A Few Flops in Pot-Limit Omaha

A Few Flops in Pot-Limit Omaha
By Rolf Slotboom

In pot-limit Omaha (just like in any other flop-type game), the flop is the decision point in whether or not (and how) to continue with the hand. It's important to have your cards fit in with the flop well, that is it is usually unwise to continue with your hand if you haven't received substantial help from the board. This having said, it is often just as important to know if the flop might have helped your opponents; if it seems unlikely the flop has helped your opponents, the pot might in fact be up for grabs. Let's take a look at a few flops in Omaha and how they relate to your own starting hand, to the hands your opponents most likely hold if they bet or call, and how you can deduct your best course of action from this.

Flop #1: Q83 Rainbow
This is one of my favorite flops and one I frequently bet into, whether it has in fact helped me or not. The beautiful thing about this flop is you know exactly what you're up against. If you bet the pot and get called, you know exactly what your opponent holds: JT9x. The only turn cards that would slow you down here would be the jacks, tens and nines; with any other card you would most likely bet the pot again (if the board pairs, you might decide to bet a smaller amount, see also my article The amount of the bet in pot-limit Omaha). You play like this a) if you have some kind of made hand (maybe even as weak as a pair of queens with a good kicker) or b) if you don't have anything yet (maybe you hold the JT9 yourself), but think you are able to make your opponent lay down his hand.

Always look at your and your opponent's stack sizes (don't bluff when either one of you is about to go all-in); if you are bluffing at the pot, thinking your opponent is drawing, there should be some money left for you to bet on the river. It's a shame if you have figured out your opponent's hand perfectly, only to see him win the pot in the showdown with a single pair or even ace-high, because there was no money left on the river to make him fold. Beware of someone who just calls your flop bet (rather than raises) with a made hand rather than a draw. There are people who will just call with hands like Q8, 33 or even 88 or QQ, but you should know who those players are. When you play your hand the way I described here, you play the way some of the truly great players do quite often: they play their opponent's cards, rather than their own.

Flop #2: Jd 9h 5d
Flops like these are often referred to as "action flops": there are so many draws possible that a multi-way pot is likely here; in fact, if there are highly aggressive players in the game, a monster pot is possible. If you have a fine draw, you might play your hand aggressively, even though you know you'll get called and will have to make your hand to win. My favorite hand here would be a combination of a good draw and some kind of made hand. If I have Kd Qd T x for example, I have a huge hand that I will probably play very aggressively, but if I hold the same hand plus a jack as well (Kd Qd J T) there's no stopping me; all the money's going to be in the middle.

The nice thing about having a made hand and a draw as well, is if you get called by a draw but neither of you make it, your one- or two-pair hand might win you a huge pot; if you have the same fine draw but without the pair you're going to have to make your hand to win. One of my favorite hands on flops like these is in fact one of my favorite starting hands: a pair of aces single- or double-suited, in this case aces with the diamond nut-flush draw. While most people would bet out with this hand or even check and call, a check-raise is called for most of the time. If you are in early position, you should check. Someone will certainly bet against this board for you.

Because of all the draws that are possible one or two players might call and then you raise pot. You might win the pot uncontested, or if one player decides to call you, the others might follow suit and you might be able to win a monster pot. It's great to play a hand like this (overpair + nut-flush draw), getting all your money in on the flop when you're up against two pair hands and / or straight draws, because you're a huge money favorite with two cards to come. The only type of hand you really fear here is a set, but even then you're not in terrible shape.

Flop #3: Qh Jd Ts
Playing against this flop shouldn't be too hard. You are only going to play AK here (or QQ, if it's not too expensive). Don't put any chips into the pot on the flop, thinking your K9 or 98 might be good; someone will be in there with AK waiting for you to do the betting for him. Especially beware of JJ or TT here: if someone bets and there is a call, you are probably facing the nut straight and top set, making you almost drawing dead. Even if there is no bigger set than yours out there, your only winners might be a running pair and the remaining tens or jacks (a queen might make somebody else a higher full).

Flop #4: 855
In Omaha, you don't draw for straights or flushes when there's a pair on the board, period. There are people who will call a bet against this board with one (or two) overpair(s) to make top full, but I hardly ever do that. I always fear the nuts might be out there. If there's a bet and a call, this might mean both players hold a five (which is good, as I will most likely get action if I make my full and I'll have them drawing dead), but it could also mean one of them has got 8's full and the other quads. If you are the one having wired eights against this flop, you should bet the hell out of your hand.

People won't give you credit for top full when you bet out aggressively and might play back at you with a five and a few good kickers; you should do all you can to get all the money in the middle as soon as possible (if you are up against quads, you are probably going to lose a lot of money anyway). Don't do what a lot of weak players do: check the hand once on the flop (because their hand is so strong), only to see the turn has made somebody else a higher full- it's always better to win a small pot than lose a big one.

Flop #5: 732/K72 Rainbow
Ill-coordinated flops like these are excellent candidates for steals. Of course, you shouldn't overdo it, but normally you should be able to steal two or three pots an evening away from your opponents on flops like these. The ill-coordinated small cards are excellent to try to (semi-) bluff an aggressive before-the-flop raiser (who is probably playing high cards) out of the pot; but also if the pot is still small betting out on these flops (especially when you're one of the blinds) might easily win the pot for you.

If you bet against the K72 flop and get called, you should be prepared to give up your hand; if someone decides to call you on the flop against this board he will most likely go all the way to the river with his hand.

Some Final Words
The flop is very important in pot-limit Omaha, and you'll often see that the best players make their decision whether or not to commit to the pot on the flop rather than on the turn or river. It's not unusual to see two big stacks putting all their money in on the flop, most often when one player has the temporary nuts (a straight or top set) and the other a very good draw that wants to see both cards (rather than calling on the flop and then having to give up on the turn when the hand hasn't improved; in this game it is possible for the draw to be even money or even a small favorite against the temporary nuts with two cards to come).

The fact that the flop is so important in this game, doesn't mean playing the turn and river is automatic or easy; in fact, playing those streets can be very complicated (especially when the money is deep) and it's almost impossible for someone to be a winner in this game if he isn't proficient in playing the later streets. In the next article, I'll discuss some flops in my other favorite game (limit hold'em), how they fit in with your starting hand and the hands your opponents might be playing, and how you can find your best course of action there.