PLO: playing against short money

[Guy McSucker]

Party $25 PLO (high) game. I have hit a couple of hands and have $100.
In all these hands my opponents were much shorter, $10 or $15. (Big blind is 50c). I played, errr, more rashly because of it, and wondered if I was right to do so.

Hand 1: couple of limpers to me, I limp with KQQT double suited, next player raises, all fold to me. I can reraise the pot and set him in, so I do. Comments? He had raised preflop a few times, but the only time I saw his hand he had AA.

Hand 2: somehow I am involved in the hand with 6678. It was unraised preflop. Flop comes QJ6, two diamonds. BB bets the pot. Folded to me. Again if I raise the pot he will be all-in. Your move? I have no flush draws.

Hand 3: in the big blind, I have 46xx. Unraised, four way flop comes 578. I bet, everyone calls. Turn is another 7, it is checked around. River is K, I check, second caller pushes in the rest of his money, $3 into a pot of $12. Your move?

Guy.

[tewall]

If you're the only one with the big stack, you can play just as if you were one of the other stacks. Where it gets tricky is when there's other big stacks out besides yours.

It's not right to play more rashly with a big stack. The only adjustments you make should be based on how others react to you. That is, if they play differently against you because of your stack than when your stack was smaller, then you should adjust to that, but otherwise play the same hopefully solid game that got you the big stack in the first place.

[Guy McSucker]

Thanks for the reply.

My intention with this post was not to ask if playing rashly with a big stack is correct. Rather, whether when playing against short stacks, it is reasonable to

- go all-in preflop with KQQT

- raise a bettor all-in when holding bottom set

- call a river bet with the idiot end of a straight and paired board.

The last one is not really the same situation I guess.

But in the first two cases, I've got a decent hand that would normally need to be played with care. My question is whether, against short money, you might just as well shove it in?

Guy.

[Acesover8s]

Guy,

Playing a dominant stack in ring PLO is fun, as long as the table is relatively passive. Usually I change my strategy by raising every hand I'm going to come in with and betting at most every flop (assuming that the entire table didn't call my raise).

Against a table of loose fishies like there are on party I wouldn't change my game that much however, since they're still going to slowplay 2 pair and call with 8th nut flush draws on a paired board.

In these hands:

1) I like it, unless he likely has AA or KK, but if hes willing to lay down KK to your raise thats even better.

2) Bottom set usually sucks, but on party you could be ahead. I would raise here, but my bankroll tells me that a fold isn't horrible.

3) If you checked the turn you have to call here. In a tougher game, I'd make a milk size bet the turn here. 69xx gets pissed that he let you get lucky and lets it go, full house raises and you can fold with confidence. 85 and flushdraws go away too.

Acesover8s

P.S. I still hate the PLO game at Party.

[Paul2432]

All thoughts to be taken with a grain of salt:

Hand 1: I think if there is a chance he would fold (say 20% or more) a re-raise all-in is a good play. Also, if you think there is a good chance he is raising with a worse hand a re-raise is a good play. I would expect one or both of these conditions is met, so your re-raise looks good to me.

Hand 2: How many players pre-flop? Anyone left to act behind you? I don't think folding here is horrible. In this situation your either a little ahead (against a big draw) or way behind (against an overset). I think the more players involved pre-flop the more likely I fold. Against just two or three pre-flop I would consider all-in.

Hand 3: I think at least 1 in 6 times on this board and betting, someone with trip sevens will bet thinking its good. I call.

Let me know what you think as I am still learning this game myself.

Paul

[Acesover8s]

[ QUOTE ]
Hand 2: How many players pre-flop? Anyone left to act behind you? I don't think folding here is horrible. In this situation your either a little ahead (against a big draw) or way behind (against an overset). I think the more players involved pre-flop the more likely I fold. Against just two or three pre-flop I would consider all-in.


[/ QUOTE ]

Your logic is good except for that on a party game, the player could easily have bottom 2 pair here, or hell, at party they might be going for low.

[Zag]

I've just come back to the Party PLO $100 games to recoup a little bankroll after it was knocked around by some very bad beats in the 15/30 Hold'em game. I certainly find the PLO game to be something I can beat more consistantly with a lot less overall risk. Fortunately, I have been lucky in the past couple of days on top of (I think) outplaying my opponents, and have recovered a lot of my losses.

Hand 1: Make the first raise preflop after a couple of limpers. As I said in another thread, you gain a lot with these hands if the other players automatically put you on aces when you raise. Any ace on the board will scare the crap out of them while probably setting up a good draw for you.

Similarly, since a lot of people ONLY raise if they have aces, you don't really want to make the second raise, because you are behind so many of these hands. If you had raised and he had reraised, you would have an reasonable laydown.

Once you had limped and he raised, you're in a tough spot. You say he had raised preflop a few times -- is that over the last 10 hands or over the last 200? If it is closer to 200, then pitch your hand -- he has AAxx. If it is AAQT, you are in a world of hurt. If it is closer to being the last 10 hands in which he has raise a few times, then either he has been very lucky, or his raising standards are weak and you are probably ahead of him. Put him all in.

Hand 2: Don't apologize for limping in decent position with 6678. There are lots of flops that this likes.

Would BB raise preflop with a good QQ hand? How about JJ? Does he raise his nut draws? If you can confidantly answer yes to any of these, put him in. With an entirely unknown opponent (i.e. he just posted), I would fold the actual hand you have, but would call if it also included a flush draw. My reasoning is that your set is ahead of any flush draw, but if you are behind a set, then your flush draw probably gives you outs. If he had top set AND a good flush draw, he would have checked to you. A big part of Omaha is having the alternate ways to win, and this is a classic example.

Hand 3: Eeeiieeww. I hate these hands -- you play for free and flop a non-nut straight out of position. It's a little too strong just to throw away, but could easily cost you a lot. I think I make the same move as you -- one pot-sized bet hoping to win it right there, planning to lose no more on this hand. But then the fish's river bet offers you 5-to-1 to call. Ick. I think you hold your nose and call. Remember that you only need to win once in 5 times you make this call for it to be profitable. In other words, I EXPECT to lose far more often than not, but it is still a profitable call (maybe just barely).