PLO hand, decision on turn

full table, pot limit Omaha, blinds are $1, $2. two limpers,I am on the button with 79TT, limp in.

Flop comes 38T all clubs. All check to me. I bet the pot, SB raises pot, all fold, I call.


Turn comes blank (offsuit 4, I think), SB checks.


I read him for a mediocre flush, not nut flush since he would hate to give a free card to trips.


what is my play here?


Stephan

ooops, forgot the stack sizes.


we both have about 300 left, enough for a pot size bet and a raise.


Also, he did not raise the pot, just double of my bet on the flop.


Stephan

Well, if he raised like that he probably had, like you said, a non-nut flush. The problem is, since you did not re-raise him on the flop, if his flush is K high or Q high, he is going to call you if you bet the pot. You couldn't re-raise on the flop, but you probably can't bet the pot here either, because he will be thinking that if you had the nuts, you would not let him draw to a possible trips and would have re-raised, and will therefore call. Your play here is to either bet the pot, or check. If you bet the pot and he has something less than the king high flush, he might release, and if he doesn't raise, you still have a chance on the river. OR, you can check and take a free card, and maybe even get a free showdown on the river. I would err on the side of caution and get a free draw, if I were you, because there is always the slight chance that this player is wacky and would make the play you described WITH the nut flush. Besides, you don't want to invest any more money in this hand if you are beat. If the river is a blank and he bets the pot, you can fold and still have plenty of ammo for a better situation- if it pairs the board, you might be able to squeeze some extra money out of him.

Of course, there is always the possibility that he has lower trips, and a paired board might get you a sizeable pot. Since only three of you took the flop, he might make that flop raise with a set of 8s to slow down a non-nut flush, thinking that three handed, there is a good possibility that no one has the nuts.

Basically, I have no great answer, so excuse my rambling. These are just some things I would think about. Without knowing the player, I am not sure which scenario is most likely. What happened?

Shaun,


right on target with pretty much everything you wrote.


I thought along the same lines, did not bet the turn (after all, I wanted a free card) and when the river came another blank, I released the hand without much thought to his pot size bet.


He later told me I had the Q high flush, and was not happy with it. He was out of position and betting the turn did not appeal to him either.


Another question: how smart was his river bet? what hands would call him? (he knows, I am a reasonably good PLO player) As I figure, he runs quite a risk by betting out on the river. Either he is beat, or unlikely to be called. And he exposes himself to a bluff reraise...


Or am I thinking too whimpy here?


Stephan

if you had re-raised after the flop (not all in) his response would have defined his hand.


but since you did not do that, you should have led with a fair sized bet...again to define his hand...AND since we think he does not have the nuts, this would probably have won right there.

I would not have bet the pot on the river if I were him. Instead, I'd have probably made a bet that I thought a set, str8, or lower flush might actually call. If the pot was 150, I'd probably bet 40 or so. This kind of bet would make him money, whereas the pot sized bet with the Q high flush would either: make nothing, or lose to the King high flush. His river bet, if he actually had the queen high flush, would be a pointless endavor, in my opinion.

you probably should have checked with him on the flop. but since you bet you should have folded to his checkraise. since you didnt you would have been better off reraising again to try to run him off his flush providing you thought he might fold a non nut flush.

Post all Omaha hands on the "Other Poker Games" Forum (see Ray Zee and 3 Bet Brett responses in the "No Limit O8 post by Omaha Whale)