SuWEET!!! (long)

Weekly 6:00 PM Thursday home game NL dealers choice. $5-10 blinds. Start with $500, I run it up to $4000 in the first two hours, and in two hands I'm down to $300 left. The Aggressive Old Vet (AOV), who just busted my A-A, leans over to the Cowboy and whispers how he's never seen me give back that much after I've got a big win.


It's now 1:45 AM. We usually quit at 2:00. After getting in $2500, I'm back to having about $4500. There's only 5 of us left as I deal Omaha-8.


AOV is stuck and making it $100 to go at least half the time. Under the gun he does it again. The Mullet to my right, who can rationalize playing almost any combination of cards, calls. I look down to see A-K-5-2, all Hearts. I call, as does the Cowboy in the BB.


Flop comes 5C-KS-5S. Sweet. Cowboy checks, AOV who has me covered, bets $200, Mullet calls, having about $200 left. Cowboy has $7000 left. I smooth call, hoping he'll come in also. He folds. Also, I don't want to slow AOV down, he could be betting almost anything. Or, he could have K-K. Mullet at best is on a flush or even a low draw.


Turn is KC. AOV bets $400, Mullet calls $200 all in, I raise $800. AOV re-raises $1000. DUDE! I stop. What do you think here? He's got to have the other K-5, with two other overcards. What else could he have? I've only got one overcard, so I just call.


Last card, 3S. AOV bets $1000. I double check my hand. This can't be happening. I've got the nuts. Somebody with a big stack is betting into me. Think, what am I missing? No, there can't be a straight flush. Oh well, its a split, but I put in my last $1330 as a raise, more as an afterthought than anything.


AOV calls. Says full house, turning over K-J-9-9. I turn my hand up, thinking, what have I missed? Cowboy says, AOV, this isn't HE, it's Omaha, you gotta use two cards(!!!).


I'm shaking. I've never won a pot this big. I feel a bit guilty, having won from a guy who didn't understand the game. Should I give back his last bet? Before I can say anything AOV, who lost 5 figures last week, starts fuming, "Stupid game! I'm never coming back again! Cash me out! I'll pay you off, but I'm not coming back next week, or ever again!".


I'm uncomfortable. But I didn't do anything wrong. We've played Omaha hundreds of times, and I have seen AOV make that mistake before. He is an old guy, and a nice guy, and he's worth about $50 million - hey! He's worth about $50 million. What am I thinking! He'll be back.


I say, "It is almost 2:00. I'm done too, then."


Mullet says, I'll take another $500. AOV, standing up with his coat on turns and grumps, "Give me another $2000. Make the blinds $15-25. Let's play!".


Poker.


(Having just seen the movie, "Dude, Where's My Car?", I can only say, "SuWEET!!!")