It's All About the Redraw!

Another Friday night meant another trip to Cary for our weekly session of $2/5 PL Omaha 8. We had a full table fairly quickly. In fact, a couple players came in after we filled up, chose not to wait, and left to head to another game. Believe me, besides spilling cold beer or dropping pizza on the floor, nothing breaks my heart more than watching money walk out the door. Sadly, my pleas for the tighter players (Tom, Raj, etc.) to get up and go home fell on deaf ears…

Not to worry, I was still surrounded by enough loose players to make the night an enjoyable one. After playing a few hours of mostly solid poker (it is Omaha - you have to gamble a little), I gradually built up a nice little stack of around $2k. Then came the big hand of the night, and one that’s a perfect example of the importance of having a good redraw in this game.

I’m in position and get one of my favorite types of starting hands – two-suited with two sets of connectors, one low and one high. This particular hand I have 2h-4h-10s-Qs, call the usual live straddle along with most of the rest of the table, and we’re off to the flop. The flop is a left hook to the jaw, 8h-9s-Jh, giving me the nuts, the heart redraw, and backdoor spade and low draws. Action is to Elvie, who bets the pot. It folds to Akash, who repots!

My Hand:

The Flop:

To me, I now have to make the key decision of the night – how fast to play my hand. In general, I don’t like committing too many chips until the turn, for a couple reasons. First, a pot-sized flop bet usually isn’t big enough to get drawing hands out (though in this situation, a re-raise from me makes it tough for Elvie to call with just a draw). Second, it’s a lot easier for most players to fold a draw with one card to come than two. Akash has a pretty big stack himself, and I can easily put him on Q-10 as well. I don’t have enough information yet to determine what Elvie has – he could easily be leading out with a set, nut flush draw, or the sucker straight. If so, I want him in the pot. If the turn is ugly, I can still easily get away from my hand relatively cheaply. After taking a few moments, I decide to take a small chance and smooth-call, and hope for a brick on the turn. Elvie calls as well, and there’s a nice pot a-brewing.

I’m trying to use my psychic powers to conjure up a low spade on the turn (an ace would be perfect). Very close – the turn brings a 4s. Though it takes away my low draw, I love this card, as I now have two flush draws to go with my nut straight. It doesn’t take long for the three of us to get all the chips in. Elvie and Akash both turn up Q-10 (wow, three of us flop the nuts!), with Akash having two-pair as well. Neither of them has a low draw or flush draw, so I’m in even better shape than I thought I was. Well, it’s a good thing nobody else has a heart draw, because a sweet little 7h comes on the river, allowing my 4-high flush to scoop a monster pot of over $4k!

The Turn:

The River:

As we’ve all seen too many times, having the nuts on the turn usually means you’re about to lose a lot of money. Omaha is a game of draws, and the only thing better than having a great draw on the turn is having the nuts along with it. Yep, it’s all about the redraw – can it be a coincidence that R-E-D-R-A-W anagrams to R-E-W-A-R-D? I think not!

See ya at the tables…
Rick