Well I was not really feeling like playing higher limit holdem today so I decided to read the articles by Monk about PL Omaha and give it a whirl at the 25 NL party tables. I have played hundred of hours unfortunately of Omaha High while in New Orleans as those Cajun bastards just seemed to refuse to play holdem back in the late 90's. I guess it wasn't enough gambling involved for them so they just insisted on playing straight Omaha. That being said this was my first taste of PLO. I have played a little PL O8. Damn this is a volatile game. After all was said and done I finished up 0.41 I am going to post a few hands for comments on my play as I did enjoy it and hope to get better at it little by little. I did make several bone headed calls in the heat of battle that look really stupid now that I am looking over the hands. I can definately see this as a very profitable game if you can just keep you head out of your ass which I didn't do so well with today.

Hand 1. This first hand I flopped a big straight draw although several of my outs are tainted by the flush draw as well as some non nut straight cards. When the opening perflop raiser checked this flop and it came to me I thought I might as well take a stab at it and bet the pot. When I didn't get raised by the preflop raiser I knew he wasn't on AAA or he was an imbecile. I miss on the turn but fire another pot bet which gets called. The river is another rag and it's checked to me with my complete miss J high. What do you do? Well I figured I would fire the remaining chips into the fray which amounted to about 2/3 pot. I then got disconnected from the damn hand so I didn't know if he called or not, turned out he timed out and his hand was folded. Anyone play this different?

Party Poker Pot-Limit Omaha High, $0.25 BB (8 handed)

UTG+1 ($71.9)
MP1 ($31.44)
MP2 ($25.15)
Hero ($55.5)
Button ($17.98)
SB ($22.4)
BB ($45.25)
UTG ($53.45)

Preflop: Hero is CO with , , , .
UTG calls $0.25, UTG+1 raises to $1.1, MP1 calls $1.10, 1 fold, Hero calls $1.10, Button calls $1.10, 2 folds, UTG calls $0.85.

Flop: ($5.85) , , (5 players)
UTG checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, Hero bets $5.6, Button folds, UTG folds, UTG+1 calls $5.60, MP1 folds.

Turn: ($17.05) (2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $16.2, UTG+1 calls $16.20.

River: ($49.45) (2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $32.6 (All-In), UTG+1 folds.

Final Pot: $82.05

Results in white below:

Outcome: Hero wins $82.05.



Hand 2. This one hurt but I think I played it perfectly and given their hands on the showdown I was in pretty high cotton on the flop but it wasn't to be.

Party Poker Pot-Limit Omaha High, $0.25 BB (8 handed)

Button ($31.55)
SB ($37.62)
BB ($23.25)
Hero ($28.75)
UTG+1 ($10)
MP1 ($24.95)
MP2 ($22.75)
CO ($48)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with , , , . UTG+1 posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises to $1.1, UTG+1 (poster) calls $0.85, 3 folds, Button calls $1.10, 1 fold, BB calls $0.85.

Flop: ($4.50) , , (4 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $4.3, UTG+1 raises to $8.9 (All-In), Button calls $8.90, BB folds, Hero raises to $27.65 (All-In), Button calls $18.75.

Turn: ($68.70) (3 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($68.70) (3 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: $68.70

Results in white below:
Hero has Ad 5s 3c As (three of a kind, aces).
UTG+1 has Kh Qc 7c 8c (flush, king high).
Button: AQxx -----2 clubs
Outcome: Button wins $68.70.



Hand 3. I played this one badly and came out smelling like a rose


Party Poker Pot-Limit Omaha High, $0.25 BB (9 handed)

MP3 ($11.15)
CO ($31.25)
Hero ($24.3)
SB ($24.5)
BB ($24.25)
UTG ($8.9)
UTG+1 ($66.05)
MP1 ($32.3)
MP2 ($56.25)

Preflop: Hero is Button with , , , .
2 folds, MP1 calls $0.25, MP2 calls $0.25, MP3 calls $0.25, CO calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($1.75) , , (7 players)
SB checks, BB checks, MP1 checks, MP2 checks, MP3 bets $1, CO raises to $4.75, Hero raises to $17, SB folds, BB folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO raises to $29.25, Hero calls $7.05 (All-In).

Turn: ($56.05) (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($56.05) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $56.05

Results in white below:

CO--- 55xx
Outcome: Hero wins $50.85. CO wins $5.20.

My opinion, for what it's worth, and before the experts come with a better one:

Hand1: I like your flop bet, and probably your continuation on the turn is ok, since it is now heads up (if there were more callers I'd slow down). Your river bluff is pretty bold, I would only make this with a very good read and with the knowledge that my opponent is good enough to fold something like top pair. At the $25 level you can easily get burned with this, but you spotted a good opportunity here.

Hand 2: I think you played it well, because of the side pot you created. Since the button didn't reraise the flop it's fairly clear he is still drawing to the flush, and even though you might be losing the main pot you can win the side pot. Note that had the button a deeper stack, then I would actually play the flop much more carefully, since you have to figure that you're up against a straight, and just play according to the odds.

Hand 3: I don't like reraising this on the flop. You have trips with a Q kicker, there is a bet and a raise in front of you. At least one of them must have a 9, or has a boat already. I'm pretty sure that in the long run this play will cost you. Even with an ace kicker I'd think twice before reraising. These are hard hands to play, but I think that always folding trips with a Q kicker will be +EV if the action goes like this. (Barring being up against total idiots.) The problem with calling the flop here is that you will face the same problem on the turn, since you'll never know if your hand is good. I would be tempted to call the flop, but dump it on the turn against a serious bet. If I would be a disciplined player I'd fold on the flop...

Pieter

Hey Piers, glad I can repay some of your assistance in the limit section

Hand 1: At 25PLO you have no fold equity on this flop, and no made hand. With high(ish) cards and a flush draw, plus plenty of possible straight draws, on this board, no WAY will your bet clear the decks unless this is the tightest PLO25 game in the history of mankind. Get to the turn cheap, i.e. check.

Turn and river bets have more merit, especially on the river. On the turn he offers a free card and I think you should take it. You might like to save a bit on the river, say by betting 20. If he had two pair all the way he'll call anyhow, but if he has a missed draw he'll fold to less than the amount that you risked on your bluff. It shouldn't look too suspect if, like me, you regularly make "milking bets" with a big hand here on the river. That's how I mask my big hands and make them hard to distinguish from bluffs at the end.

Hand 2: I like your raise on the flop quite a lot. Of course, he could always have the straight (in fact calling the straight on this flop is not a bad play, given the monster draw possibilities) but if he has a lower set or flush draw you want him to push in. If he has you beat, well worse things happen at sea, you're not too far off 40% to catch a winner by the end. His call REEKS of a flush draw and I like your odds to call (obviously!) so you've got to raise, really!

Hand 3: I hate your flop raise! Muck that garbage. Queen kicker? This is PLO you know You need 55, 95 or AT THE VERY LEAST, something like 9TKA to pump that flop. I just can't think of a single player I'd be raising that flop against. I know this is PLO25, but, come on

Anyhow, good luck with it Piers! Keep em coming!

Monk
xxxxx

Thanks guys. I knew I screwed the pooch on that third hand and that is really unlike me to make that play but in a weak moment I faltered.

I was thinking about what you had said about the smaller bets on missed rivers during that hand and I was only going to bet 20 but I thought shit this cat may just call 20 into a now 76.00 pot and not an all in for whatever reason. Probably faulty thinking as the way he played the hand he probably missed his flush and straight draw as well. Lucky it worked out.

I think I will play a little more tomorrow and try to tighten my game up. That hand three was not nearly the most bone headed play I made, I was embarrassed to post the real bad ones

I agree with everyone but would like to add that I fold hand 1 preflop even for no raise. You have a 9 high flush draw and a 3 card gap straight draw. Maybe if it was JT8 instead of 89J. I would rather my connecting cards be the two higher ones but I don't like calling a raise with that hand and limping would be marginal IMO.