Limit Omaha Hi/Lo $0.50/$1, flopped second nut low, Hand 1

[MattS]

Hi guys,

I have been playing online poker, mostly omaha hi/lo, for five month. Reading this Forum was a great help to improve my game. To improve further I have finally decided to join so I could post own questions and comments.

Here comes my first hand:

Paradise Poker
Limit Omaha Ring game
Limit: $0.50/$1
10 players
Converter

Pre-flop: (10 players) Hero is UTG+1 with Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
UTG folds, Hero calls, UTG+2 calls, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, MP3 calls, 2 folds, SB calls, BB checks.

Flop: 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (7SB, 7 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks, UTG+2 checks, MP1 checks, MP2 checks, MP3 checks.

Turn: T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3.5BB, 7 players)
SB checks, BB checks, <font color="#cc3333">Hero bets</font>, UTG+2 calls, MP1 calls, MP2 folds, MP3 calls, SB calls, BB folds.

River: 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (8.5BB, 5 players)
SB checks, <font color="#cc3333">Hero bets</font>, UTG+2 folds, MP1 calls, MP3 folds, SB calls.

Results:
Final pot: 11.5BB

I flopped the second nut low with almost no high hand. How would you play this hand?

[dcasper70]

Matt,
UTG, full ring, I'd lean towards mucking this pf, but the call isn't terrible. Good for advertizing and the occasional monster flop. Miss the flop &amp; it's an easy muck.

Aside from that semi-useless comment, I'd probably play it the same.

[As Zehn]

Fold pf.

[Baxter]

If you're going to play this hand, I would bring this in with a raise. Try to get the A3's and other A4's out. People will put you on a very strong hand and fold to a continuation bet unless the flop him them perfectly. If you know that everyone will call your PFR though, you might as well muck the hand. Only PFR if it will limit the field.

[zizazziza]

I agree with Baxter, I dont like just calling this OOP with this type of hand, either raise or fold. I think the rest is fine, try and get some more money into this pot and try and get 1/2 the pot instead of quartered.

[DougShrapnel]

UTG is a pretty tricky spot to play this hand in.
On the turn with the flop getting checked around I think your 2nd nut low is good for a 1/4 and possibly 1/2. I think I'm gonna try to c/r to buy my QQ some outs.

Anyone go for a promo c/r on the turn?

I'd consider check calling river.

[benwood]

Pre-flop:I'm sure most players would play this hand in this position,but not me.Your hand is rainbow.The A4 is a marginal low combo,you have no low back-up,&amp; even if you flop a set with QQ,you have a pretty good,but not great, hand.If I were on the back end &amp; everybody folded to me,I might even raise with it,but that's a horse of a different animal.

Flop:All right!After all these checkers,it looks like you have the best low.Shows what I know.Now if you don't get counterfitted,you can get 1/2 or 1/4.Not bad.

Rest:Fine.

Note:I wrote my opinion before I read the other responses.I'm pleasantly surprised to see the others favoring the pre-flop fold.

[mikeevans12]

Bet this hand all the way, given no resistence. However, if you have seen this table as having a tendency to call down with nut lows, with no scooping possobilities. You might be up against 7 players but you have a solid chances of taking half the pot, and playabe chances for a scoop. If someone bet into you on the flop, would you fold? If no, then just bet it yourself.

[Buzz]

Matt - I think your starting hand is strong enough to see the flop, even from UTG, but it's kind of awkward to play. You don't really want to raise before the flop for at least three reasons. (1) You're out of position and you don't want to take the chance that your pre-flop raise will limit the field so that you're playing a short handed game from out of position. (2) You'll mostly miss on the flop and want to get out cheaply when you do. (3) When you do find a favorable fit with the flop, you want as many customers as possible.

Therefore I like your limp before the flop.

Then you make the 2nd nut low on the flop. I'd bet it, and go from there. You can't really bet the turn and expect much good to come from it. Nobody will believe you have the nut low, and people will have picked up various draws and will mostly continue.

Not likely you'll induce many folds with your flop bet, but you never know. You might knock out another second nut low. (It's harder to call with a second nut low than it is to bet it). Any how, maybe you'll get a better idea of where you stand if you bet while it's still cheap to do so.

Having the second nut made low hand is very much better than having the 2nd nut low draw. And if you limit the field with your bet, you increase your chances of winning the high without making a full house or better. You don't really want to get raised here, but that's one of the dangers of playing a starting hand like this.

Do you play the pair of queens if they're combined with an off-suit six and seven? No? Good choice.

You're playing this hand because the ace-four adds enough value to the pair of queens to make the hand playable.

An ace without a deuce and plus another wheel card or two is typically a second nut low type hand. Thus, realistically, you were playing to catch a queen or the second nut low on the flop.

In other words, that ace-four second nut low thingy was a good part of why you were playing the hand in the first place. Right? If you're going to play one of these something + 2nd nut low type hands in the first place then <font color="white">_</font>play it when you catch a flop such that you have the second nut low.

Bet the damned flop and see what happens.

Buzz