Buzzworthy?

Here is an Omaha 8 hand I played. 15-30. Blinds 10-15. I will post my comments after.


5 players call. I am in the small blind with 4d5s5d6h. I call. Big Blind checks.


Flop comes 9h 5c 4h.


I bet.....only one folds.


Turn..... Ks


I bet...all call.


River.....Kc.


I bet...Next guy raises. All fold. I call.

I called and the player showed a king with the Ace kicker and I took the pot. I was rather surprised to have won.


I am fairly inexperienced in Omaha, I understand the fundamentals but my lack of experience makes some situations difficult for me.


The question is: should I bet the flop, check-call, or check-raise.


I really think check-folding is out of the question considering the board is not three lowed and thus I have a chance to scoop.


One problem I have is that a 9 may kill me and there are only three fours left, since I have one in my hand. Also there is a two low, two flush, and straight cards there, so I certainly cannot be a favorite against the field.


In retrospect, I think I need to check-raise and attempt to clear the field. There are two risks I have here, giving a free card and having a early player bet, making clearing the field impossible. However, I may not have enough equity unless I check-raise and clear some of the field.


On the turn the bet is routine, I believe.


On the river, I really considered checking. However, I figured I held most of the full house cards, the only hand that really worried me was a K-9 combination. And against the particular player that raised (rather unaware) folding was out of the question.


Overall comments? How is my overall equity?

JV - Definitely Buzzworthy.


4d5s5d6h is trash, of course, but I might play it for half of a small bet in a loose game where it was unlikely the big blind would raise.


“Flop comes 9h 5c 4h.”


If you’re going to play 4d5s5d6h, then you have to be happy flopping a small set - and you have to bet your small set. Odds are against someone having a pair of nines. Looks even more likely nobody has a set of nines when you don’t get raised. Looks like your opponents are probably on low draws, straight draws and flush draws.


Turn..... Ks


...making 9h 5c 4h-Ks. Nothing there yet. When no one raises your bet on the turn it looks even more like nobody has a set of nines and as though your opponents are probably on low draws, straight draws and flush draws.


“River.....Kc”


...making 9h 5c 4h-Ks-Kc. An opponent could have a king and a nine, five or four, but probably not. Your opponents might put you on a busted low draw or heart draw, although it would seem more likely you’d check the turn with one of those. You have bet your hand as though you flopped a set (which is what you did). Of course if you had a set on the flop, now you have a full house, but your opponents might not have put you on a set, and thus might not be sure if you have a full house.


By betting here, you might extract another bet from someone who has made a set of kings or even someone who may have two pair - or even just one pair. I think betting here is worth a shot at picking up an extra bet. The risk by betting is that someone who has made a full house will raise you - and you will be obliged to call. By betting here you are risking two bets to try to win one bet from a calling station.


“I bet...Next guy raises. All fold. I call.”


Yikes! Here are the possibilities: (1) Next guy thinks you are bluffing and, if so, you will fold to the raise. (2) Next guy has made a set of kings and does not put you on a full house. (3) Next guy has a better full house than you. Of course you call, in case of possibilities nos. (1) and (2).


Just my opinion.


Buzz

JV - "I called and the player showed a king with the Ace kicker and I took the pot. I was rather surprised to have won."


Congratulations on a hand well played.


Many fine players would advise not playing trash like 4d5s5d6h from the small blind. However, especially if you play tightly otherwise, it’s difficult for your opponents to put you on such a hand, even though you are in the small blind. Another time the flop, turn and river would turn out differently and, playing trash like this, you would have to be capable of releasing your hand.


This time you got lucky, but putting yourself in situations where you can get lucky, if the risk in chips is not too great is part of Omaha-8.


"The question is: should I bet the flop, check-call, or check-raise."


Bet the flop. (Just as you did).


"I really think check-folding is out of the question considering the board is not three lowed and thus I have a chance to scoop."


If you're going to see the flop with 4d5s5d6h, then you have to play the hand when you make a small set. I don't give you much of a chance to scoop here. I don't even think you're a favorite to win against six opponents.


"One problem I have is that a 9 may kill me and there are only three fours left, since I have one in my hand. Also there is a two low, two flush, and straight cards there, so I certainly cannot be a favorite against the field."


I agree about your not being a favorite against the field. Yes, a 9 on the turn or river might kill you, but only if one of your opponents was playing a 9-5 or 9-4. And a disadvantage is there are only two fours left, reducing you outs by one. And, yes, your opponents should be suspected of being on low, flush and straight draws.


"In retrospect, I think I need to check-raise and attempt to clear the field."


I strongly disagree.


"There are two risks I have here, giving a free card and having a early player bet, making clearing the field impossible."


Exactly.


"However, I may not have enough equity unless I check-raise and clear some of the field."


You might get the very players you want to stay in the hand to fold by facing them with a double bet. I think the risks of check-raising here outweight the possible gains.


"On the turn the bet is routine, I believe."


Routine? Not the word I would have used, but O.K.


"On the river, I really considered checking."


If you do, you miss a good bet.


"However, I figured I held most of the full house cards, the only hand that really worried me was a K-9 combination."


K-K or K-9 seem scarier than 9-9, both because of the way the betting went, and because of a general aversion many players have to playing a pair of nines.


"And against the particular player that raised (rather unaware) folding was out of the question."


O.K.


"Overall comments? How is my overall equity?"


I think you played the hand well. Pretty difficult to figure your overall equity. I can't see playing this hand at all unless you are in the unraised small blind with very low expectation of a raise from the big blind, or unless you are in the unraised big blind. But once you put some money in the pot after seeing the hand, I think you have to play the hand as though you believe in it. Pussy foot around on the flop and end up folding to a bluff on the turn or river and you will have misplayed the hand.


Just my opinion.


Buzz

Thanks Buzz.....


A couple things. I would never consider folding this type of hand with the small blind being 2/3. I play a lot worse holdings than this, I hope thats not wrong. I liken it to being in the small blind in holdem with six limpers with 23o. For 5 dollars I would complete and look to flop two pair, trips or a straight.


Another thing I noticed is that you attempt to read all four cards in a players hand more than I do. I try to put a player on two cards i.e. A2 or A3, but I am not good enough to put a player on three or four cards. I can't think of one time I put a player on all four cards exactly. Maybe once. The games I play in are very loose where one of the tighter players (who was considered one of the best stud players in the world) casually limps with 9-9-6-4 doubly suited. Obviously, he is not an omaha player but it makes the hand reading you describe difficult.


I look forward to reading more posts here, and thanks for all the hard work you've put in Buzz. Much appreciated.