Know Your ABC's

One of the best starting hands in Omaha high-low is an "ABC," a four-card hand containing an ace, a deuce, and a 3. You pick up an ABC hand only once in about a hundred hands, which is about twice as often as you pick up pocket aces in hold'em. And picking up the hand is only half the battle, because it flops the nut low draw or the made nut low only about 55 percent of the time. Thus, almost half the time, you can expect nasty (high) cards to appear in the flop that cause you to sharpen up or ship out.

While playing $15-$30 Omaha high-low in a delightfully loose game at the Grand Casino in Biloxi, I finally managed to pick up an ABC hand - specifically, A-3 with the J 2. Sitting in an early position, I called preflop because I certainly did not want to raise and discourage other players from fishing in. But when the player on my left raised and there were five callers, I could not resist reraising when it got back to me. The original raiser capped it, and we saw the flop with six-way action - a big pot.

The first two flop cards were the K Q, not what I had in mind, and the third was the A. One of the meek on my right who had just inherited the earth bet the $15. I fished along, as did all but one. With five-way action, the turn card was the interesting 6, which not only gave me the nut-low draw, but a club-flush draw, as well.

The lead bettor and the next player checked. Although I normally want to keep players in when I'm drawing, in this situation, holding a pair of aces and high cards, if a bet would fold a few players, it would increase my chances of backing into high. Thus, this was one of those situations in which it is usually right to bet a draw.

I made the $30 bet, and two players folded and two called. Unfortunately, the river card was a jack! Not only had I missed my nut-low and flush draws, but now a 10 and any high card would give my opponents the nut straight. The preflop raiser bet the $30, and the other player folded.

I was about to fold when it occurred to me that "there was a lot of money in the pot" (quote from my collection of "Famous Last Words"). He probably did not have a J-10, since he was dormant after the turn. He was a good player - good enough to try a bluff in a high-only pot (one with no low possible). So, I called with my aces and jacks. Lo and behold, he was bluffing, so I scooped the big pot after all. Yet another victory for ABC? Note that my bet on the turn might have won the pot for me. It might have folded a hand that would have beat me, and I probably would have folded on the river if those players were still in the hand and called the bluffer's river bet.

About an hour later, I feasted my eyes on another ABC. This time I was on the button, so I raised preflop in seven-way action. (Yes, this really was a $15-$30 game!) I eagerly awaited the flop, which came J 10 5. It was another "highly" disappointing flop. The fourth card in my hand was a 9, so I had absolutely nothing going except a backdoor low, which in this given situation gets there less than one-fourth of the time.

The big blind bet, and three players called in front of me. I certainly would have had to fold to a raise, but I called the single bet because of the pot size. The turn card was the best possible card for me, the 4 (no possible flushes). Now, any ace, deuce, 3, or 6 would give me a straight as well as the nut low. I was back in serious contention. There was a bet and a raise, but I was happy to call.

The last card was a 6. The three remaining players wisely checked it to me. I bet, got two callers, and won three-fourths of the pot (tied for high).

So, ABC hands can sometimes survive a bad flop. Now if only we could ever get a good flop!