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Curse of the pocket pair
Talon
Member Posts: 1,621
In holdem the pocket pair is a wonderful thing open up all sorts of possiblilies to take down big pots. But in omaha it remains the most overplayed starting hand going especiually when it is AA.
In holdem a high pocket pair very often holds up without improving but in omaha if it does setup or house up then it has virtually no chance of winning the hand.
Despite this all too many players are calling into raised pots with a big pocket pair and 2 danglers hoping to hit and i have also seen players unable to lay down AA even when they have missed and there is big betting against them.
The only way to play a pocket pair is if you have backup with your other cards to give yourself multiple ways to win the pot and not just rely on the pair.
Hands like JQKK and 10jAA work very well for this as you have a good few staring hands and not total reliance on your pair.
Hands like KK82 rainbow should be folded at the earliest opportunity because you are entering the pot as a massive underdog to virtually any other holding and just relying on hitting miracle cards.
Please for your own sanity and financial security do not overrate these pocket pairs unless they are backed up by big draws
In holdem a high pocket pair very often holds up without improving but in omaha if it does setup or house up then it has virtually no chance of winning the hand.
Despite this all too many players are calling into raised pots with a big pocket pair and 2 danglers hoping to hit and i have also seen players unable to lay down AA even when they have missed and there is big betting against them.
The only way to play a pocket pair is if you have backup with your other cards to give yourself multiple ways to win the pot and not just rely on the pair.
Hands like JQKK and 10jAA work very well for this as you have a good few staring hands and not total reliance on your pair.
Hands like KK82 rainbow should be folded at the earliest opportunity because you are entering the pot as a massive underdog to virtually any other holding and just relying on hitting miracle cards.
Please for your own sanity and financial security do not overrate these pocket pairs unless they are backed up by big draws
Comments
In Response to Curse of the pocket pair:
lol.... sorry but pocket pairs are the way forward in omaha.... especially 2222!! nudge nudge talon ;-))
The problem is that even if you make a set with them, if there is strong betting you are almost certainly behind.
Consider the following boards if you have JJ in your hand:
AAJT2
KJ742 (no flush)
These are just about the best boards that you can hope to hit and JJ looks strong in both cases but:
In the first you are losing to AA, AT and A2.
in the second you are losing to KK.
In Hold 'Em you might consider yourself unlucky to run into these hands that are beating you. In Omaha, if there is strong betting you are almost certainly behind.
Essentially if there is any overcard to a jack on the board (and certainly any overpair to a jack) your hand is going to cost you chips far more often than you gain from it - even if you hit a set.