Friday, February 16, 2007
A Basic Truth - Scoooop!
You know how some things become so obvious and routine that after a while, you start to overlook them.
This probably isn’t all that interesting, but I think I rediscovered one of those “basic truths” after playing a few session of Limit Omaha 8 or better (LO8) online at Full Tilt over the last couple of weeks. I've had a pretty good run.
" You can only win money playing limit Omaha 8 if you SCOOP pots. This concept of the SCOOP is so important it can not be ignored. If you don’t SCOOP pots, you can not win. It’s that simple. "
I know, you probably already know this but,…here we go....
If you have some pretty solid starting hand standards (i.e., you only play hands with A2xx, A3xx if the ace is suited, any 4 wheel cards, or any 4 cards 10 or higher), you’ll still be entering a good number of pots. Since LO8 is mostly a “post flop” game, you’ll often see flops that will require that you make or call bets on the flop (i.e., you have A2xx and the flop comes with a 78xx). Frequently you’ll win ½ the pot and win a little money. Frequently, you’ll fold or loose the pot and loose a little money. All in all, you’ll break about even. If you play solid poker, and win your fair share of ½ pots, you’ll break about even for the session.
If you play like a donkey, and get scooped several times during the session, you’ll loose money (i.e., you hold A-3-7-8 rainbow and flop comes 4-4-8 and you start calling bets/raises from 2 other players in the hand). It’s absolutely imperative that you don’t put money in the pot on 3 streets and then watch the pot get pushed in 2 other directions. This will make you a loser for the session
The only way to make a consistent profit at LO8 is to SCOOP.
Having said that, I’m a big, big fan of jamming pots where I have excellent chance to scoop. Just one or two of these gigantic scooped pots can make up your entire profit for the session.
Some basic strategies that I use for jamming the pot:
(of course all of these don’t apply to all situations)
1) If you have an excellent scoop hand preflop (Ac-2c-Kd-Qd) and are first to act, limp. Limping will encourage limping. It might turn into a limp fest. With any luck the button will raise and you can 3 bet the field who will most certainly call 2 bets after they’ve already mentally committed to the hand. Even if the action is limped multi-way preflop, the pot is much bigger than if you open-raised from early position – which would tend to thin the field.
2) If you have an excellent scoop hand preflop and are last to act after several limpers, raise. No one is folding anyway after they already committed one bet. The blinds will call because they are getting an excellent price even for 2 bets. The pot will be enormous with 5 or 6 players each putting in 2 bets. This has a multiplier effect as no-one can really afford to fold for just one more small bet on the flop. You’ll usually have 80% of the field call your flop bet as well since players are usually getting around 10:1 or better on even their longest of draws.
3) If you find an excellent scooping hand post flop (i.e., you hold Ah-2h,3d-10c and the board reads 4c-5h-9h) – try to trap players in the middle. For example, if you are first to act and bet and then get called by 3 players and then get raised by the button, just call. You want those extra overcalls in the pot. Plus, you can run this same "play" on the turn as well – trapping everyone for 2 bets on the turn.
Another option is the use the check raise. But for this play to work, you have to be confident the player immediately to your left will open if you check. If you’re confident he’ll open the pot, you can check, watch everyone call and then raise when the action gets back to you. The risk is that when facing a raise, the player to your left may actually 3 bet the field and knock out some players - not too likely, but possible. Even so, if players fold to 3 bets, this dead money gives you a little more “scoop equity”. Another risk of going for the check raise, is that it’ll be checked to the button who’ll open. Now you can't raise because you will certainly knock out a good portion of the field that just checked and would be facing 2 bets cold.
For those reason, I really like to open in this spot as opposed to going for the check-raise.
4) Another version of trapping - If you find an excellent scooping hand post flop (i.e., you hold Ah-2h,3d-10c and the board reads 4c-5h-9h) and are last to act. If there is an early bet and several overcalls, raise. No one will fold – don’t worry. Plus you communicate to the guy who opened the pot that you can be relied upon to raise on the turn. He may actually pick up on this "read" and lead out at you again on the turn hoping to trap callers in the middle for 2 bets when you come through with a raise from last position.
This probably isn’t all that interesting, but I think I rediscovered one of those “basic truths” after playing a few session of Limit Omaha 8 or better (LO8) online at Full Tilt over the last couple of weeks. I've had a pretty good run.
" You can only win money playing limit Omaha 8 if you SCOOP pots. This concept of the SCOOP is so important it can not be ignored. If you don’t SCOOP pots, you can not win. It’s that simple. "
I know, you probably already know this but,…here we go....
If you have some pretty solid starting hand standards (i.e., you only play hands with A2xx, A3xx if the ace is suited, any 4 wheel cards, or any 4 cards 10 or higher), you’ll still be entering a good number of pots. Since LO8 is mostly a “post flop” game, you’ll often see flops that will require that you make or call bets on the flop (i.e., you have A2xx and the flop comes with a 78xx). Frequently you’ll win ½ the pot and win a little money. Frequently, you’ll fold or loose the pot and loose a little money. All in all, you’ll break about even. If you play solid poker, and win your fair share of ½ pots, you’ll break about even for the session.
If you play like a donkey, and get scooped several times during the session, you’ll loose money (i.e., you hold A-3-7-8 rainbow and flop comes 4-4-8 and you start calling bets/raises from 2 other players in the hand). It’s absolutely imperative that you don’t put money in the pot on 3 streets and then watch the pot get pushed in 2 other directions. This will make you a loser for the session
The only way to make a consistent profit at LO8 is to SCOOP.
Having said that, I’m a big, big fan of jamming pots where I have excellent chance to scoop. Just one or two of these gigantic scooped pots can make up your entire profit for the session.
Some basic strategies that I use for jamming the pot:
(of course all of these don’t apply to all situations)
1) If you have an excellent scoop hand preflop (Ac-2c-Kd-Qd) and are first to act, limp. Limping will encourage limping. It might turn into a limp fest. With any luck the button will raise and you can 3 bet the field who will most certainly call 2 bets after they’ve already mentally committed to the hand. Even if the action is limped multi-way preflop, the pot is much bigger than if you open-raised from early position – which would tend to thin the field.
2) If you have an excellent scoop hand preflop and are last to act after several limpers, raise. No one is folding anyway after they already committed one bet. The blinds will call because they are getting an excellent price even for 2 bets. The pot will be enormous with 5 or 6 players each putting in 2 bets. This has a multiplier effect as no-one can really afford to fold for just one more small bet on the flop. You’ll usually have 80% of the field call your flop bet as well since players are usually getting around 10:1 or better on even their longest of draws.
3) If you find an excellent scooping hand post flop (i.e., you hold Ah-2h,3d-10c and the board reads 4c-5h-9h) – try to trap players in the middle. For example, if you are first to act and bet and then get called by 3 players and then get raised by the button, just call. You want those extra overcalls in the pot. Plus, you can run this same "play" on the turn as well – trapping everyone for 2 bets on the turn.
Another option is the use the check raise. But for this play to work, you have to be confident the player immediately to your left will open if you check. If you’re confident he’ll open the pot, you can check, watch everyone call and then raise when the action gets back to you. The risk is that when facing a raise, the player to your left may actually 3 bet the field and knock out some players - not too likely, but possible. Even so, if players fold to 3 bets, this dead money gives you a little more “scoop equity”. Another risk of going for the check raise, is that it’ll be checked to the button who’ll open. Now you can't raise because you will certainly knock out a good portion of the field that just checked and would be facing 2 bets cold.
For those reason, I really like to open in this spot as opposed to going for the check-raise.
4) Another version of trapping - If you find an excellent scooping hand post flop (i.e., you hold Ah-2h,3d-10c and the board reads 4c-5h-9h) and are last to act. If there is an early bet and several overcalls, raise. No one will fold – don’t worry. Plus you communicate to the guy who opened the pot that you can be relied upon to raise on the turn. He may actually pick up on this "read" and lead out at you again on the turn hoping to trap callers in the middle for 2 bets when you come through with a raise from last position.
