What would you do? Poker hand of the Week.

Go for it...all in

medtrans

Hmm a tricky decision Katt.  My first thought is that you have this all-in'er beat and my second thought is that this guy gets lucky with his all-ins (size of his chip stack).  The other thing is the BB - he could have a corker (unlikely) but it does happen. 

Being as you only have 6k and probably enough for one more BB, I would call.  You have a good chance of being in the lead and a good chance of hitting trips.  I would definitely go for it.

blue

i agree with medtrans and blue,  at some point your gonna have to jump off a bridge and hope there is water on the other side.....pocket fives is probably better than the all-in stooge......but i bet if you did lose this hand it was from the bigblind who also called after two players had committed the leap and as blue said...he/she  had a big hand.  i hope you hit a set!

Thanks guys! Here is how it played out:

THE FLOP

THE TURN (Oh yeah!)

THE RIVER

My chat comment: Rollin, rollin, rollin on the river... bye all

katt

the sad thing is that the stooge probably thinks he/she did good and made a superior play...........lol....go figure

That figures.  Sorry katt.  Poker can be so frustrating!

medtrans

I just feel better that you guys thought I did the right thing too... It is an RNG thing when those goofballs win like that every time! During that tourney I lost to the river on good hands at least 4 times!

katt

That sucks Katt.  I'd be so frustrated after that dreadful river card.

You were very unlucky or should that be your opponent got lucky!

blue

That sucks Katt.  I'd be so frustrated after that dreadful river card.

 

You were very unlucky or should that be your opponent got lucky!

 

blue

That guy got lucky a lot... but at least his rubbish was not as bad as some of the other ones he won. But it was one of those do or die without trying situations.

I have a new mantra for poker: FEAR the R-I-V-E-R!  ;)

katt

I have a new mantra for poker: FEAR the R-I-V-E-R!  ;)

I have a new mantra for poker:  DON'T let them GET to the R-I-V-E-R! LOL

blue

or donk it up for a spell with these big stack chip hoarders.. it is the most useful method i use depending with the status of the tournament.. that is how these chip hoarders over bet every hand with crap hands and they win most of the time. especially on that site Katt they are vicious donks for the most part taking chances on those Winning Poker cardrooms.

True.  They take advantage of the RNG which attracts fish to a site which in turn generates lots of revenue for them. 

blue

It's been a while!

Finally got a reasonable hand to ask you what you would do. 

This is an Omaha Hi/Lo freeroll on PokerStars

This is my starting hand and I have $6.5k in chips.  I'm Big Blind and one player has raised all in for $12k.

What would you do bearing in mind this is hi/lo?

blue

Hearing what you did and how you handle such a hand will probably do a lot more good than my answer. I have stumbled my way thru a couple of games of Omaha Hi/Lo and done very badly indeed.

But, looking at your hand the way I understand the game I would probably fold against an all-in bet. Of course that would also be influenced by the play of the all-in player prior to the hand in question.

Knowing nought about it, what i see in your hand is 47 toward a low hand, 2 cards toward a K high flush, a pair fo 4's of course, or 4h7h toward a low straight flush. None of those would make me feel warm and fuzzy about facing that all-in.

Please enlighten me blue.

katt

The other player has been fairly loose"ish" and he was last to act (button). Two players before him had flat called the BB.

Does this info make a difference to your decision?

blue

The other player has been fairly loose"ish" and he was last to act (button). Two players before him had flat called the BB.

 

Does this info make a difference to your decision?

 

blue

It could make me sway toward calling. I am now thinking that with 2 flat calls ahead of him he might be trying to steal the pot with a so-so hand and you are holding a lot of possible outs for high and low. And if I understand right in Hi/Lo you would split the pot with the opposite hand... so, if his hand does turn out to be good enough to take the high hand you could well get the low with your cards. But, all your chips... hmmmmmmm, but then again it is a freeroll. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

katt

All will be revealed later, just in case anyone else decides to reply....sigh.

Thanks Katt.

blue

Omaha Hi-Lo is one of my fav. games and from what I saw of your hand and the description of the play so far I'd call! :)

Well then, I can see the two of you need to be teaching this one how to play Omaha Hi/Lo PDQ and ASAP! Step one will be finding out how to play this hand. Just waitin' here...

katt

LOL Katt.I do like this game.I won one of my accolades winning first place on a freeroll playing at FeltStars.

LOL Katt.I do like this game.I won one of my accolades winning first place on a freeroll playing at FeltStars.

Accolades? Accolades!? Accolades! Then girl tell me why you would call on blue's hand below! I sit here at your knee awaiting your teaching! LOL Not to worry though, I am sitting here already waiting for blue's revelation on how the hand played out and the why and wherefore of it all!

katt

Thank you ladies for your replies.  Much appreciated (as always).

This is what I did:

I folded and boy was it a big mistake.

My reasons for folding:

There are 13 hearts and I have 3 of them.  To make a decent flush, there are 10 left in the pack and I would be hoping for 3 of them to hit the table including the ace.  Regarding the low hand, anyone with an Ace, two or three would be ahead of me.  A pair of 4s is a very low hand in Omaha.

Here is the end result but I still think I made the right decision (you can see my cards because I'm pointing to myself and it shows the folded hand):

What a corker of a hand that would have been however, I would have only won half the pot because there was a low hand.

blue

Son of a BISCUIT!  :`o No one could have planned for that outcome blue... :o SMH... Those are the hands that just tease ya and make ya crazy... shoulda, coulda, woulda...  :O

But I have learned something too! I did not think of the part where you were holding 3 hearts, leaving 10 in the deck the way you explained it. I thought of you holding 2 cards toward the flush and the King being high enough to beat anything but the Ace if the 3 hearts did show up but your way did not occur to me!  :-[

katt

Thanks Katt.

I think the poorest call was Luda20010 (on the left) with his pocket 8s and 47 towards the low hand.  He didn't stand a chance unless of course he hit a couple of 8s on the flop.  

I do recall saying some time ago that I didn't think Omaha was as hard as Holdem but I think I was wrong.  I think Omaha is actually a lot harder than holdem particularly the Omaha Hi/Low.  There are just so many things to consider.

blue

Thank you blue... I see what you mean about Luda20010's hand... although I do think you meant his 37 toward the low hand (had me wondering if Omaha had extra cards there for a moment LOL)... 

He was missing some of your possible outs with the hearts and the flop would have had to be very kind to him, much as it would have been to you if you had stayed in the hand. So, you made a good move and he made a bad one. At least that part should perk you up a bit even after missing out on the quad 4's.

As far as Omaha being harder, I have to agree with you and yes especially the Hi/Lo. You have to consider the 4 cards each player might be holding, not just 2 and the possible ways to win are doubled with going Hi or Lo and the betting is very different as far as I can tell. I am reasonably comfortable taking a seat at a Hold 'em table, but only approach Omaha with the greatest of trepidation.

katt

Yes, you are right Katt, I did mean 3 7.  duh!

I do actually like the game and the more I play it, the more I like it.  Find some freerolls if you can for the all important practice - or I'll try and find some although they are very rare on USA sites.

blue

You are right about there not being many Omaha freerolls, but I have seen some. And you know I always appreciate when you find good freerolls for US players and post them!

One question.... Ha, that is funny, me with only "one" question...  LOL At any rate, I digress. This time I only have one and that is, do you think that it would be best for me to first practice on just regular Omaha before tackling Hi/Lo? Or are they 2 different animals to tame? Oh dang, that was two questions...

katt

In my mind, they are two very different animals because you are not just hunting the good hands, you are indeed hunting those low hands but obviously, not in both types of games. 

I think the best learning ground is going to be Omaha without the Hi/Lo and pot limit, if you can get it.

In my personal opinion (and I really mean "my" opinion, not some other websites opinion)  the order of Hard to Easy in Omaha is as follows:

Hard  Omaha Pot Limit

          Omaha NL

          Omaha Hi /Lo Pot Limit

Easy  Omaha Hi /Lo NL

If there are any Omaha experts reading this, please correct me if I am wrong in my thoughts.

I put them in that order because that's the order that I "feel" when I play Omaha (which isn't that often).

Let me know your thoughts Katt.

blue

Ok blue, slight confusion here... you say IYO the following is the order of Hard to Easy:

Hard  Omaha Pot Limit

          Omaha NL

          Omaha Hi /Lo Pot Limit

Easy  Omaha Hi /Lo NL

But, you also say you think "the best learning ground is going to be Omaha without the Hi/Lo and pot limit" which I see as the 2nd hardest game.

Is it that although that is a difficult game, it is still the one with the least variables to worry about? Also, Pot Limit vs No Limit in this or in Hold'em is a bit of a mystery to me. I stick with NL 99% of the time... saving these other options to learn one step at a time. Ain't even gonna talk about RAZZ and HORSE and STUD yet! LOL

katt

LOL @ Razz and HORSE (I'll come back to that)

Yes - I think, because you are now a seasoned holdem player, you should be able to cope with the 2nd hardest of Omaha NL.  It is probably the biggest learning curve for Omaha and whilst 2nd hardest, will also see you in good stead for the others i.e. Omaha Hi/Lo and Omaha Pot Limit.

As for Razz and HORSE - I've only played a couple of HORSE games, which was good fun and I did place in the money on the first game but only because I had no clue as to what I was doing with the Razz.  I've never played just a Razz game and I don't think I ever will.

blue

FeltStars has a Omaha freeroll at 6pm.I play that one sometimes but I check around too and see if I can find more.

I've played some Razz but it never fails...I ALWAYS seem to get high cards!! Go figure!! LOL

I've played some Razz but it never fails...I ALWAYS seem to get high cards!! Go figure!! LOL

LOL "Sods Law" I think that is called.

blue

I've played some Razz but it never fails...I ALWAYS seem to get high cards!! Go figure!! LOL

 

LOL "Sods Law" I think that is called.

 

blue

Since my maiden name is Murphy....Murphys Law too...because when I play that game,anything or everything that can go wrong...will!!  LOL

I'll try and remember that one Rosebud.

blue

Well you two, I am currently safe from Sod and Murphy both because I don't even know the rules of Razz and am not likely to get to that bit of poker knowledge for some time.

Thanks for the info about the Omaha freeroll at Feltstars rosebud!

katt

Well you two, I am currently safe from Sod and Murphy both because I don't even know the rules of Razz and am not likely to get to that bit of poker knowledge for some time.

 

Thanks for the info about the Omaha freeroll at Feltstars rosebud!

 

katt

No problem Katt,maybe I'll see you at the tables.My player id is flowerchild!! LOL

Well you two, I am currently safe from Sod and Murphy both because I don't even know the rules of Razz and am not likely to get to that bit of poker knowledge for some time.

 

Thanks for the info about the Omaha freeroll at Feltstars rosebud!

 

katt

RAZZ is a form of 7-Card Stud.

Only 5 cards are used out of the 7 to make your hand (kinda like how in Omaha you only use 2 of 4 of your cards)

Of the 7 cards each player is dealt the first 2 are faced down (only the player to whom they are dealt can see them), 4 cards are dealt face up and the last card is dealt face down (again only the player can see their own face down card).

Lowest hand wins, straights and flushes are irrelevant in this game (they don't add to or lessen the value of your hand).

The best hand in the game is A-2-3-4-5 (again suited or "rainbow" does not change the value of the hand)

The 2nd best hand is A-2-3-4-6

Sorry, have to cut it short. Maybe some one else can add to or clarify what I've got so far?? If not I will edit when I can.

Thanks Orren, that seems a good explanation and the game seems fairly simple to learn. I do have a question or two.

You said it was a lot like 7-Card Stud so I am assuming that means the 4 cards dealt face up are not shared and that each player gets dealt 7 total cards. Is that correct?

Also, of the 3 face down cards, is there a rule as to how many of those you must use to make your final hand?

And last question for now. Is the betting after you get your first two cards face down and then after each subsequent card? I am just thinking that is a lot of bets on each hand if you don't fold.

katt

Thanks Orren, that seems a good explanation and the game seems fairly simple to learn. I do have a question or two.

 

You said it was a lot like 7-Card Stud so I am assuming that means the 4 cards dealt face up are not shared and that each player gets dealt 7 total cards. Is that correct?

 

Also, of the 3 face down cards, is there a rule as to how many of those you must use to make your final hand?

 

And last question for now. Is the betting after you get your first two cards face down and then after each subsequent card? I am just thinking that is a lot of bets on each hand if you don't fold.

 

katt

Question 1: Yes, correct.

Question 2: Your final hand is made from 5 out of the 7 cards, any combination of cards faced up or faced down can be used, but you must use 5.

Question 3: What could be compared to "The Flop", consists of each player receiving 2 faced down cards and 1 faced up card. The rest is correct (each following card is dealt 1 at a time with betting allowed after each card).

I should also add.....

There is an "Ante" instead of a big blind and small blind. Although I am unsure what determines what amount the Ante is exactly. And everyone at the table contributes the Ante before any cards are dealt.

I am only 90% sure about the next part, but I believe the first person to act after "The Flop" is the person that is showing the highest card (meaning the worst card considering its a "Low-Hand" game).

99c Tourney at 888Poker.

It's a R & A at 99c for $1500 plus addons (3x 99c for $10,000).

The tourney has been running for 10 mins but as a late registration, it's my 2nd hand.

I'm dealt   and I'm in mid position.  The player UTG goes all in. 

What would you do?

blue

Only your 2nd hand... so you don't know this player's ways yet. That being the case I would have to make a major consideration that if he knows how to play he would only go all-in while UTG if his hand was super strong. The nuts or KK, maybe another over pair. With anything but the nuts you have a strong chance of beating him with your Ad 10d hand. And you even have a chance of beating the nuts.

Also to consider is that this is a 99c tourney with R&A, so if it does not work out you can rebuy and continue in the tourney. You have not mentioned what the other players have done, but I am assuming they folded.

So, in conclusion, I would match the bet and play it out. Can't wait for you to reveal what you did do and how it went.

katt

Good point about the other players Katt.  The person "two doors" along from him called and I was next to act (after the sitout).

blue

Good point about the other players Katt.  The person "two doors" along from him called and I was next to act (after the sitout).

 

blue

I think that I would still go for it.

katt

I don't think we will get any more responses other than yours Katt (thank you), so here is what happened.

I actually folded.  I did "oom and aghh" a lot before I folded and decided to save my 99c rebuy money for the $10k chips during the addon period (better value).

Also, I got the info wrong about who called; the guy behind me called not in front of me.  Sorry about that - either way, I don't think it would have changed your decision.

As you can see, I would have won.  I did go all in later with a top pair on the board but was beaten by a runner runner flush.

I didn't bother to rebuy.

blue

Arrrrggghhhhhhhhhhh I hate it when that happens! All too often!

katt

Arrrrggghhhhhhhhhhh I hate it when that happens! All too often!

 

katt

....agreed.  The times that you do call, you don't hit your ace and you are knocked out. 

blue

For me the deciding factor on that hand would have been based entirely upon my bankroll. If I had enough for... Say, 4 rebuys I would have likely called all in. If I had only 1 or 0 rebuys, I would definitely have hesitated and likely folded. Unless I was feelin frisky at the moment. :p

For me the deciding factor on that hand would have been based entirely upon my bankroll. If I had enough for... Say, 4 rebuys I would have likely called all in. If I had only 1 or 0 rebuys, I would definitely have hesitated and likely folded. Unless I was feelin frisky at the moment. :p

I'm not loaded on that account orren otherwise I think I would have taken a chance and called too.

LOL@feeling frisky.

blue

Unfortunately I didn't get screenshots...

But here is my "What would you do?" moment.

$3 game of Hold 'em Triple Up. 2nd hand of the game. Blinds 10/20. Mid-table. Pretty even stacks $1500 all around.

My hole cards AcKc

Pre-flop betting

2 folds and a flat call before me. I bet $240 . 3 more folds and the SB goes all-in. BB folds. 

What would you do?

katt

Being as it is early in the game and being as it's a triple up game which means everyone is "usually" very tight/careful in their play, and you know nothing about this player, I'm leaning towards the fold but my gut says to call....but I'm going to say.....fold.  Probably wrong answer.

I think this guy has a mid pocket pair  like 8s or 9s.  Can't wait to hear what you did Katt and your reasoning too.

blue