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Hand of the Day #2

Posted By: Stick
Date: Monday, 10 June 2019, at 7:28 p.m.

6 handed PLO. $1-$2-$4 but again all except one are sitting extremely deep. (everyone who sees the flop has at least $2,000 in front of them and I have them all covered) It is a very live table with half of the players being people I love seeing in my game.

Preflop I am in the SB with: As 8s 6d 4h

UTG limps, button pots (as he will with soooooo many hands because loose + button).

My hand is nothing to write home about but 6 handed isn't the worst thing I've ever played. The real bitch of it is if I play I'm playing out of the small blind and I desperately try not to play from the SB because position is everything in PLO. It's so hard to play out the hand or get paid/bluff when you're out of position post flop esp. against multiple players. Still, the hand has some nuttiness and I can't put it down against this loose (bad) of a table so I call.

BB calls, straddle folds, original UTG limper repots to $99. Button raiser flats the 3 bet and again, awkward preflop position and decision. The only good news is that my hand should be fairly straightforward to play post flop meaning I either smash the flop or I flee in terror. Again I rationalize and call because of button's original raise being near meaningless and their *speculative* post flop play.

Pot: $320 Flop: Ts 7s 4s

Yes, I flop the joint. Here is the problem...how do I get paid? With these two psychos in the hand my best bet is not to bet. I either hope one of them made a decent flush or that the $320 in the middle and them having missed completely is enough to lure them into a bet. If I lead out I am never making anything unless someone also made a flush. Flop goes check, check, check.

Pot: $320 Turn: 7h

I see this as a good card for me even though my hand is now technically vulnerable. If I decide to bet (on the river) someone might call me down with an overpair or even accidental trips thinking I'm trying to buy the pot. I'm not worried about someone having a boat for numerous reasons, it doesn't really hit their range and if they had flopped a set or top two they would have likely bet it. Still, I think leaving slack in the line for the fish to hook themselves is the best play and check it again. Unfortunately, they do too.

Pot: $320 River: Kd

Essentially a blank unless someone had KK. Now it's really time to decide if I have the triple check the virtual nuts in my range and hope someone finally takes a stab or if I have to step up and bet hoping someone will hero. Given my image and their image I still think it's by far best to check. There's enough money out there that one of them will go after it, they just have to! It is far less likely that someone bluffs at a small pot than a big one because there's less money to win and people are more likely to call down small bets.

I check, preflop 3 bettor checks, and...BOOM! Button finally fires. And he doesn't make a reasonable sized bet, he fires for full pot. This bet doesn't make any sense at all as if he had some monster he'd likely make a more rational sized value bet. I call, of course, and lo and behold, the original 3 bettor over calls!? I take it down.

The button showed his hand. He had 2249 single suited. This is what I meant by his preflop raise being near meaningless and why we have such an easy time calling him on the river. I got lucky for sure to hit my hand so hard but even in doing so we have to find the correct line to maximize our value. It's like that amazing doublet we toss in backgammon where there are so many good plays we still need to focus hard and find the right one or we might still find ourselves in the red zone.

Stick