Adam,

I'm new to PL Omaha hi and I've been playing on Party's $25 table. This was a hand I just played.

I'm UTG+1 with . Its raised to $2 by UTG (someone had posted so he could have made it $2.25). This guy min raises with pairs like JJ or QQ but is strong with KK or AA. I decide to call. Mistake? Folds around to Big blind who raises it to $8.75. UTG calls and its to me. I know my hand is a premium drawing hand but I've had a hard time calling raises with hands and such. I ended up folding but think i should have called. i was paying another $6.75 for $20+ pot against two people likely with big pocket pairs, maybe the same one.

Flop came 588, big blind went all in for $17, utg called, turn was 7, and river was 5. I would have had the nut boat. BB had AA, UTG had KK. What do you do with hands like these? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Well, NO! it was not a mistake to call the initial 2 buck bet. This hand, is almost a favorite, over a AAxx hand, and as you point out, has very good (but NOT excellent)

So, its WELL worth the initial bet.

Weather or not to call, will depend on how much you (and the other two opponent's have left. Without sufficient implied odds, it's not worth that much more.

But, if you all will have, say 25+ bucks apiece (after the flop) the chance to win a 100 buck pot, makes it worth the call. Especially since people are playing AA after the flop, as though it were the holy city
(Ed note: "holy city, is an old lowball term, for the "nuts")

So, if you hit something like 3 7 8, you can expect to be paid off.

Notice also (exclusive ATE concept) that with 4 totally connected cards, anytime you flop two pair, you'll also have an open end straight. (ok, so it's NOT a major revalation, but I've never seen anyone mention it)


And thank you, for participating in the Ask Adam the Expert section

well, i had a stack of about $40 and they each had about the same. I would have won is all from them since they both went all in for $17 on the flop before it even got to me.

oK, WITH THAT MUCH TO WIN, it would have been worth a call, PROVIDING, that you understand NOT to call, with some flop that only gives you, say a small pair, and a low flush draw. But, if you hit a good wrap straight draw, you will have sufficient pot odds to draw for it.

Notice, how your preflop call is made MUCH stronger, because you have a MCSTA (pronounced MISSta, an ATE original term) Situation. ATE CANNOT emphasize strongly enough, how significant this is. Oppps, that's: My Call Seals The Action. Since there can not be any additional raises before the flop (unless YOU choose to) the call is much stronger.

And, like I said, people are playing their AA hands after the flop, as though an unimproved pair of aces actually WAS something.

So, an extra 6.75 to win almost 100, would have been worth it.

In a max buy game, one does not have to be SOOOOOO tight, before the flop.

It's mistakes BEYOND the flop, that GETCHA!

The trick of course, is knowing just what constitutes "within reason" Do not fall into the trap of thinking

"well, if 78910 is good, therefore so must be 6 8 9 10, and is that is good, what's wrong with 7 9 J Q"

I appreciate the help as always.

ALLIN Preflop
a similar hand below. And no this wasn't my play. I don't have the balls to gamble with the fish like this on party/ep. But I would have atleast called with the hand ya had above.

http://www.pokerhand.org/index.php?page=view&hand=26137

I was going to say basically what adam already did he he he. My 2c is you should prolly fold that if the original raiser is yet to act behind you (though a call would be fine too, i just dont like gambling a big stack on a so-so hand 3 way; dont forget a big wrap like QJT9 has you kinda dominated), but as you're closing the action, a call is fine. Which is basically said already he he.

Monk
xxxxx