8 handed 2-5 with $10-$25 mandatory button straddle.

V1: Button. $4000 stack. $10 straddle. Somewhat spazzy, has a good understanding of basics but lacks deep thinking. (Man in early 40s)

V2: CO. $600ish stack. Calling station, big fish (Woman in late 40s). Had busted several times, definitely tilting.

Hero: BB. Covers. Probably viewed as more aggro than he is (Man in early 30s)

Game had been aggro pre so I limped pre with AA345 intending to 3b.

Pre: Hero limps, 1 more limp, V2 limps, V1 checks.

Flop ($50): AK8. Hero bets 75, V2 calls, V1 calls.

Turn ($275). AK8 2. Hero checks, V2 all-in $500, V1 calls. Hero...

I knew V2 was shipping any flush, any low, so I checked so V1 could call. He has 5 random cards and I'm pretty sure he had nut/nothing one way or the other, giving me a freeroll. V1 has about 3500 back. I thought he had nut flush bad low but wasn't sure.

On a more general note, when you're freerolling, are you generally trying to make bets that can get called or get folds?

You certainly appear to be up against a flush and nut low but you can't fold here I think... It's just one of those setups in 5-card omaha hi/lo.

When you're freerolling you want to get as much money in the pot as possible. Come river and you're left with nut hi or nut lo (freeroll missed) it's common to shove. It's a little different in 5-card omaha-8, as you're always a little scared of getting quartered so you kinda need to figure out whether or not villain has nut hi or nut lo himself. Particularly nut lo's are vulnerable to a quarter I imagine.

HUH????



With the deeper playing calling the $500, its time to raise . You want him all in now, not waiting until the river where he could have the nut flush or fold to a paired board.

In this situation, you definitely want him in because youre going to lose the high to the flush unless the board pairs anyways.

Actually I'm contradicting myself. NVM. Just read the 2nd paragraph in my first part. Basically answers the question: Shove.

If that's your read, go with it. If he has the flush and a bad low, and the board pairs on the river, he won't put any more money in. Ship now and assume that you'll get you half of the side pot back if there's no pair.

You can also do a baysean analysis of his range, assigning probabilities to other holdings, to figure out what to do if he has flush and nut low 10% of the time, for example.

I raised to $1500 and he shoved turn anyways. I wasn't sure if it was better to shove now or turn it into 2 barrels that he can play pretty perfectly against (he hates the rivers I like obviously) but is more likely to call.