Back from FL. I got to play once in a home game which played 30-60 mixed as follows: two rounds of HE, two rounds of O/8, one round of Omaha hi only and one round of stud/8. Very pleasant people were playing well for the most part but very straightforwardly. One guy raised too much in the hold’em rounds (showed A3o in early position once) but I had position and I raised or called and bluffed him until he slowed down.

I also bluffed an Omaha/8 hand. I held T92A and saw a flop of J85 five ways (raised). OK, hi draw and low draw. I bet out and get some 3 callers. On the turn, the eight paired. I checked and the next guy bet. One caller to me. I should probably fold here, but I called. The river was a J. Now I bet out hoping nobody held a J or a full house, and the guy with the three eights would not want to call (I figured he was in the middle and even if he wanted to call he had to worry about the guy behind him). Anyway, it worked and I dragged a nice sized scoop. I am getting a wonderful price for this bluff and it’s not that easy for people to call it. Look for this situation in O/8 games.

On another O/8 hand I held A235 against four players and saw a flop of 258. Two pair and nut low but no real redraws except a 4, and even that probably won’t scoop because the 67 gets there. I checked and it went bet, call to me. I called along. The turn was a 2. I checked again, and it went bet, call again. Figured I probably had a good hand one way and maybe another and check raised. Two players called.

When a J fell on the river, I bet and got two callers. I immediately had a flashback to a hand I played at BARGE. I held A236 and the flop was 26T. I again check-raised the turn when a 2 came and got two callers. On the river 5 I bet and again two callers. I got one quarter as one guy had A3 and the third guy had 66 (and was worried about me having TT). Unfortunately, I articulated my flashback, saying, “I don’t feel that good about this.” I turned over my hand and surprisingly scooped. Now I felt very foolish for saying anything.

Let my bad statement be a lesson: Don’t say anything when you show a hand down. I have seen people show down a small pair saying, “You win.” This serves to further humiliate the caller when he does not win and sometimes chases him away when he realizes how poor his call was (and it might not even have been poor).

I got lucky on a few hands as well and left with a decent win. I don’t get that many chances to play in home games (though I think I play pleasantly and with good humor), so I was very happy I got invited.

My next trip is in September when I will be going to Maui for a week with my wonderful wife Betty for our 25th anniversary. Hmmm, sounds like an expensive one.