80/160 OOE game. Not new stakes for me, but (mostly) all new players as I'm at a different casino this weekend. One of the two Omaha rounds.

BB seems like a reasonably competent player, and also a somewhat aggressive value bettor. Earlier on he went three streets on 764hh-4-J with an A53 hand after getting called in 3 spots on the turn, which chopped w/ my A2 and actually got an overcall behind us with worse.

I have 5432 from EMP and open. Folds around to BB who puts in the 3 bet, and I call.

Flop (6.5 sb): T53

He bets and we...(I see merit for both decisions here).

With the exception of your straight draw, you aren’t sure how live you are drawing and chances he has a better low draw are high. I’d just call and play in position on the turn.

I'm raising, our hand is too strong for me to like anything better

I have hero with about 62% equity, ~43.6% scoop, frequently losing the lo

I think if you choose to raise the flop, you have to be willing to double barrel a run out of any two unique high cards that don't bring a diamond. The big blind's raise out of position indicates to me an attempt to take control of the hand, which means his range either includes AAx with a low card or at the very least an A2xx that he's planning on firing for three streets to put your high hand in a tough spot. I think he has to have at least an Ace in his hand, which he knows blocks half your combos of Aces and will allow him to bet into you from out of position pretty comfortably.

If you just call the flop, then I think you are conceding half the pot and hoping you don't get scooped with a low diamond or a pair (other than your two) hitting the board on the Turn or River. I feel like your line would have to be call and hope on the next two streets if you don't take control of the pot here.

That being said, if you raise and the Big Blind 3 bets, you have to put in the 4th bet and let him know he's behind if his representation of Aces is accurate. Blocking two diamonds puts you in a good spot, because you're denying approximately 8% of the equity of higher flush draws.

Then just play from position as the board runs out. Your only three really bad cards are 6 7 8

Why would making a flush be bad for my hand?

Why are we looking to bluff? We have bottom two pair on a board that doesn't connect well with his high card hands.

I don't think I'm ever going to be comfortable with a 4 high flush, even if the pot is heads up. Perhaps if it was paired with a nut or 2nd nut low, I may choose to play it aggressively. But on it's own for the high I don't think it's a long term +EV hand. I would rather maintain my two pair which I think is more than likely ahead rather than improve to an 11th best flush.

That being said, I don't think taking the aggressive route of raising and/or 4 betting turns your hand into a bluff. Rather, I think it is charging your opponent to draw while he's behind and building a pot that will possibly entice him to call on the river with an unimproved pair of Aces if the board bricks off.

I would call the flop and raise the turn when it is a non bad card for us.

Bad cards are probably a T and another low card other than an Ace.

Seems like we can get in raise in at any point we choose so it makes sense on all accounts to wait. You have an equity advantage on the flop but it may be greater (or worse) on the turn so see what that is first.

Had V 3-bet before?

Unless he has like AA2x or AA4x with NFD we've gotta be ahead, right? Turn could change things but you'll still have all sorts of redraws for at least half unless he has a perfect hand.

I think I'd raise flop and cap if he plays back, probably just call if he keeps firing turn and depending on the card. Could even take a free card if he checks turn but I can't think of many cards where that seems necessary.

Feels like this would be a dicey hand in a multi-way pot but gotta pound it heads up.

You could wait until the turn to raise, but if he has rough Aces he will check any low cards. A lot of your outs are either action killers or chop cards, I still say pump it now and take the initiative.

Edit: After checking some matchup we are trailing to A2 or A4 with a higher flush draw or better... even money against AA24! but still we block two of the diamond wheel cards. If he is really that strong he will 3-bet and lead into us on the turn, then we can slow down.

If opponent three bets us, we're probably behind. Four betting gives him a chance to five bet us the times he has us truly smashed up with a hand like AdA2d4.

Small sample of ~ 40 hands but no. He's been relatively tight and not been getting involved with junk hands OOP.

I would like to change my answer. Looks like our only bad card is a T really. My last post wasn't right, obviously a 6 is great for our hand.

Most likely equity on flop

ProPokerTools Omaha Hi/Lo Simulation

310,720 trials (Exhaustive)

board: t 5 3 8

Hand	Pot equity	Scoops	Wins Hi	Ties Hi	Wins Lo	Ties Lo
5c 4d 3c 2d	61.39%	95,235	259,551	234	120,883	1,881
5%	38.61%	25,341	50,935	234	187,956	1,881

Worst turn card

ProPokerTools Omaha Hi/Lo Simulation

304,640 trials (Exhaustive)

board: t 5 3 t

Hand	Pot equity	Scoops	Wins Hi	Ties Hi	Wins Lo	Ties Lo
5c 4d 3c 2d	39.96%	89,340	120,882	2,602	53,176	1,677
5%	60.04%	149,866	181,156	2,602	79,885	1,677

Diamonds are mathematically likely to be our friend

ProPokerTools Omaha Hi/Lo Simulation

313,360 trials (Exhaustive)

board: t 5 3 9

Hand	Pot equity	Scoops	Wins Hi	Ties Hi	Wins Lo	Ties Lo
5c 4d 3c 2d	73.96%	189,369	261,168	234	54,258	1,704
5%	26.04%	39,927	51,958	234	82,603	1,704

Just raise flop imo

Really interesting spot. I think I agree that we have an equity edge on the flop, somewhere around 60%. We also have a villain that has given us extra info about the strength of his hand and that we're at a range disadvantage on this flop. So we can expect frequent double barrels and have a lot to protect against those. Delaying some of our value range till the turn makes sense.

But is this the right hand for delaying? Several have already said there are some really good cards for our hand and some really bad ones. So waiting to see which comes makes sense, but at the cost of passing on what has to be a good flop raise and still being able to play well when we catch badly IP. Are we really helping our flop peel range with a hand that's somewhat "brittle" despite being strong?

I don’t love any low card that doesn’t make us a wheel. I just think equity changes so much on turn cards it pays to delay.

Raising obviously pushes equity. Maybe flatting has some merit as it disguises the strength of our holding, but since our visibility is poor I'd just push equity now.

Meh flop clearly favors his range he is going to bet nearly all turn cards and we can make a great decision with a disguised hand. I delay for sure

I change my mind again. Delay sounds ideal, the ten is a bad card but I somehow forgot to also include the 2 and the 4 in my original thinking.

If we should not raise here I think we should not have a raising range on this flop.

I personally like raising the flop. If Villain assumes we are competent, it is difficult for him to 3! us on this flop unless he has Ad2xxd or AA2. Our raise shows a lot of strength and Villain may even check back non-wheel nut lows on the turn. If a 7-8 non diamond comes we can check back as well. If a non diamond 9,J-K come we are still most likely ahead and can value bet. Obviously there aren't many great river cards for us if either of those situations occur but it feels too nitty to miss out on immediate value here if some bad turns come our way. Lastly, raising this flop adds well to our overall balance in these spots and having position in O8 is always pretty great. We also block 1 of his wheel outs.

Edit : An earlier poster mentioned that we are even money against AA24. If this is for sure true, then with position I would say it's a slam dunk flop raise. Villain can most definitely have AA3 here as well where he will most likely be over c-betting this hand

My feeling is that we know we have a flop equity advantage but it makes sense to wait for the turn for two reasons
1) See if turn comes bad, e.g. Ts and 4s
2) If the turn comes clean we can exploit the same equity edge on bigger street.... for example

ProPokerTools Omaha Hi/Lo Simulation

294,440 trials (Exhaustive)

board: t 5 3 K

Hand	Pot equity	Scoops	Wins Hi	Ties Hi	Wins Lo	Ties Lo
5c 4d 3c 2d	60.30%	144,627	200,446	3,984	51,521	1,541
5%	39.70%	83,464	90,010	3,984	77,072	1,541

It kind of feels like the situation in Stud High where you have two hidden pair against a probable higher pair but you delay because you want to see what develops first and you can more than likely get the raise in later