After reviewing the 'preflop concepts' portion of PLO From Scratch, I put in a session with everything clear in mind and had some rather positive results. Over 1k hands I 3bet 4%, iso'd a ton, and my redline evened out considerably (yes, I'm aware that this is at most dubiously indicative of any improvement, but it still felt great nonetheless).
As promised here are a few hands where I elected to 3-bet and iso. I'll try to leave out obvious spots like 3-betting premium AAxx or isoing KQJT against a single limper etc.
Iso spots
Iso Hand 1: UTG is 52/22
$0.02/$0.05 Pot Limit Omaha Hi
PokerStars
5 Players
Hand Conversion Powered by weaktight.com
Stacks:
UTG ($6.95)
Hero (CO) ($13.81)
BTN ($2.65)
SB ($13.81)
BB ($11.60)
Pre-Flop: ($0.07, 5 players) Hero is CO
UTG calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.20 ...
Seems fairly good, UTG is limping a wide and weak range here and I want to maximize the probability of playing heads up and in position; further, isoing this wide gives me increased fold equity postflop, if he does elect to call here. The blinds aren't particularly tight, but if one or both come along I do have suitedness / connectedness hand strength going for me, even if my hand isn't particularly nutty.
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Iso Hand 2: UTG is 31/1
$0.02/$0.05 Pot Limit Omaha Hi
PokerStars
5 Players
Hand Conversion Powered by weaktight.com
Stacks:
UTG ($12.96)
Hero (CO) ($12.60)
BTN ($10.63)
SB ($8.10)
BB ($6.63)
Pre-Flop: ($0.07, 5 players) Hero is CO
UTG calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.22 ...
A very similar spot; I have somewhat weak holdings and want to get HU. I should nevertheless have an equity edge against UTG's limping range here, and increased fold equity works in my favour as well.
The BTN and blinds are sufficiently tight (less than ~30% VPIP each) for this move to make sense.
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Iso Hand 3: UTG is 33/9
$0.02/$0.05 Pot Limit Omaha Hi
PokerStars
6 Players
Hand Conversion Powered by weaktight.com
Stacks:
UTG ($9.58)
UTG+1 ($14.41)
CO ($10.69)
Hero (BTN) ($13.43)
SB ($8.52)
BB ($21.36)
Pre-Flop: ($0.07, 6 players) Hero is BTN
UTG calls $0.05, 2 folds, Hero raises to $0.15 ...
This hand structure is similar to hand #2, and the villain is just as passive. The blinds however are 67/22 and 44/21 respectively, so I really question whether this is a profitable spot to go multi-way in a raised pot. I think given the looseness of the blinds I should be deciding between folding and limping.
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3-bet spots
3-bet Hand 1: UTG is 47/24, blinds are tight (<20 VPIP each)
$0.02/$0.05 Pot Limit Omaha Hi
PokerStars
6 Players
Hand Conversion Powered by weaktight.com
Stacks:
UTG ($10.06)
UTG+1 ($17.21)
CO ($11.86)
Hero (BTN) ($13.05)
SB ($5.09)
BB ($6.34)
Pre-Flop: ($0.07, 6 players) Hero is BTN
UTG raises to $0.15, 2 folds, Hero raises to $0.52 ...
I think this is a prime example of the type of light 3-betting I should have been doing all along. UTG's got a very wide range, even from that position, and while I'm not certain to have an equity edge (not likely, to be honest) I have created a great deal of fold equity with my 3-bet - and I'm in position, obv.
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3-bet Hand 2: CO is 32/21, blinds are fairly loose over a small sample
$0.02/$0.05 Pot Limit Omaha Hi
PokerStars
5 Players
Hand Conversion Powered by weaktight.com
Stacks:
UTG ($11.85)
CO ($23.84)
Hero (BTN) ($12.50)
SB ($10.97)
BB ($13.28)
Pre-Flop: ($0.07, 5 players) Hero is BTN
1 fold, CO raises to $0.17, Hero raises to $0.58 ...
I suppose my thinking on this 3-bet begins with the fact the CO's raise is potentially a bit wider than usual given his position. If he doesn't use a HUD, it's quite possible he overlooked the looseness of the blinds and was merely trying to pull off a steal.
Even given this however I have trouble thinking this was a good spot for a 3-bet. While my assumptions about the wideness of CO's range may be correct, the blinds' propensity to call in situations like these (while probably reduced by the size of the bets they would potentially be facing) in all likelihood reduces the profitability of a speculative 3-bet. Thoughts..?
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3-bet Hand 3: UTG is 38/26, SB is very tight (9/0 over a small sample) and BB is rather loose (39/17)
$0.02/$0.05 Pot Limit Omaha Hi
PokerStars
6 Players
Hand Conversion Powered by weaktight.com
Stacks:
UTG ($9.88)
Hero (UTG+1) ($12.68)
CO ($2.19)
BTN ($25.18)
SB ($10.01)
BB ($9.02)
Pre-Flop: ($0.07, 6 players) Hero is UTG+1
UTG raises to $0.17, Hero raises to $0.55 ...
This is probably more of a standard 3-bet spot than those above given my hand strength. Anyhow, UTG has been raising quite a bit pre and I probably have a significant equity edge against his range at this point, and the blinds aren't much of a concern (if BB comes along, I'll have position, FE and likely equity working in my favour).
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That's all for now. I'd appreciate comments on any of the above if possible, but I think doing this exercise has helped me reinforce everything I've covered lately.
Very recently M2M posted (in his 'ask me anything about...' thread in the BC) about how so many players are stuck doing things because they are 'standard' and don't really "get it" at the end of the day. So I consider this exercise as part of an effort to understand the why behind every action I choose... and not just an attempt to train myself to simply choose the correct action in a given situation.
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