Aces

[joeg]

Hi everyone,

I've only just started learning to play omaha hi, I ve only played on turbo omaha hi and one thing I've noticed is that it allways reccommend's raising a pair of aces (or kings), whilst I can certainly see that is the case if your going to play them it seems to me that a pair of aces on its own is not that stronger hand on its own and if the other two cards are unsuited trash then maybe they should be folded if your raise is unlikely to get you into a headsup situation, is this to tight?

[Herb N.]

If more than one person has limped in before you I see no reason to raise with AAXX,or bad k's in fact with a hand like AA49 I would normaly fold...OK say 5/6 players have limped in thats differant then I'd make a call.Lets say 3/4have folded and I'm 1st to enter I'd enter with a raise.I dont have Turbo Hi,but I do have one of the 1st.Hi/Low programs,and I think the advisor stinks!After saying that I do think the program is a very good learning tool..Good Luck..

[joeg]

Thanks for the advice, one other quick question, whenever I have a high overpair (with no draws) at the flop the advisor suggests betting, with more than say 2 opponants I cant really see a overpair being the best hand, is this kind of like betting middle pair in holdem where if your called your most likely beat?

[Buzz]

Hi Herb - "in fact with a hand like AA49 I would normaly fold"

Interesting. That's very, very, very tight. Although I wouldn't characterize AA49-rainbow as a "strong" hand, I do think it is a very playable hand.

Short handed or in a tight game, the pair of bullets would be very powerful on the high side, plus the A4 is a very respectable low combination for one-on-one play.

In a full, loose, passive game, you're getting odds to play a pair of bullets as a drawing hand and you have some back-up value from the A4 two card combination, which makes the nut low about one board out of fourteen - and has an excellent chance of scooping when it does make the nut low. In addition, A4 makes the second nut low even more often than it makes the nut low. Although you probably wouldn't generally want to be playing the second nut low in a full, loose game, and certainly wouldn't want to be drawing to it, you might sometimes end up with a part of the pot as a result of having the second nut low, while primarily drawing to something else. The result of making your high and ending up with the second nut low could be a scooper.

AA49n suffers from having a nine and not being suited. AA49s (suited ace) is a very strong starting hand and AA49d (double suited) is a premium starting hand. But even without a suited ace, even as a rainbow hand, AA49 is very playable, in my humble opinion.

Penultimately, I think you could make a good case for folding rainbow AAMN, AAMH, and AAHK hands before the flop, where M and N are two different middle cards (7, 8, or 9) and H and K are a high cards (T, J, Q, or K). I'm probably going to get disagreement here, but, for example, I don't think of AsAhKdQc as a very good starting hand in a full game. And AsAh9dQc is certainly not a good starting hand in a full game.

Lastly, I feel as though I generally do better with AAXX when I raise before the flop, both in tight games and in loose games (but for diffeerent reasons). Maybe that's partly because of my playing style, or maybe it's an illusion, but that's my general impression. Even so, AAXX continues to be one of those hand groups I mix it up with, sometimes playing it one way and sometimes another.

Just my opinion.

Buzz

[chaos]

Buzz - I think joeg is asking about straight high Omaha.
A game I have little personal experience with.

[Buzz]

Chaos - Yes. Thanks. My response was obviously for high-low. I also don't have enough experience playing high-only to respond for high-only.

Buzz

[Herb N.]

Ya Buzz I was talking about High O.As I said IF 5,or 6 players have folded [even 4],and I was first to enter the pot I would do it with a raise.The same for if the game were short handed,If the game was extremly tight I might,But I would need some kind of help with my A's lets say A/A/9/10 to enter the pot.With a tight game I would enter the pot with a raise mayby 50%,and call 50%.

[Gitz]

joeg,

Play with different players set it up with loose, maniac, tight players. I play with there hands open so I can see them. After trying this at low stakes 5/10 switch to a tight game. DON'T use the advisor it will screw you up more than help you. I enjoy playing with the tight players at 20/40 level. After you've done that for a while with their cards up. Play the same line-up with their hands down and keep repeating this until you can be close to knowing what they have in their hands (check after each hand to see what they had and how close you were). It takes time and practice but in a couple of weeks you'll see the difference in your game. You'll also be more sure of your starting hands. Decisions will come faster and be more correct as you go along.

paul