CJS - Bare aces are expected to do poorly after a rainbow flop with two high cards and one low card.
And that is mostly what you have after this flop. (You also have a 4 out inside straight draw). Even so, you can take a stab at the pot, because when you only have two opponents, chances are neither of them liked the pot very well either. And that's even truer when one of them has already checked.
So you take a stab. Fine. And then they both call. Very hard to read. Do they just not believe you, or do they actually have better fits with this flop than you?
There
are a couple of 17-out straight draws (QJTX and 987X). And somebody could have two pairs. Or just one pair with some straight outs. Any set would seem to raise, as would top two pairs, so those are kind of doubtful, but not impossible. Well, let's see what the turn brings.
Turn is J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Oh my gosh, you hit your inside straight draw!! Fantastic! And of course you bet. And again they both call.
But then the damned board pairs on the river. SB checks, so you probably have him beaten or tied - but there is that pesky CO yet to act.
And now you face one of the classic dilemmas of Omaha-8. Do you bet a hand that was the nuts on the turn when you have opponents who were probably drawing after the turn and when the river enables a full house or quads?
Think of it this way. The bets that are already in the pot are either yours or not. There is no way you can fold this! So simply think in terms of what you stand to gain by betting and what you stand to lose. And then think of what you stand to gain by checking and what you stand to lose.
Let's do that.<ul type="square">• If you bet and have a winner, probably at least one of these opponents will pay you off. +1
• If you bet and have a loser, you will probably get raised (maybe just a straight raise from CO, or possibly a check-raise from SB) and will pay off (in case of a bluff or poor bet). -2
• If you check and have a winner, either CO will also check and concede the pot, or CO will bet the void, (and you will call if he does). 0 or +1
• If you check and have a loser, CO will probably bet (and you will call if he does). -1[/list]So there is something to be said for betting and there is something to be said for checking. And you have to decide which to do. I think it's kind of close and depends upon your opponents. I think you bet sometimes and check sometimes. Not a big deal one way or the other. Either way, if you guess wrong, you only lose a bet or two.
Sometimes I'll check here and other times I'll bet. Depends on various factors not touched upon in your post.
The big mistake would be either if you checked and then folded to a bet or if you bet and then folded to a raise. That way you might lose a whole pot, not just a bet or two.
Buzz