07-21-2005, 09:07 AM
Quick, let’s say you’re dealt 10-7-6-4 (rainbow) in middle position. No one has raised. What do you do?
Far too many players fold here. If you raise, you can 1: Pick up the blinds or 2: get called or re-raised. However, this hand and other so called “rags” can make you a lot of money in Pot-Limit Omaha (Note: Rags, for the purpose of this column are hands like 9-9-7-5 or 8-7-5-J).
If no one calls you, great, because then you’ve stolen the blinds and added to your win total. It may not be much, but does more money ever hurt?
Now, if you get called or re-raised, assume your opponent has better than you. However, in Omaha, this doesn’t mean much. If your opponent has a big pair (kings, queens, or aces) you’re only a 2-1 underdog. This is negative EV, right? Wrong. If you miss, you can fold or bluff. I recommend bluffing, because if the flop misses your opponent, can he call with one pair? And if he hits top set, you can either fold or continue if you have a draw, which he’s likely to pay off because you showed your previous bluffs like a good little dooby, didn’t you?
Against a big wrap, you’re a 3-1 dog. But not really. It is likely that your opponent will not continue after the flop unless he has top two pair or a straight draw. So again, if your opponent misses, you can bluff him, because it’s awful hard to call a pot-sized bet with no pair.
But the most profit from this play comes when you get all your chips in on a favorable flop. If you keep showing your bluffs, you opponents will likely raise with one pair. There is a certain rhythm to doing this. You have to time it so as your opponents go on tilt and start playing back, you have a hand, either a set or a straight. Also, if you flop a wrap with a small flush draw, you can get all your money in against top set as a small favorite. Vice-versa if you have a set versus a wrap draw.
And yet more profit comes from showing down these hands because people will no longer respect your bets. This then becomes a classic changing gears situation where as people loosen their starting requirements, you tighten up and drag monster pots with top full, nut flushes and straights, etc.
Therefore, it is clear that playing so-called “rags” can be extremely profitable. They cause win money in their own right, and can win you lots of extra bets in the future. For example, look at Sammy Farha: he definitely plays these hands, yet many consider him to be the best Pot-Limit-Omaha player in the world. At the very least, it’ll be hilarious when your opponent turns over top set and you turn over… J-9-7-6 for the nut straight.
Far too many players fold here. If you raise, you can 1: Pick up the blinds or 2: get called or re-raised. However, this hand and other so called “rags” can make you a lot of money in Pot-Limit Omaha (Note: Rags, for the purpose of this column are hands like 9-9-7-5 or 8-7-5-J).
If no one calls you, great, because then you’ve stolen the blinds and added to your win total. It may not be much, but does more money ever hurt?
Now, if you get called or re-raised, assume your opponent has better than you. However, in Omaha, this doesn’t mean much. If your opponent has a big pair (kings, queens, or aces) you’re only a 2-1 underdog. This is negative EV, right? Wrong. If you miss, you can fold or bluff. I recommend bluffing, because if the flop misses your opponent, can he call with one pair? And if he hits top set, you can either fold or continue if you have a draw, which he’s likely to pay off because you showed your previous bluffs like a good little dooby, didn’t you?
Against a big wrap, you’re a 3-1 dog. But not really. It is likely that your opponent will not continue after the flop unless he has top two pair or a straight draw. So again, if your opponent misses, you can bluff him, because it’s awful hard to call a pot-sized bet with no pair.
But the most profit from this play comes when you get all your chips in on a favorable flop. If you keep showing your bluffs, you opponents will likely raise with one pair. There is a certain rhythm to doing this. You have to time it so as your opponents go on tilt and start playing back, you have a hand, either a set or a straight. Also, if you flop a wrap with a small flush draw, you can get all your money in against top set as a small favorite. Vice-versa if you have a set versus a wrap draw.
And yet more profit comes from showing down these hands because people will no longer respect your bets. This then becomes a classic changing gears situation where as people loosen their starting requirements, you tighten up and drag monster pots with top full, nut flushes and straights, etc.
Therefore, it is clear that playing so-called “rags” can be extremely profitable. They cause win money in their own right, and can win you lots of extra bets in the future. For example, look at Sammy Farha: he definitely plays these hands, yet many consider him to be the best Pot-Limit-Omaha player in the world. At the very least, it’ll be hilarious when your opponent turns over top set and you turn over… J-9-7-6 for the nut straight.