Low-Limit Omaha 8 river bluff?!?!?

Online $1/2, I am trying to make some sense of Omaha 8! :-)


Four or five limpers to me in cut-off, I limp with AQT2, ALL clubs (I hesitated a bit, but figured I would play this hand in an unraised pot in late position even if offsuit, and nut four-of-a-suit is better than no suit). Seven or eight players see the flop.


Flop: K-8-5, rainbow with one club. Checked to me. I have nut low draw, backdoor nut flush and several cards that give me a broadway draw on the turn. I decide, what the heck, and bet. Four players call.


Turn: J, completing the rainbow. Checked to me again. I know have wrapped-around straight-draw with six outs to a scoop as well as, yet still, the nut low draw. And no-one has signaled any strenght and the board looks pretty ragged. I bet again. Two players call.


River: Another Jack. First player FOLDS (!!) out of position. Second player checks.


I bet my pair of Jacks (on the board), AQ kicker. My lone opponent folds.


But I am still not sure whether I was correct to bluff the river. My opponent was obviously on a draw (the same or a worse low draw than mine?? or a straight draw?). I am worried that the only thing I may gain here is getting such a draw to fold an additional weak two pair.


Enlighten me, Omaha hilo experts.


lars

"But I am still not sure whether I was correct to bluff the river. My opponent was obviously on a draw (the same or a worse low draw than mine?? or a straight draw?). I am worried that the only thing I may gain here is getting such a draw to fold an additional weak two pair."


Lars - I'm not an expert, but I will render an opinion for you.


Yes, in general you should bluff/bet this on the river in case your opponent has a five or an eight (or holds some other low pair) and would thus beat you if you checked, but might fold if you bet. Another possibility is your opponent has the same kickers as you and would tie you if you checked but would probably fold if you bet. Of course it always depends on your opponent; some opponents would call your bet with anything.


Even if you usually lose here, your bluff/bet will occasionally win and will win often enough to be profitable. When it doesn't win, you probably will have hooked some fish to pay you off when you do have a bettable hand on the river.


With two low cards on the flop, the most likely scenario was your opponent was drawing for a flush. You can bluff/steal it lots of times on the river when there are two low cards on the flop and low doesn't come. Very common play.


If you had AQ82, rather than AQT2, your bluff/bet might tend to be foolish, because your opponent would call with any better hand than yours and fold any worse hand. Thus your bet would not gain anything when you had the hand won and would be thrown away when you didn't.


There is clearly room for judgement here - and a lot depends on your opponents. But yes, your bluff/bet was a good one (and fairly standard in typical low-limit play).


Just my opinion.


Buzz

I agree that betting on the river is correct here.


7 players see the flop

5 players see the turn

3 players see the river

That is 9 big bets in the pot. If your opponent folds more than 1 time in 10 you make money.


The best bluffing situations occur when there is no low.


I find it dangerous to bluff in a loose game when there is a flush possible. It seems someone will call you down with their weak flush. You make your money from these opponents when they pay you off for your nut flush.


In a tougher game you can sometimes bluff when there is a 3 flush on board and you hold the nut flush card but do not have another of that suit. A bet or raise may get the non-nut flush to fold.