What's with Omaha?!?

Playing 5/10, I'm in the big blind with As-5s-J-J. Several limpers, button raises, I call, all call, and we see the flop 6 handed. $60 in the pot.


Flop: J-9-2, no suits.


I check, all check to the button who bets. Small blind calls, I raise, and 2 players call 2 cold and the button calls. $100 in the pot. Turn is a 7, all four suits are on the board. I bet out and get 3 callers. $140 in the pot. Now, here's why I hate Omaha. I've got TOP SET for chrissakes, and I can't think of a card I want to see on the river. An A,3,4,5,6, or 8 and I'm splitting the pot. 5,6,8, T,Q, or K and I could easily lose the high to a straight. With this many callers, it could easily be set over set, so a pairing of the board could quad up someone. The case jack is the ONLY card I want to see. How SICK is that?? Well, the river is a Q, and I check, call, and lose to a KTQA wrap straight.


Was there ANYTHING I could do different?

" Now, here's why I hate Omaha. I've got TOP SET for chrissakes, and I can't think of a card I want to see on the river."


D.D. - Wouldn't you like to see the board pair on the river? Any pair?


In a loose game, when the turn makes the board J-9-7-2 and you hold J-J-A-5, you are not the leader any more. You must expect, in a loose game, that one of your opponents is very likely to have a straight already, possibly with re-draws. Thus you need any one of ten cards (out of 44) will pair the board on the river. You are on a draw here! The odds are 3.4 to 1 that you will miss. If you bet the turn and get at least four callers, then your bet is reasonable. Or if you bet the turn and everyone folds, then your bet is reasonable. Otherwise you have no bet on the turn.


"Was there ANYTHING I could do different?"


Yes. Recognize and accept that Omaha-8 is a river game and that you will probably need to beat a straight to win for high on the river. Accordingly, consider checking the turn to see if your check-raise on the flop buys you a free card here. As it turned out, you're lucky you didn't get raised on the turn.


Although with top set I would usually simply bet the flop, I don't fault your check raise on the flop, so long as your intention was to limit the field, rather than to make a value bet. Top set on the flop in a loose game of Omaha-8 usually needs to improve to win. You're going against straight draws (and perhaps some mis-guided low draws) on this flop. In this case, you should be able to see (in retrospect) the big wrap around straight draw had a better chance of improving than you did.


Just my opinion. You asked.


Buzz

in omaha a set is really just a draw (multiway low limit action), and on the river you didnt get there. i would fold.


brad

"Was there ANYTHING I could do different?"


Stop thinking about Omaha in Holdem terms.

...DO DO, if ever there was a game in which dodo happens, it's omaha!


you don't want to flop the best hand --you want to flop the best draw


no, it may not be there, but you best play like the best possible hand IS out there somewhere

Hello,Jellow,

I heard that in Omaha the nut drawing hand is the "Boss";in Hol'em,the made hand is the "Boss";but what about stud?


Sitting Bull

In stud, the optimal play is to go against split aces with a queen when you have split 3's with a 5. Watch the aces bet every round without improving, catch 3's and 4's on the river and take it down.

Hello, Jordan,

I remembered those times that the small pairs dragged the pot===however,I can't remember those times when they did not---Just lost count;there were SO MANY!!!


Harry Pokering

Sitting Bull

well, Larry, it's been many years since I was a stud &%#$ I mean since I played stud...but I guess it would be a big pair showing???