Brand new Omaha player, should I have stayed aggressive?

Baseballer02 · #1 06-21-2005, 02:18 PM

I'm brand new to the Omaha/8 game. I've read various articles on sites and am currently reading the Omaha/8 section out of SS2. I feel I'm finally starting to grasp some concepts while learning the game playing at Party .50/1. How does this hand look? Should i have stayed aggressive?

Party Poker 0.5/1 Omaha/8 (8 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is Button with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
1 fold, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, 2 folds, Hero calls, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: (5 SB) 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, Hero checks.

Turn: (2.50 BB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (5 players)
SB bets, BB folds, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, Hero raises, SB 3-bets, UTG+1 calls, MP1 folds, Hero caps, SB calls, UTG+1 calls.

River: (15.50 BB) K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB bets, UTG+1 folds, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 17.50 BB

JoshuaMayes · #2 06-21-2005, 02:28 PM

Yes, you have a nut, nut hand. I would always cap that river. Why wouldn't you raise the river? There is no way that you can be beaten in either direction, and you are likely to be quaretering your opponent.

Baseballer02 · #3 06-21-2005, 02:32 PM

I did indeed quarter my opponent. Because I'm a new player adjustting from Texas Hold 'Em, sometimes when the game gets very fast paced I'll have hard time seeing all my possible hands, outs, etc.

muse21 · #4 06-21-2005, 02:46 PM

On the button, I would have bet the flop.

Tailgunner · #5 06-21-2005, 02:50 PM

Preflop: Worth a raise on the button with a couple limpers behind you, don't give the blinds a free ride.. garbage like 789J could ruin your scoop potential on what might otherwise be a nice flop.

Flop: Nut low and high hand draws, with no action you may want to throw in a position bet here (you probably won't scare anyone off and it may provide some information on the hand to assist your play on the turn) but they're just draws and the high potential and counterfeit protection is pretty weak at this point so a check isn't bad.

Turn. Great card! Rainbow board with the nuts both ways and good counterfeit protection. Nice play.

River. You've still got the nuts both ways, hammer it... at worst he's also playing an A36x and will split with you, but more likely you're 3/4ing a wheel.

Ironman · #6 06-21-2005, 03:35 PM

Sometimes in this game you really need to take a moment at the end and figure out exactly where you are at the end.

I can understand how you might miss a raise at the turn, but the river? You've got to hit that guy hard and and keep pushing the raise button until the computer makes you stop.

Dave

Buzz · #7 06-21-2005, 05:06 PM

Baseballer02 -

1st betting round: Fine.

2nd betting round: I think you should bet this flop. You have flopped the nut low draw with fair back-up, plus you have some back-door opportunities. You bet here to set up plays for later betting rounds on this hand and also to set up plays for future deals. (It's very difficult for your opponents to get a read on your hand if you bet here, and it will be harder for them to read your hands in the future if you bet here). I think betting this flop with your hand is almost manditory.

3rd betting round: Now you have made a wheel plus a six-high straight, and so you properly jam. Fine.

Would it have made a difference if you had bet on the second betting round? Would SB have checked? Would you have lost the opportunity to jam on the third betting round if you had bet on the second (in which case it would seem as though you actually did better by checking on the second betting round)? Hard to tell. I guess it depends on SB. Sometimes you do what in retrospect seems the wrong thing for the moment - but that turns out to be the right thing after all. (But if it is right to have checked the second betting round, it's only right the way this particular turn and river have worked out).

The four of clubs is an almost ideal turn card. (Only the four of hearts would have been more welcome). If you knew you would get the four of hearts on the turn, then slow playing the second betting round, so as to set up the late raise on the third betting round would maybe make sense - but with most other turn cards, I think betting on the second round is best - and maybe you would still have gotten the opportunity to jam here. Hard to say.

But at any rate, you jam here. Fine.

4th betting round: My guess would be SB has either the wheel or the six-high straight, but probably not both, and maybe neither. You should raise with the double nuts. (That one's a no brainer).

I haven't read the other responses yet. Now I'll go read them.

Buzz

Baseballer02 · #8 06-21-2005, 11:25 PM

Thanks for the input guys. Like I said , I'm not quite sure why I didn't raise on the river, I guess being as tired as i was I didn't realize I had nut/nut, for some reason i was thinking 7 high straight was possible. With this experience I'd have to say playing on 4 hours sleep is -EV.

chaos · #9 06-22-2005, 05:47 PM

Preflop: your play is fine

Flop: I think your play is too passive. I would bet here.

Turn: You have nut high and nut low. You are likely to still have nut-nut after the river card. I agree with your jamming.

River: You still have nut-nut. You should raise. You most likely will get 3/4 of the pot. The worst that can happen is you both have the same high and low. You cost yourself some money by just calling.

chaos · #10 06-22-2005, 05:56 PM

You should practice reading hands. A good way to do this is with a deck of cards. Give yourself four cards that make a playable hand. Now deal 5 face-up cards. Determine your best high hand and best low hand. Also determine what are the best possible high and low hands for that board. Remove those five cards and deal five more. Repeat.

You can also deal out the five board cards first and then repeatedly deal yourself four card hands.

With practice you should improve reading your hand and knowing what the nuts in each direction are.