Bach Helps Carve Up Another Stack
Monkey in the middle was always a frustrating childhood game for me. I'm slow and not terribly athletic, so if I ever wound up as the monkey in the middle, it could have gone on for hours.
Monkey in the middle is a little different in an Omaha Hi/Lo. It's when one player gets caught with a second-bet hand for both halves of the pot against two other players. That's what happened to an all-in player at David Bach's table. Bach tried to three-bet-isolate the all-in player pre-flop, but the big blind came along anyway.
Bach led the flop and the turn. Each time the big blind check-called. On the river , the big blind led out and Bach called. They chopped the side pot, Bach showing for a straight for high and the big blind showing for the nut low. That was bad news for the all in player, who couldn't beat or tie either hand.