Villain is Matt “Mattg1983” Graham. He’s got a bracelet from the 2008 WSOP PLO $10K, but I don’t know how his PLO8 game is.
PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (8 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
SB (t5430)
BB (t4450)
UTG (t2960)
UTG+1 (t2520)
MP1 (t5635)
Hero (MP2) (t3005)
CO (t2945)
Button (t3055)
Hero’s M: 66.78
Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 2
, 4, K
, 3
3 folds, Hero bets t90, 1 fold, Button calls t90, 2 folds
Flop: (t225) 3, K, 9 (2 players)
Hero bets t155, Button calls t155
Turn: (t535) K (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks
River: (t535) 3
(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t295, Hero raises to t1060, Button calls t765
Total pot: t2655
Results:
Button mucked A, Q, 10, A (Hi: two pair, Aces and Kings).
Hero had 2, 4, K, 3 (Hi: full house, Kings over threes).
Outcome: Hero won t2655
Yes, I’m aware that this a pretty crappy hand and a questionable pre-flop raise. Let’s just focus on the river sexiness.
This is a good board flop for me to bet at, since it misses most hands (ie low cards) and people play very straightforwardly in PLO8. There aren’t many K’s in his range, so when he calls, I think he’s most likely on a draw or a big pair. I check the turn to induce and because he probably folds a pair. His check back could be a draw choosing to take a free card or something he’s trying to showdown cheaply, which could incude the case K if he hasn’t filled up. I think most of that range either isn’t calling a river bet or is betting anyway if checked to. Sexyyyy.
Warning: I have never played a hand of PLO8 in my life. With that caveat, why would he bet this river and not the turn? Is he thinking you’re going to call with JJ or is he hoping to induce a bluff from a missed flush draw or something?
I’m assuming it was kind of a pot control thing. A K with a bad kicker (or AA) here would be pretty similar to holding something like KT on a K965 board in hold ’em. You can envision checking back the turn and calling or value betting the river.
How often are you not showing up with any K or any 3 on a nearly pot-sized river C/R? Is this one of those hands you get married to your aces and just can’t let go despite the obvious holding? Or was there a bluff river C/R he witnessed earlier that gets this paid for you?
Don,
He hadn’t seen a bluff, but I don’t think it’s a wildly unreasonable call. Granted he probably doesn’t see many river check-raise bluffs, but he probably doesn’t see many people check full houses out of position on the river after the turn goes check-check either.
The thing is, I’m not going to be check-raising a 3 nor probably even a bare K on the river. It’s definitely reasonable for him to put me on either a full house or better or a bluff. I would say in a vacuum that he ought to fold AA but catch bluffs with his bare K’s.
Because it’s PLO8, aren’t kings and 3s all over your range (like, AK23, or KQ23)? And given the action, why wouldn’t you C/R any 3, given that he’s pretty clearly demonstrated he doesn’t have a K?
Point is, unless I have seen you bluff C/R the river, I’m saving my 1000 chips in this spot without a boat. I understand you could be bluffing, but the 3 on the river perfectly fits your betting pattern, if he’s capable of thinking you checked your set to induce on the turn, or your two-pair KK33X just boated up to KK333. Perhaps I’m a nit, but I lay down AAKK on that action almost every time. You could even have 99 there.
You played it well. I just think his call was pretty horribly desperate.
Remember, this is PLO- we have to play two cards from our hands. I don’t think he’s demonstrated he doesn’t have a K, as checking trips with a weak kicker on the turn would be a pretty reasonable pot control/value line. In fact, I thought a K was the hand most likely to bet-call the river.
And check-raising 3’s full for value on the river would be pretty thin on my part, let alone bare trip 3’s.