Here is another hand from yesterdays tournament... while this looks simple enough there are a couple of Omaha learning factors in this one - firstly on hand reading and secondly on pot / stack control.

Again - first the text hand history and then the explanation:

Full Tilt Poker Game #6198695372: Omaha Planet Overlay #1 (45911861), Table 1 - 15/30 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 15:09:06 ET - 2008/04/27
Seat 1: JamesMH (1,590)
Seat 2: davodd (3,045)
Seat 4: kittyxxkat (1,365)
Seat 5: CptnMik (1,395)
Seat 6: Ap0n3 (1,740)
Seat 7: CM25 (1,455), is sitting out
Seat 8: PhishW_chipZ (1,470)
Seat 9: Grabovsky (1,440)
Grabovsky posts the small blind of 15
JamesMH posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Grabovsky [Th 7h Ah Ts]
davodd folds
kittyxxkat calls 30
CptnMik calls 30
Ap0n3 calls 30
CM25 folds
PhishW_chipZ folds
Grabovsky calls 15
JamesMH checks
*** FLOP *** [4d 8h Tc]
PhishW_chipZ: I wish I knew why my connection did that
Grabovsky bets 150
CptnMik: that would be really grea1!
JamesMH has 15 seconds left to act
JamesMH calls 150
kittyxxkat folds
CptnMik calls 150
Ap0n3 folds
*** TURN *** [4d 8h Tc] [Js]
Grabovsky checks
JamesMH checks
CptnMik bets 600
Grabovsky folds
JamesMH folds
Uncalled bet of 600 returned to CptnMik
CptnMik mucks
CptnMik wins the pot (600)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 600 | Rake 0
Board: [4d 8h Tc Js]
Seat 1: JamesMH (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 2: davodd didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: kittyxxkat folded on the Flop
Seat 5: CptnMik collected (600), mucked
Seat 6: Ap0n3 folded on the Flop
Seat 7: CM25 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: PhishW_chipZ (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: Grabovsky (small blind) folded on the Turn


Pre-Flop:

Kittyxxkat Limps in Early Mid-Position
CptnMik Limps in Mid-Position
Grabovsky in SB who completes
JamesMH in BB checks.

I had 10-10-7-A suited to the ace... a very vulnerable hand out of position... no thought of raising this, especially with the 3rd heart in my hand.

The Flop:

4d 8h Tc

Grab hits top set!!

Problem with this top set is that I'm out of position, with deepish stacks against 3 opponents on a draw-heavy board.

Hand reading: 2 limps - do not indicate highly coordinated hands (though you never know, it is less likely) high pairs with unconnected size cards or slightly connected high cards are more likely - can not rule out coordinated lower cards or something like 5-6-7-A double suited though.

My thought - almost certainly have a good hand at the moment and unlikely to be facing the wrap-around-straight draw of 9-10-J-Q (or similar). Want to get all my chips in on the flop as there are not many turn cards which are good for my hand... any 5, 6, 7, 9, J or Q is bad here!

I bet the pot (150) hoping that someone re-raises with a pair / draw or overpair / draw so I can 4-bet all-in while presumably having the best of it....

But:

JamesMH calls from BB
CptnMik Calls in position

Pot = 600, 3 left in the hand.

Turn Card:

Jack of spades!

Horror card falls - making straights for 7-9 and 9-Q and giving a monster draw to anyone with the high cards we suspected from the pre-flop limping and post flop calls.

Here I elect to check, this is stack size thinking... I have about 1300 chips left and would need to risk them all by betting out to win the 600 in the middle.

The problem here is that I am likely to be called only by a made straight... if I bet 600 and get raised then I'm either crippled (by folding) or take the fill-up gamble with the worst of it for my 'tournament life'

Giving up the hand now seems leaves me with enough room to find a better spot... there is always a chance of seeing a free river card too.

I check and CptnMik bets pot.... easy fold.

What is the consensus of my thinking here?

Too tight?

Good read?

Do you fold a set of 10's here??

Cheers, Mark

I really don't remember what my holecards were in this very hand,
but I remember having folded a middle set,
when there were straight and flush draws on the flop
and you made a pot size bet ...

Yesterday, in a 6-handed PLO SnG I completely forgot my own device
and bustet out, when I (idiot me!) had gone all in with nothing but bottom set.
Can you imagine why I was so dumb? I can't, but I bet it will happen again ...