While playing pot-limit Omaha high at the Horseshoe in Tunica ($500 buy-in, $5-$10 blinds), I was on the button and picked up J-10-10-9, with the 10
9. The first-position player, who had around $500 in chips, tossed in a green chip, saying, "$25 to go."
Two other players called in front of me. I had about $2,000 in chips. The first caller (a good player) had about $3,000, but the second, very aggressive, caller had only about $200 left. Should I raise here? If so, how much?
Well, I simply called. Although my hand is a good one in limit Omaha high, it is not a good "big money" hand, because it frequently is second best.
Note that if I had a smaller stack (say, $500), my objective would be to get it all in on the turn if I made the nut straight, because any opponent would not have a rebet if he outdrew me. But, when you have lots of chips and there is another big stack in the pot, you should avoid creating a large pot with a nut straight that uses only about one-fourth of your chips on the turn, because the river card might give someone a flush or a full boat. You would strongly prefer to avoid facing a huge bet that could cost you your whole stack. Otherwise put, with medium cards, I generally prefer to spar around with smaller pots until something very good happens.
After the big blind called, there was $130 in the pot. The flop came J
8
3. The big blind, the preflop raiser, and the player with the big stack checked, but the small stack bet five green chips ($125, a little more than half of his chips).
Since I had enough to call but was aware that one of the players who had checked might have been planning to check-raise, I was glad that I hadn't reraised before the flop, thereby increasing my involvement.
The big blind and the big stack also called. The pot was now $630. The turn card was the interesting J
(giving me trip jacks), pairing the board. Note that my Plan A, making the nut straight, was no longer significant with the pair on board, but I could improve to beat a bigger jack.
I was a little surprised when it was checked around to me, since I had expected (and perhaps the big blind and the big stack had also expected) that the short stack would go all in with his last $75. So, there I was with a hand that I would have to toss like a hot potato if someone had made a bet.
It is true that I was drawing to the nut full boat, but because I had a pocket pair, there were only five cards that would give me the big full house (three nines and two tens). So, normally, I would be quite happy to get a free card here.
But I might well have the best hand at this time, and there already was $630 in the pot. If I checked and did not hit the nuts on the river, someone might bet $400 or $500 and give me a big problem, especially if a third spade hit.
This was one of those situations in which anyone might be sitting back with a boat (the nuts would be a J-8), and everyone else had to be at least a bit wary. I certainly did not want to make a big bet and then face a huge raise.
I believe that one good strategy in this type of situation is to make a small "feint bet," the type of bet that invites (dares?) a raise, and the type of trap bet that you sometimes make when you actually do hold the nuts. Sometimes a prizefighter feints with his left in order to set up his big right.
So, I bet $125. Everybody called, although they all seemed to have something to think about. With $1,080 in the pot, the river card was the A. I certainly didn't like that card, and hoped everyone would check around to me.
Unfortunately, the big stack bet $500. He didn't play many hands, and I had seen him flat-call with pocket aces in an earlier hand (I rarely do that). Should I call the $500? Would you?
No, I folded my tent. My thinking was that he was less likely to bluff when I might be waltzing with jacks full. As he grabbed the pot, he flashed me his hand containing pocket aces – "professional courtesy," as I had shown him one of my hands earlier. I didn't see what else he had, but a big bet on the turn might have folded him.
It was unlucky that an ace came, but $500 saved is the same as $500 won. When playing pot-limit or no-limit, you cater to avoiding large losses. Even though I lost the hand (and probably could have won it if I had bet the pot on the turn), I like my "feint bet" on the turn. Without risking much money, I greatly improved my chances of winning the hand after a checkout (with most river cards) – in which case I would even get back several hundred dollars more on my investment. But even with a bad card, I probably would lose less (there might not be a bet). And if there was a bet, it was less likely to be a bluff (than if I had checked).