Saturday, August 14, 2010

What to do...Omaha Hi-Low hand from WSOP

Here is a hand that I played in a 20-40 Limit Omaha 8 game while at the Series. I was going through my phone and found it and thought it was interesting.

THe game features a 1/2 kill. For those that don't know what that is, it is a forced third "blind" that is 1.5 times the big blind (in this case 1.5 times the 20 big blind). When the kill is on all betting is increased by 1.5 times the normal amounts. Thus in a 20/40 game the betting effectively becomes 30 preflop and on the flop 60 on the turn and river. A kill pot is defined as the hand after a hand in which a player SCOOPS a pot in excess of a certain amount. In this game that amount was $200 and a player had scooped that pot. So he posted the kill and the blinds were still posted by the normal positions. Kill pots are generally fought for much harder since the extra money in the pot and the extra amounts of each bet.

BAck to the hand I am in MP and dealt Ah2d3h5c. There are a few limpers in front of me and I raise to 2 bets or $60 with 4 wheel cards and a suited A. The button who was an aggressive regular 3 bets to $90. We get 2 callers and see a flop with ~400 in the pot. Flop comes K93 with one heart. This is unlikely to have hit anyone. Checks to button who bets, the 2 others call and I call for one bet with a ton of back door hands (Pot ~520).

Turn is pretty perfect 4h. So now I have a monster; unbreakable nut low draw, nut flush draw, wheel draw...basically any heart, A, 2, 5 or 6 and I get a large portion of the pot if not all. The two EP appear disinterested and check to me. I bet $60 and button raises...all fold and I call...He is basically representing AA or a strong A2 type hand...perhaps A2Kx or like A23K type of hand.

(Pot ~760)

River is a very interesting on K (not a heart). I see him sort of eye roll when the K rolls over...very subtle but I am sure I saw it. I check and he INSTA bets.

So I am less concerned about him holding a K at this point since 2 are on the board (though he certainly could have one of the 2 remaining). If he had 2 small pair on the turn I'm not sure he bets the river when he gets counterfeited by the second K. If he has AA he probably still bets the river since my hand doesn't really look like it holds a K as the hand was played. Problem is all I have is bottom pair. Pot has a little over $800 and costs me $60 to call.

What do I do??

Cliff notes:

Hero MP A235 (2 hearts)
Villain BTN bets or raises every street

All lows, flushes and straight draws miss river and villain bets river anyway.
Hero has just bottom pair in a game where 2 pair is often no good (though technically I have 2 pair Kings and 3s)








In the end the pot is laying me like 14-1 to call. I can't imagine that he is bluffing less often than 1 time in 14 meaning that I am supposed to call. I end up calling expecting to see an AAxx hand. Instead I see AQ26 with Q6 of hearts. I read his hand before opening mine up and show. He then begins a bit of a tirade about how can you call with a pair of 3s, etc. etc. I mention that he built too big of a pot to fold. Plus the tell of the eye roll put one more check mark int he call column. Sure feels good to make hero calls and be right!!

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