Default Hands

Playing $50-$100 Omaha high-low in Atlantic City , I picked up the A 5 Q 4 in the big blind. Note that this was not a typical, loose Omaha high-low game. It was more like a tight-aggressive hold'em game. Most hands consisted of a raise before the flop and only one or two callers.

An aggressive player in middle position raised before the flop, and it was folded around to me. I certainly had enough to call, but I believe that against a rather aggressive player who raises before the flop frequently, it is correct to reraise with a hand like mine. Of course, I would rather have had a king than a queen, but the queen was good enough. I reraised.

If he didn't reraise, I planned to bet any flop, since I would be going first. Some percent of the time, he wouldn't like the flop and would fold. He called my reraise.

The flop came 10 6 3. Thus, I had the second-nut low draw, an open-end straight draw, and any black card on the turn would give me a flush draw. All in all, I liked it. Now, should I come out betting or try for a check-raise?

Since his raise before the flop would often be based on an A-2 or A-3, it seemed right to bet here and see if he raised. Since all I had were draws, there really was no reason to check-raise except perhaps to confuse him. And since there were two low cards in the flop, quite often there would be a showdown, so the edge of being the bettor was greatly reduced.

He raised. He might well have an A-2. I called. I saw no reason to further increase the stakes, as his hand might be better than mine. The turn card was the Q.

Although it was not the deuce or 7 I was dreaming of getting, it was a good card. Now, I had a high holding (queens) in addition to the nut-flush draw. Now that I actually had something tangible and clearly belonged in this pot, did he have anything yet? I bet just in case he was thinking of getting a free card. As long as he didn't have something like an A-A-2, I probably was leading at least one way.

He thought for a while and then called. I had no read as to whether he was thinking about raising or folding. The river card was the ugly 9. So, there was no low and now there was a possible straight on board (Q-10-9), and all I had for high was a pair of queens (with an ace).

I certainly had no reason to bet. If he could beat queens, he surely would call. I checked.

He bet. He either had me beat or was making a desperation bet with nothing. It seemed right to find out. I called the $100 bet, showing my Q-A. He mucked his hand, and probably had just low cards.

Several hands later, I raised before the flop with the A 4 J 10. Only the big blind called. The flop came 10-4-2 of different suits. Although the 4 essentially counterfeited my low chances, it did give me two pair. He checked, I bet, and he called.

The turn card was a 9, which actually was a good card for me in that it did not make a low for him. He checked. Since I had two pair, I bet again, and he called. I probably had him beat for high, but he probably had a low draw and some high prospects.

The river card was another deuce. There was no low and a pair of deuces on the board. He checked to me. Should I bet here? Note that any high pocket pair would now beat my two pair because of the deuces on the board.

I was quite happy to check here (I don't try to make big pots with small hands), although he might have called me with his 9 in hand. But trying to milk a hand can really get annoying if you are check-raised. So, my tens up beat his nines up to scoop the pot.

Note that in both of the preceding hands, having good low cards was a prerequisite for getting involved – but, in both hands, it was the high pair that brought home the bacon. In heads-up duels, in hands in which a low might not get there, it is usually right to bet a high pair on the turn. But then in a default situation (no low, and no big high threats), is it right to bet the river? Sometimes.