Poker Room skin
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $1/$1
8 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: $98
UTG+1: $65.80
MP1: $93.80
MP2: $207.50
CO: $235.55
Button: $376.50
SB: $45.10
Hero: $99

Pre-flop: (8 players) Hero is BB with J A 2 3
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, MP2 folds, CO raises to $6, 2 folds, Hero calls $5 (pot was $10), UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls.

Flop: J 4 8 ($25, 4 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, CO bets $15, Hero ??

I guess the situation is read-dependent, and I have only the read that CO is Aggressive. But no real reads on most of the field. Ranges from fishy to tight-passive to TA I guess.
Just wondering if anyone can make an argument for calling here??

i can if the UTG and MP players are tight and wouldn't c/r here w/o a lock for high. stacks are deep enough (IMO) and i think we stack him on a 23J turn and if a 5 rolls of we get a monster freeroll.

I'm more interested in any merit in calling with regards other players.

CO raised preflop, so hasn't necessarily hit this flop that hard. I'd love to raise and isolate him. It's just whether a call is better to build the pot.
Folding wasn't an option...

what would you raise to?

naw, i smooth call here all day. maybe i'm a weak tight *****.

I was thinking maybe a call might induce some loose calling behind. Also, I can get a much clearer picture on the turn, as you said. I'm not pot-committed if I just call.
But if they're folding anyway, I'm thinking raise is better since my hand is decent HU against even a narrowish pre-flop range of villain - counterfeit protection + fold equity might be high. A raise might/mightn't fold another A2.
There's $40 in there...

Tough spot, and very situational. Basically, the pre-flop raisor's tendencies will determine what I'll do here. If it's an over aggressive donk who cbets most flops, it's an easy push. If it's a tighter player I might get a little wary.

If you are uncertain, I like a call here. You don't have much of a hand atm, but if you happen to make the nut low on the turn you're in a potentially very profitable situation. 23 cards makes your hand quite strong.


Btw. What's your nick on the PR skin? I play the PL100 hi/lo all the time as Falukropp.

the more i think about it, the more merit i see in trying to isolate with a hand that has a lot of equity HU against CO's range.

i like a raise here IMO. the check raise looks like a A2JJ or 88 and would make a AA3x fold or even an AA2x fold.

Easy max re-raise.

That 15 continuation bet screams weakness IMO. The pot has $40 in it so you don't mind taking it down - but you are also OK playing for your stack, and there is maybe only a K or Q that can come on the turn that would make you hesitate to get the rest in then. The point about isolating is that your equity will go way up against one player as opposed to playing against 4.....it may look tempting to try to keep everyone in, but doing that will significantly reduce your chances of scooping - and will also increase your probability of getting quartered.

For example, lets say CO has A26T and one of the others has slow played a set. If you flat call the 15 and then one of them pops it and the button goes all in, how do you like calling then? Alternatively, you raise, the set re-pops and then the button has to fold his weak low draw as he knows you are already committed, leaving you to pick up the low half.

i really don't like flat calling in these spots because if you brick the turn, your equity goes to **** with one card to come.

plus, here, all the stars are aligning--isolation with a hand that's in great shape HU, a not-bad-sized pot, etc.

Some good points there, and there doesn't seem to be a strong argument for calling.

I think the main points for raising are:
(i) the size of the current pot which can be won on the spot
(ii) the weighting of hand strength/equity HU and multi-way. Chamonyx explained this well and also gave a comparison of possible play scenarios which might possibly occur
(iii) Position is bad, so we are more likely to be outplayed rather than outplay our opponents on later streets, whereas raising removes that disadvantage.