PLOhi - pre-flop/flop play

[ECondreras]

I would like some advice on playing Omaha/hi on Party. I have played a ton of hold'em online, but not Omaha. In any event, I want some advice on how others would have played this hand. I was new to the table and the limited read that I had on the button is that he was fairly aggressive.

Party Poker Pot-Limit Omaha High, $0.50 BB (10 handed)

MP2 ($22.50)
MP3 ($47.70)
CO ($73.15)
Button ($38.15)
Hero ($30)
BB ($52.25)
UTG ($22.50)
UTG+1 ($43.15)
UTG+2 ($52.30)
MP1 ($9.50)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 4/images/graemlins/club.gif, 7/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 calls $0.5, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO calls $0.5, Button raises to $2.75, Hero calls $2.75, BB calls $2.75, UTG+2 folds, CO calls $2.75.

Flop: ($11.50) 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, BB checks, CO checks, Button bets $9, Hero raises to $27.25 (All-In), BB folds, CO folds, Button calls $27.25.

Turn: ($66) 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

River: ($66) 5/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: $66

Question 1 - was calling the raise in the SB a bad move? Aces with one suit is not a bad hand, but I was to have horrible position the rest of the way. Should I have reraised? Folded?

Question 2 - Flop all-in reraise. I'm almost certain that this was a horrible move. There are so many cards that can send me packing - any spade, K J or T. Should this have been a check fold?

-Ed-

[Buzz]

[ QUOTE ]
Question 1 - was calling the raise in the SB a bad move? Aces with one suit is not a bad hand, but I was to have horrible position the rest of the way. Should I have reraised? Folded?

[/ QUOTE ]

Ed - I like the way you played the hand.

[ QUOTE ]
Question 2 - Flop all-in reraise. I'm almost certain that this was a horrible move. There are so many cards that can send me packing - any spade, K J or T. Should this have been a check fold?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think it was a horrible move at all. I'm assuming that you originally checked with the intention of check-raising the Button all-in and playing it one-on-one. If so, you had a good read on the Button and things worked out according to plan.

Nicely done, in my humble opinion.

Buzz

[Graham]

Most would reraise preflop, but that only gets about 10 of your 30 into the pot. It would likely get you HU, but you're out of position with a bunch of chips left to bet. Nevertheless, HU is better than 4-way with your poor aces hand. I'da just called and looked to play the flop, as you did.

Flop all-in reraise is just right - if you know someone'll stick a bet out. Again, you'd rather be HU and all-in, to clear out some of the draws against you and take away the guessing out of position when a scare card falls (as it very likely will). You're ahead equity wise, regardless of what the other players can have, and all-in is perfect in this spot. If you get multiple callers, well, you've more chance of being beaten, but you're getting value on your top set/boat draw. Other callers also sometimes have lower sets/two pair hands, partic. in Party games where many play cruddy hands/draws.

You usually get more responses posting pot limit hands in the PL/NL Forum, regardlesss of the game.

G

[ECondreras]

I'd like to tell you that my plan was to check raise him all in, but in fact, I was more hoping to see the turn card for free and then go from there. Blank falls and I bet out. Spade falls and I check-fold. I'm glad it didn't go that way as I would have folded an eventual winner. But I did decide that if he bet big on the flop that I would move all in. I was hoping that he would lay it down with my raise and was bummed when he called. When the spade came off on the turn I thought I was toast and when the river paired I thought I caught a miracle break.

As it turn out, he had no spade draw and only a pair of nines. He was drawing nearly dead.

-Ed-

[crockpot]

generally speaking it is bad to announce half your hand out of position. however, if you think you can get it heads-up with your reraise, i would consider it here. the key point is that you can get all-in with one bet on the flop. your opponent is getting his odds to outflop aces cut down significantly, and you are negating his positional advantage by getting all-in before he can use it.

calling is better than folding. if you flop an ace you can win a big pot. unless you flop a made flush (or a flush draw and top set) your suited ace will not be worth much out of position.

so in a game where my reraise will usually eliminate the field, i reraise and push all in on the flop unless it is really ugly. if not, i will call and hope to flop an ace.

as for your flop play - if you are planning to fold when you flop the nut top set, why are you calling a raise with this hand? i would be quite happy with this flop and you should be too. i would have considered betting out, though. since you have two aces and the ace of spades, it is not that likely someone will have a hand they like enough to bet here.