O8 hand

I like to think I'm a pretty good Omaha Hi-Lo (aka O8) player. Omaha is a variation of Texas Hold Em, but you get 4 cards instead of two. However, unlike Hold Em you have to use two cards in your hand. In Hi-Lo, as the name implies, the high hand and the low hand split the pot. You can use all 4 cards in your hand (two to make a high hand and a different two to make a low hand) and the goal is really to scoop pots by winning both the high and the low. So here is an awesome hand from a tournament I was playing in yesterday. When I say "awesome" I mean it in the literal sense. I am still in awe of how unbelievably badly my opponent, who had made it down to the final 100 out of 600 people, played this hand. So, here we go.

Folded around to me on the button. I have QQ35 (double suited in hearts and clubs). I generally think bad players tend to overplay big pairs in O8, but on the button without anyone else in the pot this is a raising hand. I raise. Small blind flats, big blind folds.

Flop: 9hTh5d

So let's review. In order to make a low hand in O8 you have to have five unpaired cards all under 8. The best low hand is the wheel, A2345, the worst low hand is 87654. So given the board, a player playing a low draw is going to need the last two cards to be under an 8 in order to make a low hand and they can figure that even then they will be drawing to only half the pot. Can you see where this is headed?

I bet the pot (about $8K) which represents about 90% of my opponent's remaining chips. He calls.

Turn: 6d

I bet enough to put my opponent in, because I have to but I'm a little concerned now that I'm beat, but it doesn't matter because there is way too much money in the pot and my opponent has almost no chips left. So the cards are flipped over and my opponent shows me....drumroll.....Ac2d3d4h.

River: 8d

I lose a massive pot to a 8 high flush and he has the best possible low.

So my opponent was absolutely correct to call preflop, he has a premium starting hand and could have even raised me and I would have folded immediately. Post flop looks good for me as I have an overpair and a flush draw, though not a very good one, and any low drawing hand is clearly folding since they completely missed the flop. At least, that is what a normal, rationale human being would think. My opponent, however, decided it ould be a good deal to call off all his chips with no pair, no draw, and needing the board to come consecutive diamonds to make the worst flush possible or to have two low cards come consecutively to win only half the pot. Fortunately for him he was playing against me and while the math on this hand suggests that I'm in a dominating position (I'll scoop it over 60% of the time and win the high 80% of the time) that is exactly what occurred. Well played sir.

I used to get mad about these types of beats, but now I just wonder why someone would play for 5 hours and then decide that they want to bet all their money when they have almost no chance of winning. Very odd. Also, I'm a huge liar as I am still furious and I would gladly murder this person and his entire family given the opportunity.