PLO: Bare Trips and Top Two

[boxedIn]

Alright, so I'm wondering how people play top two and bare trips, as the subject line might indicate to those that can, ya know, read. Anyway, I'll give some examples of hands that have been f*cking with my head lately. I'm interested in how you would play such hands.

Let's say you hold T [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] in late position (either CO or button). There are about 4 limpers before you, as is usually the case, and you limp.

The flop is T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

In retrospect, I think the ideal plan here is to hope for a raise in front of you and to reraise pot to push out straight draws. If there's a bet and a raise in front of me, I would throw it away guessing I'm up against a set and a strong draw.

If there were two to a flush out there, if it's raised before, I would plan on calling behind and making a play on the turn when the pot is bigger if a scare card doesn't come. If one does, plan on folding to a significant bet in front of you (if it's not significant, call and see if you can fill up on the river ... that's if you're closing the betting, of course).

Comments? How would you play this?




The next situation I get into trouble with is bare trips.

Let's say you have A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] in late position again (just because I want these examples to be illustrative, not specific).

Anyway, there are three limpers around to you preflop. I would raise it up about 1/2 the pot due to strength of hand, position, and the fact that you're unlikely to get reraised. Anyway - comments on that, even though it's kind of an aside?

Let's say the flop is A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 5 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

How do you play this? Obviously you're not going to get any action from anyone without another A, barring exceedingly stupid people.

The issue I seem to keep on having is that, despite having trips with top kicker, I continually lose to a full house. It's also often that the other player is betting his trips with 2nd or 3rd kicker hard the entire way, but I end up being outdrawn. I feel like it's way too weak to fold trips, but I also feel like I'm losing money betting into a pot with bare trips when the other player could easily have a full house. It seems kind of like playing the nut flush when the board pairs ...

Anyway - comments on how to play such a flop? Out of position, in position, etc.?

For those to whom it matters, I'm usually talking about the Party $25 PLO tables, to give you a sense of the players/stakes. Not the most fun game in the world, but it builds a bankroll [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Piiop]

Top two is a tough hand to play and you should learn to get away from it easily. There aren't a lot of cards that you'll be happy to see on the turn. In your specific example, luckily there is no flush draw so we don't have that to worry about. If there was a bet and a raise in front of me I'd fold. If there was a bet right before me, I would raise it. If it was checked to me I would bet it. If there was a bet and more than 1 before me I'd have to consider. I would probably call and see what the turn brings. The only cards you want to see are a T, 9, or lower than 6. If there was a flush draw and someone bet and there was a call I would fold.

In the second hand, I would raise this preflop everytime. Also, if you're raising preflop, raise the pot, don't raise it in between - there's no point in doing that. I don't know if you're actually having trouble playing this hand, or if you're just getting drawn out on a lot. All you have to do is bet it. Like you said, you're not going to get any action from anyone else unless they have an Ace, and if you're hand is that strong, they have a lot of catching up to do.

[boxedIn]

On the second one, I'm having a bit of a problem with getting outdrawn on it, however in PLO I'm thinking of ranges of hands. Anyone that's playing with me on this flop is gauranteed to have the other A, let's just assume that. There are 3 cards out there that could be in his hand which means I'm drawing. There are an additional 9 outs has two shots at, ignoring counterfeits.

What worries me is that if I'm going broke on this hand, I'm more often probably going to be facing a full. It's a problem with losing the least when the other person has a full house and making the most when he doesn't and I have the better kicker.

Should I be check/calling out of position here? Should I be attempting to get all my money in, ignoring the action? Say the flop is changed to something like JJQ; does having the T as a potentially lost out change anything?