ITH Poker Forum

[jeffnc]

Here's a question for Jeff (if you are still lurking).

This was the $1/2/5 game at the Venetian ($1/2 blinds with $5 bring in, however you write that). My opponent seems to be a solid PLO player. But first some history: a rotation or 2 before this hand, the following hand occurred.

I was on the button with x x in a 4-way pot, including the 2 blinds, that had been raised to $10. The flop was . The flop got checked around. I bet $25 on the turn and the SB called. On the river I said "bet the pot" for $90 and got called by a Q high flush.

On the hand in question, again there was a raise to $10. I held some broadway cards, x x x in late position. The flop was , which got checked around. The turn was . Solid player bet $50 and it was folded to me. I raised to $125 total, and he called without any thought, which I took as a strong indication that he had a high-ish flush, or a set, or a set and a small flush. The river was . Solid player checked, and I said "bet the pot" in smooth tempo. Opponent tanked. He asked rhetorically if I just had .

After having the clock called on him fairly quickly by the table a**hole (every Omaha table, it seems, has at least one), he eventually called with .

He left the table soon after, and the hand got talked about. The players who had been at the table the longest said he was a good player who didn't make any mistake in the hours they said they played with him. They all said they were shocked I didn't have it, since I'd been playing fairly tightly and straightforwardly, and they thought I played the hand confidently like I had it.

Now here's my question. Solid player said the reason he finally called was that he held the in his hand. Therefore he knew I didn't have a straight flush. However in his mind, since I didn't have it, I should have been concerned that he might have had it. Therefore, I shouldn't have looked confident about betting the nut flush which was only the second nuts. He said if hadn't had the he would have folded.

Now I don't know about you, but if you go around worrying about straight flushes and qauds all the time, you'll never get to play a hand of Omaha. I said "honestly, how often do you see a straight flush? I know this is Omaha and not Hold'em, but still?" He said "You had one about 30 minutes ago!" I said "Still." But that, he said, was his reason for calling.

What do you think of that reasoning? (It would not have entered my mind, and if it did I would not have based a decision on it. Educate me if I'm wrong )

[sbp0571]

I don't think you are wrong at all. It just sucks when it happens.

[Jeff Hwang]

Hard to say. He might have just been pulling your leg. There are a couple of other things that might have led him to call. For example, the three clubs in his hand, or the probability that you would have bet the nut flush draw on the flop if you had it. Neither of those things alone makes calling automatic, but either or both might make him suspicious enough to think about it.

Jeff