Sorry for no hand converter, but this is from memory.

I'm playing PLO 25 at party, just trying to get a feel for the game. It seemed alot more appealing than playing my 10th-12th $100 NLHE SNGs last night. I'm 4-tabling, after having read Monk's article #1 on PLO.

I get JJT9, unsuited, on the button. MP1 and MP2 and MP3 limp, I raise to $1. Blinds fold, all three limpers call.

Flop: (pot: $4.35)
It checks to me. I bet the pot. MP1 min-raises back at me. MP2 and MP3 fold. I think for a while, debating calling or raising. My stack is at $40, my opponent is by far the big stack at the table with $185. Scary. I'm afraid that he was playing aces tricky, so I just call. I think I should have either raised or folded here, since I had a vulnerable made hand. I got psyched out by his stack.

Turn:
Wow, that completed just about every draw possible. MP1 checks to me again. Here's where I want to know what you think of my play. I bet the pot, just like I would if I had a non-straight flush. I figure that this is a good player (stack size) who probably has a set (flop checkraise). He thinks for a long time, says "hope this is the right move" and folds face up AA26.

I know I botched the flop, but two other questions:
(1) Was my preflop raise OK?
(2) Would you have made the turn bluff with no read except the guys huge stack size?

I wouldnt raise preflop with that hand unsuited, might do so suited. Nothing particularly wrong with doing so though. My preflop aggression varies greatly and at present i'm on a serious passive phase . Never ever raise a hand like that out of position, really your only reason for doing so here is to shift the blinds and perhaps a limper or two whilst building the pot.

Flop I don't like your play at all. You're right that a re-raise or fold is required before you commit any more chips to this. because you just called, you don't know whether he was on a draw or a set on the flop and so you're playing blind. Yesterday I had 2nd set vs a minimum raiser, out of position, and I (very tightly for me!) folded; again the board was draw heavy and we both had very deep stacks, he seemed decent and position for me was the deciding factor; if he had top set, I make a re-raise and then push the turn, I am all in with basically no outs, and that's a COLLOSAL cock-up in PLO. If he had some sort of draw he has the power of position and also the opportunity to bluff if any card comes that does or doesnt hit his hand, he can maximise his bluff equity or the amount he gets out of my set accordingly. With deep money my big fear was he had top set; I had no redraws at all.

Anyhow, major digression there because of your flop play you don't know what he had and thus it's hard to say if your move is right or not. The main problem here is that most opponents will call here with a set; this guy was obviously good enough not to do so and so you got away with it. Generally though, the problem is that he either has a flush, which will likely call, or AA, which most players will call anyway, so I don't give your bluff a huge chance of success here. I would beware of making this play in future without a clear read on your opponent.

Some people actually like making SIMILAR plays to this one, against decent opponents, where you call with one hand in position (either a decent made hand or some sort of draw) with the intention of also betting/raising any scare card, though here I think the main problem is that your hand is pretty dead if you get called. The classic line for a play like this is holding top set on a straight board, calling a pot bet and then betting or raising a flush card on the turn; your opponent folds his straight or low flush most often, and if he comes along you still have a 1 in 4 shot to make the nut boat. Just food for thought!

You don't need to make big bluffs at the 25PLO to win but sometimes it's nice to work on some more sophisticated play for the bigger games, I reckon.

Monk
xxxxx