When I am asked what my favorite poker game is, the answer is easy – pot-limit Omaha (high only). And if I were asked in what poker game does an expert have the greatest edge over mediocre players, I would also state pot-limit Omaha – but I realize that in certain live-game situations, there may be more skill involved in no-limit poker. In tournament play, there is generally much more skill required in pot-limit than no-limit (hold'em). Many experts agree that there is too much luck involved in no-limit tournaments, primarily because of so much going all in before the flop (a "crapshoot").
But in pot-limit and no-limit, what is the best general strategy after the flop? There are certain types of hands with which you generally want to push or pull.
Although I missed the recent World Poker Open tournament in Tunica because of a conflicting bridge tournament in Biloxi, I did manage to get up to Tunica and play in the Horseshoe's wonderful pot-limit Omaha (high) game. There often are two tables going, with a $500 buy-in and $5-$10 blinds.
In the following hand, I won more than $1,000 due to a relatively small pulling after-the-flop bet.
Holding a K-Q-J-10, I made it $30 to go before the flop. With four-way action and $125 in the pot, the flop came J
6
3
. The big blind led with a $50 bet. There was one caller to me, and one player to act after me. My queen and 10 were both diamonds; I decided to call ("take one off"). This "combination hand" was clearly a speculative call on my part, but the price was right. The fourth player folded.
Note that if the next card was not very good, I would have to fold. With three-way action, the turn card was the 9. One of my opponents said, "The Curse of Scotland." (According to Michael Wiesenberg's Poker Talk: A Complete Guide to the Vocabulary of Poker, the 9 is called the Curse of Scotland because every ninth Scottish king was (supposedly) a tyrant, and diamonds were a symbol of Scotland.) But it was certainly not a "curse" for me. Actually it was one of the best cards for me, giving me several draws, including an open-end straight-flush draw.
With $275 in the pot, the big blind bet $200. The next player called, and I certainly called, since any facecard, 10, 8, or diamond might give me the winning hand.
The last card was the K
, one of many cards that gave me the nut straight. Because of the possible straight, both of my opponents checked. There was $875 in the pot, and I went all in for a little more than $400. The big blind called with his 6-6-5-4 for a set of sixes, and cursed his bad luck.
Note that the big blind had hit a great flop (a set of sixes and an open-end straight draw). If he had bet the pot after the flop, I would have been unable to call.
But, once the Curse of Scotland hit the table on the turn, giving me more than a score of hits, I was in for the duration, even if he had bet the pot (after the turn, I would get the usual 2-to-1 odds plus rebets).
One of the main skills in pot-limit and no-limit poker is knowing what to do after the flop – push with a fragile made hand or pull with a solid hand or nut draw. Because of the inherent volatility of Omaha (a four-card game), one extra card can often turn a nothing hand into a percentage favorite. Many experts routinely push (a big bet) after the flop with a set or nut straight, or sometimes even the nut flush.
Betting a small amount on the theory that you want more business is often a shaky play, from the standpoint of the extra money you might win versus how much you might lose. But, of course, the relative stack sizes of the participants is also a key factor in planning ahead.