Draws in Omaha question

[Mr.ScragglyBeard]

Hey,

I've been doing some reading up on Omaha high/low, and I had a question in relation to a concept I don't really understand. The book I'm currently going through is "Championship Omaha" by T.J. Cloutier and Tom McEvoy.

Cloutier claims that when you have a strong draw on the flop, you should bet out regardless of the number of opponents. The turn play is the one that I have a hard time coming to grips with - T.J. claims that HU you would bet out again on the turn (which makes sense since against one opponent your hand is less vulnerable), but would simply check against 2-3+ opponents. He concludes that 3 handed or more, you don't lead at the pot on the turn.

I've thought about this a fair bit; I can see why you would play the hand in the above fashion IF you are in LP - a bet on the flop in LP, enables you to exploit the "check to the raiser" tendency, and gives you a potential free card. This is a pretty standard limit play. But why are you failing to protect your hand if you are in EP?

The only rational I could come up with was as follows; if you have missed your draw on the turn, checking enables you to (possibly, but unlikely) see a free card. Betting is also doubled on the turn and river, so it is a more expensive play. Additionally, the structural nature of Omaha (4 vs 2 hole cards) makes it more likely that any card coming off the deck in a multi-way pot has improved someone's hand. And, finally, checking enables you to see the way in which your opponents act, thereby giving you an idea of whether or not your previous number of outs are still live.

Basically, does it really come down to "don't over commit on the flop with a draw, because hands are not as clearly defined yet"? That's the idea that seems to be hinted at.

Any discussion would be appreciated.

[CrushinFelt]

It's probably just the best way to get the most money in the pot. If you do have a big draw then the more money in the pot the better. If you lead there's a greater chance of the pot getting raised thus driving others out of the pot. If you check there's a better chance that weaker draws could still be priced in for 1 bet that would otherwise fold to someone's raise.

[Mr.ScragglyBeard]

Thanks for the reply. What you are saying does make sense - checking in EP will esentially ensure that you are encouraging weaker draws/holdings to remain in the pot, thereby padding the pot while giving the marginal hands little chance of scooping.

I think this discussion covers EP and LP pretty adequatelly. But how would you suggest playing from MP? Obviouslly, I'm assuming play at the micro levels where a family pot (featuring the kitchen sink) is a frequent occurance. Would you still check/call, or would you open/re-raise?

I'm just starting to play O/8 so I'm curious as to how strong draws would be played in different positions. That's something that I found the O/8 section of Championship Omaha to be a little vague about.

But "Stories from T.J." I guess makes up for that... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]