… I jump into a low stakes game, 5c/10c. I buy-in short for $6. I’m bored, all my usual limit hold’em games are rock gardens and I’m not in the mood for no-limit hold’em.

As I’m dealt a few hands I start to realise I don’t really know what a good starting hand is. Something about suited aces, big pairs and suited cards that can work together for straight ring a bell. Seems logical then that after folding my first five hands I limp from early position with:

:5h: :6s:

Doesn’t really meet any of those prerequisites does it? Probably an easy fold for anyone with the least bit of Omaha experience but to me this connectedy suitedy holding looked interesting. Three players plus the blinds decide to come along and we see a flop:

:6c:

Even a newbie like me knows that this is not the premium holding it would be at a hold’em table. With the large number of cards out there it’s likely my 6 is either dominated by kicker or someone has already made a full house. I make a mental not to tread carefully. The two blind players to my left check and I decide to chuck in a half pot-sized bet (with the intention of throwing it away if I get any major resistance). It’s folded around to the big blind who calls and we’re heads up. I know nothing about the big blind player except he has 2.5 times the max buy-in in front of him and therefore must have won a hand or two tonight. Though I know from hold’em experience this does not necessarily mean he knows what he’s doing I can’t discount it. At this micro-limit however, anything is possible.
We see the turn:

He checks and I, still wary of the trap, check behind. The river:

And now he bets, half the pot. Looks like an attack on my weakness to me so I raise and am promptly raised all-in.

What does he have?

Now knowing anything about him or Omaha I decide I can’t lay this hand down. Only two hands beat me (88 and TT) and I’ve only played 6 hands of Omaha, how can I put him on those? I call.

He turns over:

:5s: :8h:

For a bigger full house with his pocket 8’s.

So dear reader, bad luck?, bad play (post flop)? or both? If I’m going to get good at the “future of poker” I’m going to need to know!

P.S. Yes, I’m back… I had a whole comeback post planned but I’ll save that for later.