I was thrilled to see the new PokerStars for Mac interface, as I like
my home Mac a lot more than my old PC. However, I forgot to click the
“Save Hand Histories” a couple days ago, so I lost the session that
contained several hands I thought were interesting. I’m keeping an
eye out for opportunities to demonstrate my “worse play in mid-limit
mixed games than Hold’em” theory. But since I don’t have all of them,
I guess I’ll just have to tell you about the pot I scooped in an Omaha
8/b round of a 10/20 HORSE game.

I was dealt AA34 with one suit. UTG, who was fairly new to the table,
called. I raised. Crazy Loosey Goosey Scandavian player made it 3
bets…so I assumed one of two things: either he had a strong
high-only hand, or was overplaying a low-only hand like A236 (less
likely, since I had two of the aces, and I was quite sure the UTG
limper had a similar hand to that, so he had one). UTG took some
time, and called the two bets. I 4-bet, and both players called.

The flop was J-8-5 rainbow. UTG checked, I bet, and Loosey Goosey
raised. UTG called…I now put both players on the nut low draw, and
figured I had a good shot at the high, so I 3-bet, and both players
called.

The turn was a beautiful 2, which also made two of my suit in addition
to my nut low. UTG checked, I bet, both players called.

The river was another Jack, which I figured may have, but was unlikely
to, ruin my scoop potential. One of the other players could have
AJ2x. Time to slow down a bunch. We checked around.

UTG showed A276. He was chasing the open-ended straight draw and got
counterfeied on the nut low. He was right to considering folding this
hand when it was two more bets to him on the flop. A naked A2 is fine
playing in a pot with four or more players, as it won’t cost you money
to get quartered on the low. But once the flop hit, he was trapped
into chasing three more bets, for likely only half the pot (a 4 makes
his straight, but also makes a low).

Loosey Goosey showed KK43, with the same suit as my ace. I, uh,
really have no idea what he was thinking on almost any street,
especially pre-flop. Even with a suited king, even with position,
there’s no way I’m playing this for 3 bets. His re-raise on the flop
is even worse, as he’s playing one overpair for the high and a
terrible low draw. On the turn, he’s trapped into chasing a straight
draw where he has to know at least two, and possibly more, of his outs
are gone.

Rarely will anyone in a 10/20 limit Hold’em game play this bad, for
this many bets (there were 19 big bets in this pot). I see it once or
twice every single session I play in a mixed game.

Next time, I promise to have a detailed hand history, and will select
a hand I’m not involved in (to avoid making it look like a “I’m the
shit” brag post).