Omaha hi lo PL Keep the pot small???

Hi all.

I`m playing a lot of Omaha hi lo PL ring games.

Due to the nature of the game and the big influx of NLHE players I wonder what u think on the above subject.

NLHE players seem to get carried away because they have 4 pocket cards, so therefore they limp into most hands.

What is your betting strategy when u have a hand preflop, post flop, etc with some examples?

To give you an idea of me...

Preflop - rarely raise - it seems to act as a pot sweetner.
Flop - Need a lot more than open ended straight draw, nut flush, nut low draw to bet.
Nut hi/ lo/ both - bet about 1/2 pot - u get lots of takers.

Thoughts guys???

seems fair but dont bet with the nut low, thats just begging for you to be quartered

To clarify mate, what I mean here is me with say A24K to a flop of 35K as an example - so nut lo with potential hi.

So do u think that being passive preflop is the way to go most of the time on Omaha hi lo? Also, keep the pot small until you have a lock, or near lock hand?

What I find is that alot of the converted NLHE players will bet preflop like it was a NLHE game with either AAxx, KKxx, A2xx and so on.

You actually don't have quite that much (yet) - this is possibly the best high hand now, with a draw to the nut low.

If you have a strong draw to the high nuts, then sure, it's fine to come out betting.

The problem you will run into with this example hand is that you are most likely behind on the high side (you're not drawing to the nuts on the high straight - anyone holding 46 or 67 is way ahead of you) and if the hand comes brick-brick on the end, can you really win it with just a pair of Kings? I'd be surprised.

You generally want to bet to protect your made hand or give some deception to your nut draw. In this case, you don't have either, so I would be checking to see how the hand develops.

I agree with switch - if you have only the nut low, then betting is almost never the correct play.

I almost never raise PF. Everyone will just call anyway. You want to see a flop and see how good your draws are.

In ring games I'm not putting in the first raise pre-flop, but when I choose to limp I'm doing so expecting to call a single raise and will reraise with hands that warrant it. In tournaments, when the blinds get high and I can pressure shorter stacks to fold, I'm generally opening with a raise to try and pick up the blinds.

If you choose to raise pre-flop, you should be doing so with a variety of hands. I love playing against people who only put in a PFR with AA, don't be one of those people

Nope Ken, not me

I mix it up in the same way as I do with NLHE.

If I`m last to act and I`m sitting with say Ah3d4cQh and I have a lot of limpers I will sometimes raise. It would be a `feel` thing.

I have found it is very rare in Omaha hi lo the u get reraised.

Then, to a flop of say 2h10s9d u can fire in a pot size raise knowing that mose if not all are after the low. Is this a little to loose???

Unless you are heads-up, I find that it's rare for a stone bluff to work, even in pot-limit. Even with a flop like that, if anyone calls, you're stuck in a big pot with A high and needing a perfect turn and river to wind up with even half.

I'm trying to to play for the nuts, trying to draw to them inexpensively if I can, and if someone really wants to take the nothing pot, they can have it. I more than make up for it when I connect with the flop in the future.

why would you not bet and open ended str8 draw or a nut flush draw in omaha???

Omaha is a drawing game. U bet your draws as most of the time you are favored on the flop with a draw versus someone flopping a set.

g/l

This is what I`m trying to get my head around.

I think that in the main this will depend on position.

If you are last to act seeing a free card might not be a bad idea. However, if in last position u bet out your draw u will not get people who are holding the nuts at that time to fold.

In most cases, you will be in position in PLO - if you are playing many hands out of position, take a close look, because this can be a huge leak in your game.

I find that it's rare for decent Omaha players to give free cards - the bad players do it even less. On the rare occasion that I get a chance to draw to my hand for cheap or free, I'll usually take it. I understand that I'm giving up some potential profit when I hit, but in PL, there is usually plenty of time to build the pot, and when you miss the saved bets add up.

If I'm drawing to a monster (like a big wraparound straight draw and a nut flush draw on top of it) I probably will attempt a steal if checked to, but I'm trying to take down the pot right there with a semi-bluff, not putting out chips just hoping that I complete my draw.

say you have 10h Jh Ac Kc, pretty decent hand in omaha to see a flop with a moderate raise with. flop comes 8c 9c 4h 3s.

You're open ended with the nut flush draw, you wil be favored over any hand at this moment, even a set. 7 outs in clubs with a possible 9, and 3 other sevens and 3 other Queens. Minimum 13 outs.

why would you not bet?? even if someone raises you with a set you are favored to win the hand. and if a heart comes on the turn that does not pair the board add another 6 outs to it.

Omaha is a game of aggresion and draws, never be afraid or you will find yourself on the short end of things most of the time.


g/l

I agree - but this is an extreme example. Unfortunately most hands you will run into are not quite so magical. I'm also probably raising this pre-flop in position, so I'd be betting all the way with it anyhow

Ring is different than tournament, and yes, I'll gladly bet with the best odds. In reading back through this discussion, I think somewhere got mixed up and thought we were talking about freezeouts (where I think it makes sense to be more cautious about semi-bluffing draws). It really sucks to brick the end and get the consolation trip to the rail as the flopped set rakes your chips.

I agree, my example was for the earlier quote of not betting the open ended str8 and flush draw. and i just noticed that particular post is gone too lol.

g/l

my mistake the post is not gone. It's at the bottom of ronaldadio's original post.


g/l