Flopping the nuts without a re-draw in pot limit Omaha
By: Clonie Gowen 

At the low and middle limits, pot limit Omaha is probably the least understood poker game out there. The profit potential in these games is huge and that’s what makes pot limit Omaha my favorite poker game. Most pot limit Omaha players know that this is a game of the nuts. In a multiway pot, the winning hand is usually the best possible hand you can have. The reason for this is simply that when you start with four cards, you have six different possible two-card hands. What novice Omaha players need to understand, however, is that Omaha is ultimately a game of redraws.

A redraw simply means that after the flop, in addition to some kind of ‘made’ hand, you must also have draws to a better hand. Having redraws in pot limit Omaha is so important that it is sometimes mathematically correct to fold the nuts on the flop. For example, let’s say that you raise in late position with A K T 9 , a very good starting Omaha hand. Two players call you and you see the flop three handed. The flop comes 6 7 8 – you have flopped the nut straight. You have the absolute best hand possible; the problem is that you have absolutely no chance of improving it – this is as good as it gets. It may be okay if both of your opponents check to you, but if one of them makes a pot size bet and the next one makes a pot sized raise into you, then what do you do?

How can you fold the nuts? This is exactly what happened to me at the World Poker Open in Tunica this year. I was playing 10-20 blinds pot limit Omaha, and I found myself faced with this decision. There was $250 in the pot pre-flop. On the flop, the first player to act bet $250 and the next player raised to $1000. This was an easy laydown – although I had the best hand at the time, I did not have any redraws to a better hand.

If one of your opponents has flopped a set, and the other one has a flush draw, you are almost a 2-1 dog to win the pot. If one of those opponents has the same straight as you, with a flush draw as well, or a wrap to a higher straight such as 9-T-J, it’s even worse – because you can only win half the pot even if you overcome the unfavorable odds. You have to ask yourself what your opponents would possibly be betting and raising with on this flop. If there’s a chance that all of the redraws are out against you, then you should always fold. If both of your opponents check, and either one is tricky and capable of a check raise, then you should still check this flop. If a blank comes on the turn, such as the 3 , your hand will be much stronger. Keep in mind, though, that if all of those draws are still out against you, you are still not much better than 50% to win this pot. In this situation, the first player to act actually held 7-7 for middle set. The second player, who had raised to $1000, held the 9 T for the nut straight with an open ended straight flush draw. He ended up making the flush, but the board paired on the river to give the first player a full house and a very large pot. I was able to feel good about having saved a ton of money by laying down the nuts.

Remember, having multiple redraws to the best hand is much better in Omaha than having the best hand on the flop. Lay this hand down and save your chips for a better pot.

You can play Clonie Gowen at fulltiltpoker.com

(© 2005 BluffMagazine. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed)