PLO, AA misses the flop

[Willem]

Full Tilt Poker
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $0.05/$0.10
6 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: $3.80
UTG+1: $9.20
CO: $16
Button: $8.15
Hero: $9.90
BB: $4.75

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is SB with
UTG calls, 2 folds, Button calls, Hero raises to $0.4, BB folds, UTG calls, Button calls.

I probably have the best hand so I want to build a pot. I don't want to raise the pot since that will give away my hand. On the other hand, I am out of position and I still need help on the flop so just calling my not be that bad.

Flop: ($1.3, 3 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, Button checks.

Wow, top pair, too bad this isn't hold'em. Actually, I think my hand is pretty worthless here and I intend to fold to any bet. Would anyone fire a continuation bet here? I think that would be spew give the coordinated nature of the board.

Turn: ($1.3, 3 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, Button checks.

River: ($1.3, 3 players)
Hero bets $0.3, UTG calls, Button folds.

The river card looks to be a blank. Is it unrealistic to think my hand will be good? I made a blocking bet here but maybe check-fold would be better?

Results:
Final pot: $1.9
Hero showed Ah As 8h Kd
UTG showed 2c 8c Qs Js

[maalox111]

Okay, this might be weak tight of me, but I don't like raising AAxx when it doesn't have much else going for it unless I am a short stack or one of my opponents is a short stack. It's so difficult to play deep stacked that I want my hand to work a lot of ways before I raise with it, e.g. AAKJ double suited.

I also hate raising OOP in Omaha without a really strong hand and weak opponents who are going to play passively or predictably post flop. What usually happens is that you raise two to three limpers, get called, and all of the sudden are faced with a sizable pot and a series of tough decisions. Rarely are you going to hit the flop so hard that you can bet, get raised or called, and still feel good about your hand.

It's okay to build a pot pre-flop from the button. but I don't think you should have raised that hand pre-flop from the SB. Post-flop, I like how you played your marginal hand cautiously. There's no reason to bet on the river unless you are betting as a bluff.

[clabbers]

Maalox, there are two reasons not to raise preflop with AA in Omaha Hi.

1. Not to kill your action. You hope someone else will raise and you can re-pop them.
2. Not to reveal that you have exactly AA. If your raise is predictable, it allows opponent to maximize his advantage when no ace flops.

AA always has sufficent value to pot or repot preflop. It prefers fewer opponents, which argues for raising.

The raise was fine. Being in the small blind, you would just as soon kill your action (you are out of position). Everyone has had their opportunity to limp in and most limpers will defend their limp. Furthermore, either blind might raise more non-AA hands since most of the table has declined to raise. KKQJ, KKQT, QJT9 and JT98 are all candidates particularly with suits. Hard to know if the table will draw this inference, though. (Many will draw no inference at all).

[emmapeel]

I'm not raising pre-flop here as I'm out of position.

The flop looks too dangerous to try a continuation bet with so I'm checking that too.

Bluffing the turn is interesting as No one will have the nut flush and may fold a weak flush. Not sure about that though and a check might be best.

I like the blocking bet on the end as Hero has a descent hand now but can fold to a re-raise.

EP

[Willem]

I've played a fair amount of PLO since (only short-stack) and I would just call here preflop since I don't want to give away my hand preflop with a 100BB stack. Also, my hand doesn't have a big equity edge (much less than in hold'em). I would probably lose more worth of implied odds than I win by exploiting my preflop edge.

After the flop, my hand is simply worthless and any bet put into the pot is spew. The river is a simple check-fold. Nobody is going to bluff on this board and if my hand is good, I will win regardless. I will only get called if I lose which makes my bet EV-.