Do I bet?

[shakingspear]

I'm very, very new to Omaha H/L, so feel free to flame if this question is ridiculous. Here's the situation: .25/.50 Omaha H/L. It's heads up and I have the nut high. The board allows for a low. It's checked to me. If I bet and he calls rake will be taken (at this point the pot is below minimum rake requirement). Is it worth it to put in the bet?

[flexus]

I am very new to this game too, but I think that if there is any chance at all that your opponent has no low you should bet. The times you take the whole pot or make him fold a very weak low should make up for the money lost in rake the times he calls you and you split.

In a heads up game almost every hand is going to be played and therefor the chance that your opponent is also playing for high and has no low is quite big.

[GooperMC]

With the nut high HU I will bet max every time. The 1 time that you catch someone with no low or get someone to fold a non nut low, will make up for the 10 times that increase the rake a little bit. This is esp true at low limits.

[Ironman]

Shakingspear,

Don't give too much thought to the rake in situations like this. Bet and raise if it is available.

There have been several times that I have taken a hand to the river, not raised when I would have 3/4 or scooped a pot and essentially given up a big bet or two.

Bet. Raise. And sure enough, someone at the table will yell at you for for feeding the rake when you split a pot.

But it's ok. They'll think you're an idiot. Just smile and type..."sorry"...and then do it to them again. As we said in another thread, it's not a bad thing for the table to think you're an idiot. You can get people to lay down some pretty good hands when they think you will push back at them.

Players are really bad at this level...actually they are bad right up through 2/4 as far as I can tell. Make them pay for it.

Dave

[Wintermute]

Here's my rule of thumb: never worry about the rake.

[shakingspear]

That has always been my view, too. Recently I thought maybe that was the wrong way to think of things.

Thank you all for the advice.