Hello community,

Here is a $25max PokerStars PLO hand (blinds 0.10/.25):

Table 'Orion' Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: __AndyJ45__ ($49.55 in chips)
Seat 3: HERO ($9.15 in chips)
Seat 4: sahaguje ($54.80 in chips)
Seat 5: bigguns0707 ($43.60 in chips)
Seat 6: strmn10 ($7.10 in chips)
Seat 7: Pot Limit ($47.65 in chips)
Seat 9: Sydd ($9.55 in chips)

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Hero got [Ah][7h][7c].
Pot Limit: calls $0.25
Sydd: calls $0.25
__AndyJ45__: calls $0.25
HERO: calls $0.25
sahaguje: calls $0.25
bigguns0707: calls $0.15
strmn10: checks

*** FLOP *** [Th][7d]
bigguns0707: checks
strmn10: checks
Pot Limit: checks
Sydd: checks
__AndyJ45__: checks
HERO: bets $1.70
sahaguje: raises $5.10 to $6.80
bigguns0707: folds
strmn10: folds
Pot Limit: folds
Sydd: raises $2.50 to $9.30 and is all-in
__AndyJ45__: folds
HERO: calls $7.20 and is all-in
sahaguje: calls $2.50


What should I normally do with middle set if I'm re-re-raised on the flop?? In bigger games I would fold that, but at the $25max and $50max I often see players reraising with two pair. But should I still fold in that situation?


Thanks for your advice,
Lumberjack





Results:
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Board:
Sydd: shows (a straight, Ace to Five)
Seat 3: fxman mucked
Seat 4: sahaguje (button) mucked

First of all you should have a stack of more than $9! To buy in short on those small buy-in games is criminal online. You should NEVER have less than basically a full stack at your disposal. If you can only afford 9 bucks, play in a ten buck buy-in table, but NEVER buy in dramatically short at a PLO table because it actually makes it HARDER to play - all your implied odds etc are diminished and it makes it very hard to play ANYTHING without getting all in very quickly.

In this hand, once you lead out and are raised, there's nothing much you can do except get all in or fold; you're basically committed. With a larger stack you can try some plays in these spots (i.e. in a live game) although on this table there's basically not going to be enough chips even if you DO have a big stack. However, in this case you bet, there's a raise and then a THIRD player moves over the top; you'd have to say a set of tens looks very likely indeed and perhaps you should consider mucking (although in reality you had a great shot at winning the pot!).

Middle set is not all that strong in PLO and should be played cautiously. I like to bet or raise with it on the flop, but as soon as someone starts playing back at you you should fold in most situations. It's a classic trap hand in that IF you're up against the top set, you have no way to win (well, except for one out, obviously!), so its a real dominating situation. Put in other terms, when you face a raise after betting out in PLO from a solid player it's usually a top set hand or a massive draw (providing no draw is already made on board); so you're either going to be about evens to win, or totally destroyed. At the lower level games, you may find people raising with less quite often (such as two pair in this case) but you have to give credit for top set i think UNLESS you have some prior knowledge of the player (i.e. bluff-raises a lot, clueless holdem player who'll raise any 2-pair etc).

In this hand with two players giving action after you bet I think the top set is out far more often than not, barring any knowledge of the players being very loose, so I think you have to consider folding as being the best course of action.

Monk
xxxxx

Here's my 2 cents.

First, I agreed with monk that you need a full stack to play or its pointless.

Second, i have been folding hands like that because if you do flop a set, it is likely middle set and get you in a lot of trouble. You do have the ace high flush draw but 3 of the flush and no real straight draws, just the one to broadway. Maybe I've actually been playing too tight but i've been folding. However, this game is one of post flop play so if you make good post flop decisions, you can be looser preflop. But IMO, this hand can get you in some trouble without getting the flush draw to go with your hand.

Third, I probably would have folded the flop. True, some people do go all in with crap like two pair or an overpair, but you have a max raiser and a reraiser. Your mid set isn't looking so good anymore. Maybe you are up against some bad players but they could easily have top set or a great wrap straight draw which you could be an underdog against.

Just reload you stack, note the players on what they went all in on and live to bust them another hand. I did things like this and turned a very good winning session to just a few bucks up with just 2 mistakes that cost me my $25 stacks.

I agree with brian that AQ77ss is not a particularly good hand. With deep stacks I'd see a flop in late position; however, 20 big blinds cannot be considered a big stack I think you should fold preflop too, but by far your biggest mistake is having 9 bucks on a 25 buck table.

Monk
xxxxx

Hii Monk, briachek,

thanks for your advices on both hands. About the stake: I usually buy-in for the maximum, but I never rebuy in untill I've lost everything. So should I start rebuying every time when my stake drops under the $20?


Lumberjack

Yes, definitely. If you have an appropriate bankroll to play $25 buy-ins, never have less than 25 on the table. I would make a quick rebuy each time you drop below 23 even.

Money is your AMMUNITION in PLO. To be sat with less than half a buyin in front of you is like going into a sword-fight with a penknife.

Monk
xxxxx

its gotten to a point with me now that I buy in every time I don't have a full stack or I go through the blinds. So I'm never below $24 or $24.25. This may be a little overkill but those quarters can add up.