AAJJ heads up, you miss the flop

[Scruff]

$200 PLO8, $2/$2 blinds

SB ($135)
BB ($277.50)
hero ($198)
MP1 ($99)
MP2 ($198)
MP3 ($98)
cutoff ($281.50)
Button ($532.50)

cutoff is a fishy maniac. 45/14/122/85. He's been lucky so far.

Preflop:

Hero is dealt J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img],A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img],J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img],A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Hero calls $2, 2 calls, one fold, cutoff raises to $5, button folds, SB folds, BB calls $3, hero raises to $29, 2 folds, cutoff calls $21, BB folds.

Everything went perfect. Cutoff and Big Blind are both maniacs, and the play to limp reraise one of them to get it heads up worked. Should this have been my strategy?

Flop ($63): 4 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img],4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img],3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Hero checks, cutoff bets $63, Hero ????

[Wintermute]

I'd fold there. Playing for what's going to be half a pot much of the time, with a vulnerable high hand. If it's only one to a low, or if stacks were deeper, I'd be more willing to gamble.

[Chamonyx]

Not sure about wanting to be heads up here.

You are really looking to flop a set (4:1) and then make the lows pay, coz if you don't hit you can be in a lot of trouble OOP (QED)

[kitaristi0]

Instead of checking the flop I probably would've led out with a continuation bet to see where I stand. Now he could be betting just because you didn't. If he calls or raises, I'm done with the hand barring a perfect turn card.

[Jorge10]

[ QUOTE ]
Not sure about wanting to be heads up here.


[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed, the type of hand you have two big pair is a very good hand against maniacs because it will always make top full house, and they cant laydown inferior full houses so if you thought two of them stunk, let them in, and hope they make a worse boat than you. Also this type of hand unless it makes a set is completely worthless I dont like the reraise.

[Buzz]

Scruff - You do have an above average starting hand for one-on-one play, but I don't think of your cards as being exceptional. Once you have the pair of aces, the pair of jacks doesn't add much value for heads-up play. For heads-up play, it would be much better if you had a low card to go along with your aces in place of one of the jacks.

I do like the aces plus the jacks for multi-opponent play. Having one of the aces suited is nice, and is also better for multi-opponent play.

[ QUOTE ]
Everything went perfect. Cutoff and Big Blind are both maniacs, and the play to limp reraise one of them to get it heads up worked.

[/ QUOTE ]

The play worked, but seems to have been expensive. And now what?

[ QUOTE ]
Should this have been my strategy?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think I want to end up one-on-one out of position with anyone, including a maniac - maybe especially against a maniac. You figure to not particularly like the flop three times out of four with your starting hand.

So here you are on one of the three times out of four when you do not particularly like your fit with the flop. Your pair of aces is probably a winner for high, but maybe not, you have no shot at all at low, you check, and you're looking at a pot sized bet. I think you should have seen this coming, three times out of four.

What could you have done to have avoided the dilemma you now face?

I think two things:
• 1. Don't raise $29 before the flop.
• 2. Bet the flop yourself.

Either one of these is better than the way you played it. But both of them is better still.

Just my opinion.

Buzz

[lilkunta2]

i agree with the alst poster. the big mistake was preflop when you re-rasied the pot out of position. keep he pot small out of positiotn. you should never rerasie like this out of position preflop,,, its accually quite a big mistake. lesson learned i hope.. this is why you don't becayuse you miss the flop then all you have is aces and you have no frappin clue what anyone else has. this is how alot of people go broke in omaha and the experts watch for people like you who do this ebcasue it gives their hand away.