How did I play this O/8 hand?

[spamuell]

I was in LMP in a very loose, most players seeing most flops (although also not that much raising) .5/1 Omaha/8 Game on party and was unsure how to play this hand: (I hope this is a better layout than posting a hand history.)


Dealt to Hero [ 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] ]

UTG folds, UTG + 1 folds, MP limps, I limp, CO-1 folds, CO (posted blind) checks, button limps, SB completes, BB raises

I wasn't sure whether I should be in this hand in the first place, I am trying to loosen up my play because I was really playing very few hands and when I did get into a hand all the action died. I am very unhappy about the BB raising but I figure that as I put in the first bet, I must have the odds to call here to see if I can flop an ace.

** Dealing Flop ** : [ 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] ]

SB checks, BB bets, MP folds, Hero calls, CO folds, Button calls, SB checkraises!, BB says in chat window: "I am home" and 3-bets, Hero calls, Button calls, SB caps it, all call.

** Dealing Turn ** : [ Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] ]

SB bets, BB raises, hero calls, button calls, SB 3-bets, BB calls, Hero calls, Button calls

I considered raising here, but I decided against it for 2 reasons:

1. I am probably up against at least one, if not two, 23s, and the hand is a break even situation if I get quartered and a losing one if I get sixthed (is this unlikely?)

2. If a 2 or 3 falls on the river, I'm left with very little.

Is my reasoning here sound? What should I have done/thought differently?

** Dealing River ** : [ 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] ]

SB checks, BB bets, Hero raises (finally), Button folds, SB folds (after much thinking), BB calls

How did I do?


Results in white below:
<font color="white">
I split with BB who has [ 8s 2s 3d 4s ]

Did I get lucky not to get quartered or even sixthed?
</font>

[lunchmeat]

I love all the O8 posts popping up here... and yes, this is a better layout.

I think the pre-flop call is too loose. For me to play this hand, I want a virtual guarantee of no raises and a lot of buddies seeing the flop with me. I don't think you can have that kind of guarantee from MP.

Flop and turn look good to me.

I don't think the river raise is the best poker play. Like you said, you're likely splitting the pot with another player holding 23xx. A raise will likely knock out the people with non-nut hands, but if you call they'll be tempted to show down their hands.

A word of caution. I also am new to O8, but I am not new to poker. So take my pre-flop advice with a grain of salt as it is O8 specific. Going for overcalls on the river is more of a general poker play, so I am more confident in my advice for your river play.

[ironman007]

I don't like those types of hands at all and I will rarely ever play that hand because it's a low only hand that needs to get very lucky to scoop.
The problem with the comment that you want a lot of players in the hand is actually wrong for an obvious reason. If a lot of players are in the hand then all the Aces are gone. This is a hand you have to learn from experience that this hand will cost you money.

[lunchmeat]

[spamuell]

I'm not sure that that is such a good point at .5/1 on party. Most players are seeing most flops with most hands, and the raggediest of hands are being shown down, T875, Q964 etc, people really are playing anything. I don't think people being in the hand increases the amount of aces that are outside the deck significantly, although people are more likely to have an ace, because if none of them has an ace it is much more likely that one will fall.

[ironman007]

That's a good point, I have no experience playing at that limit. But just because most of the player play bad doesn't mean you should play that loose. This is a classic trap hand of the game, you always seem to flop something and end up with a second best hand.

[Terry]

[ QUOTE ]
when I did get into a hand all the action died

[/ QUOTE ]

That rings a bell with me. I’ve done well at live O/8 for several thousand hours, and rarely ran into that problem. When I started playing internet poker, things changed.

I’ve been earning my living playing online Hold ‘em and a little bit of Stud for over three years now, but my split pot results online have been poor, being just about dead even after 300 hours each in Omaha 8 and Stud 8. I don’t play them online anymore.

When I first looked at the online split pot games they looked pretty much super juicy. I kept seeing “live ones” going to war with hands that I never even considered playing, taking down pot after pot with hands that were nowhere near the nuts, yet it seemed that nearly every time I got involved in a hand and decided to pay off with the number 2 or 3 hand I’d be looking at nut / nut in the hands of those two guys who had been three betting and showing down hands like 9's up for high and 87652 for low, or I’d bet the flop only to watch everyone fold for the first time in an hour. Throw in a bunch of getting jammed and quartered in three way pots on the river and the picture is complete.

I won’t rant. I’ll just stick with the games I can beat.