A rather fun PL Omaha High/Low hand

[Zag]

I've been going on a kick lately trying different games, and I decided to try the PL Omaha High/low game on Party. What a rush! People who will draw at 4 or 6 outs to win half the pot. Very little use of the "Fold" button. Great fun.

Anyway, here's a hand I'd be glad for some comments on, though I'm pretty happy with how it ended up. My primaty question is whether I should have raised the flop.

I'm in the cutoff and I have the table covered. UTG, button, and BB are decent players and the rest are weak. I pick up Ah Qh Kc 5c and there are 3 limpers to me, including UTG. I consider a raise to buy the button, but button seems to fold more than half of his hands anyway. I figure I have scoop potential only for a high-only board so I just limp along.

Button folds (nice!) and blinds call and check.

Flop is Kh Th Qc . Excellent! No low possible. 9 hearts, 3 jacks, and 2 kings give me the nuts. 2 queens give me the near nuts. UTG bets $2 and there are 3 callers. UTG has $30 left and the two others have $20. I am not sure whether to put UTG on the straight (such a small bet) or maybe just testing the waters with a set.

Question: Do you raise here?

I just called, and the blinds both called behind me. (They have $18 and $30.)

Flop adds the 3c, so board is Kh Th Qc 3c . Still 14 outs to the nuts, but lets add seven more clubs to my list of second-nut outs.

UTG bets $6. (He must have the straight, so eliminate an out.) Next player raises all in. (Also, the straight, maybe club flush draw?) Even though I have nothing so far, I figure that I have odds to call even if the clubs are no good for me. I went ahead and pushed it all in, so we can get to the showdown. (If I had just called and UTG called, he'd still have $7 or so.) Anyway, blinds folded and UTG called.

River was the beautiful 2h! !!DING!! I pull in $120 pot, for a profit of $81.

It turns out I was way ahead on both the flop and turn, even though I didn't yet "have" anything but 2 pair. A club on the river would have won for me, as well. However, I have redone the analysis assuming that someone else had the nut draw in clubs, and I'm not in such good shape.

Flop: http://www.twodimes.net/poker/?g=o8&...%0AQh+Kc+5c+Ah

Turn: http://www.twodimes.net/poker/?g=o8&...%0AQh+Kc+5c+Ah

Hmmm. By changing just one of these hands (to give the weakest hand the nut flush draw in clubs), I become the dog on the turn, though I am still the big winner on the flop with those hands. It makes me think that maybe I should have raised the flop.
http://www.twodimes.net/poker/?g=o8&...%0AQh+Kc+5c+Ah

Question: Would anyone have folded at any point on this hand? I think that this last analysis assumes the worst (including lots of hearts dead) and I still am not that much of a dog. But if this were really the case, I should have pushed it in on the flop.

All comments will be greatly appreciated.

[gomberg]

I like pushing it here on the flop. If you can actually get it all-in there (it's pot limit, right?), then I'd do it as you have a ton of nut outs + some good 2nd nut outs. On the turn, I'd call too, but be a little worried and hope the draw hits. Another reason to raise on the flop is to "protect" your hand if it's already good.

If the money is really deep, then a call on the flop could be justified (can't get close to all-in on the flop). This way, you could fold to a huge bet on the turn although picking up more "outs", it would be hard to fold.

Nice hand.