. Just because they are older/locals/regulars doesn't mean they are dangerous. I thought the afternoon game was tame and predictable compared to the night game. It only takes one or two donkeys to produce for the rest of the table. The night game was A LOT more volatile. You're more likely to encounter drunks/maniacs/action-junkies, as well as a couple of sharks that know that nighttime is a good time to play O8B. That being said, the two guys at the table that I pegged as sharks were pretty easy to avoid -- they played pretty straight forward and waited for solid hands. One guy seemed to only show down when he had a monster both ways, or at least a lock on one end. The other guy, though good at reading the maniacs, was not very successful at playing back -- he just wasn't catching winning hands when going up against three chasers. Overall, there was a lot more dead money in the pots at night... between the maniacs and the sharks were a lot of calling stations. Just be prepared to see some big swings in your stack. I ended up busting for $200, but felt I just as easily could have cashed out +$200 or more if only a hand held up or a big draw came home.
Thanks for the report B. I just hope to be able to hold my own, the experience will be worth the amount of cash I leave on the table. With a little luck, may not leave any!