Here’s a spot from a live Big O tournament I played last night. 14 entries, 5 remaining, top 2 get paid, I’m third in chips and get in a pot with the two bigger stacks.

Blinds 4K/8K
I have 120K, SB (200K) and BB (150K) cover, HJ is short (~50K).

Preflop:
HJ limps off ~50K
I overlimp CO off ~120K with AcKs9d3h2c (thoughts?)
BU folds
SB completes off ~200K
BB checks with ~150K

Flop (32K): QcJc8h
SB checks
BB bets 15K
I call (thoughts?)
SB calls

Turn (77K): QcJc8hKc
SB checks
BB checks
Action? I have ~105K left, the others cover.

Nut clubs, minus a sneaky straight flush, bet it, 32K or 40K.

I can't imagine not raising this hand pre, ESPECIALLY behind a 6bb stack's limp. Flop is fine. You have great visibility in position, but a raise is probably okay, too. I can't imagine it matters much. Turn should be bet and I can see arguments for various sizes

Pre-flop limp is really bad. Probably betting turn smaller sizing.

Happy to discuss preflop further. I've been doing ~100% limping with <15 BB or so. Basically if no one is folding to a preflop raise (and I don't think they are -- every preflop raised pot was still going 3-4 ways), I'd rather keep the pot smaller in position since I'm not super convinced that even with a premium like this the bigger pot size is worth it compared to surviving. If the biggest mistake people make is overvaluing hands postflop or chasing one-way hands I'd rather have more behind to play for postflop, where I think I have a bigger edge. Happy to discuss though if you disagree, I'm totally new to this. (In a cash game of course I would raise).

FWIW I emailed Bart Hanson about this a couple weeks ago to ask about his short stack Big O preflop strategy and he had this to say (hopefully he's OK with me sharing this):

"it's a coin flip"

ProPokerTools 5-Card Omaha Hi/Lo Simulation

600,000 trials (Randomized)

Hand	Pot equity	Scoops	Wins Hi	Ties Hi	Wins Lo	Ties Lo
AA4	60.65%	270,292	341,862	7,533	211,429	20,396
100%!RR	39.35%	146,030	250,605	7,533	93,034	20,396

You aren't trying to pick up dead money with this raise; you are trying to ISO the HJ limper. I know you say all PF raises are called, but down to 5 and throwing in your first raise will get noticed. Taking this pot down uncontested or playing your hand multiway in a big pot are both great situations here.

As played, I pot the turn calling any raise from SB or BB. The stack sizes suck and I want to charge the boat draws the worst possible price. If SB or BB call and the board pairs and they lead after calling, I snap fold as no one is ever bluffing in that spot.

I notice many are suggesting to go smaller on the turn, like half pot. I understand the argument in favor of betting large (we want to deny equity from boat draws and we're probably not getting action from worse flushes or straights anyway). What are the reasons for going small here?

You have the nuts

It's somehow very typical for these "post-flop players" (ones that refuse to push equity pre-flop) to treat every hand like it's played in a vacuum. This makes me wonder where does the alleged post-flop edge come from? Probably from recognizing the nuts better than the opposition.

It seems like you’re projecting some pent up frustrations on me that I unfortunately don’t have anything to do with. I’m sorry that “post-flop players” have annoyed you in the past. That’s not me. I’ve never posted here before the last few days. I’m happy to change my view on this.

Not you especially, but also some named person who has emailed you nonsensical things. To be honest, the game you describe plays in such a peculiar way that it's impossible to give great advice for your question and recognizing hand strength is probably the most important skill in that game.

I'd like to say though that if you think nobody calls with a weaker flush/straight when you bet, you are essentially betting only for protection (plus you have an insanely good bluffing spot). I'm a simple guy, so I would have one sizing here and it would be around 30k. It makes bluffing cheap and someone should call down with some high flushes anyway. It fails to maximally protect, but that is of secondary importance to me. You can't have everything.

Thanks for the input. I'm convinced both that I should be more willing to raise pre (even though literally no one else does in this game!), that a smaller turn bet makes sense here, and that I should have some bluffs here too.

As played I potted the turn, SB called, river paired the Q, he stuck in my last ~28K and I folded despite getting something ridiculous like ~9:1 on a call (as Warrior24 said I don't think anyone is ever bluffing there and I thought ~3 BB was enough to be worth preserving). I don't think this particular guy is ever bluffing but against a good player I could have easily been getting owned on the river there because I don't think I ever pot the turn with anything but the nut flush.

Yes. Pre-flop is just another street for you to push equity. Note that you can't bet for value if you have no bluffs. In practice in the described game it's not that important though.