LO8 - mixed games

[howzit]

playing home game of HOE.

UTG is hold'em specialist but has improved quite a bit in O8, so tries to play straight forward for the most part.
MP - sports gambler and has great card sense but no real experience in O8.
me - button. play aggresively and more trickier than i do at the other games.

preflop: UTG raises, MP calls, i 3 bet A245 double suited, blinds folds, UTG caps, call, call.

flop: Q48, two clubs. UTG bets, MP calls, i call (no clubs).

turn: Kx. UTG bets, MP calls, i raise, UTG calls, MP calls.

river plan was to fire any blank. obv bet a low.


so how'd i do? i think this line is spewy since pot's so big from preflop so not that much fold equity on a badugi river.

trying to rep A244 or A2KQ

[Truthiness24]

Your problem is that MP is 95% likely to call down with anything. You have minimal fold equity. So, as played, betting if anything but a low comes seems spewy when you're last to act. Plus, it is too likely that one of your opponents has something -- i.e. more than you.

If UTG is solid but straightforward, consider raising the flop. Put pressure on him. Use your position. You're only putting out an extra small bet, you'll get a better read, and you might knock out MP, which will uncuff you to potentially make a play later in the hand.

UTG's reaction to your raise should help you to figure if he has a set or a draw. When he just called on the turn, I figure him for flush draw + low draw -- but I base this on assuming that he is tight and straightforward. Your raise on the turn isn't optimal because it took two big bets to narrow down his range when you could maybe have done it on the flop.

As played, if no low, you're last to act so check it down. Bet the low.

[howzit]

the counterpoint of raising the flop would be that i don't think i'll narrow down his range by raising the flop. i might get 3 bet but that still might be nut/nut draw, AA2x, A2QQ. i really won't know.

MP's hand range is hard to tell since MP is just calling down a lot, i gotta assume he's got a BS two pair or another naked low draw.

[howzit]

this just in from ray zee in the 2/400 stud hi hand:

i dont know, but when the pot gets too big you may need to call down in case he has a draw and any pair you hit may win.

thats the danger of getting the pot large early without a showdown hand. you are getting called all the way and you lose the chance of bluffing later on or knocking them out when they had plus ev to call.

[green100b]

I think the UTG player could be the next coming of Stu Ungar. but that's just what i can tell from this hand history.

[green100b]

By capping preflop - you are declaring your strength. i like smooth calling with your hand pre-flop since it allows ultimate positional flexibility. It also allows you availability to bluff later on. 2 ways: 1)keeps the pot smaller so harder for UTG to call (needs to be right higher % of time). 2) when you call there's a wider range of hands to put you on, allowing you to semi-bliff/outright bluff wierd cards. Why announce a huge hand so soon? By ramming and jamming it makes it unlikely you have A2KQ. A244 is a possiblity as is A233 or AA2x. But since you do not have clubs raising the turn makes a semi-bluff difficult in a pot this big. Since MP is passive, UTG knows it will be max 2 bets to go to river with you. If he completely bricks out you win, but you had the best hand with a pair. if he has a big pair he calls you on the end since his % needed to be right to breakeven from the call is low.

[Buzz]

Hi Howzit - This flop is very similar to the flop for Case 22 shown in this month's 2+2 magazine Omaha-8 article.

The hand is a bit different, but there's a general discussion of hands that are primarily low draws that may be helpful to you.

Of course how to best play every hand you play is at least somewhat opponent dependent.

Buzz

[Truthiness24]

Good point on the cap PF.

My guess would be AA2x, no clubs. He's a holdem player who likes is aces, but starts to squirm when the turn doesn't hit him.

[Truthiness24]

My daughter's comments: (She's the one holding the chip on the left.)

grfxhcxn ,. vm fdvcvxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsx sxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxs x
fk433 trc c 6 vvvvvvi9ok oiiv

She may well know as much as I do.

[green100b]

So how did hand play out?