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‘Tune In, Bet Pot, Cash Out’

The Texas Holdem Players Introduction To The Winning Pot-Limit Omaha Mindset

Mark’s Intro To This Guide

Since I first started the Omaha Planet website, Omaha poker – and in particular PLO High – has gone from a quirky change to Holdem to a serious poker variation enjoyed by many thousands of players every day. While I am sure Holdem will remain as the first choice, the continuing growth of Omaha gives those of us who love this game a huge opportunity to profit.

This guide is primarily aimed at those making the transition from Texas Holdem over to Omaha for the first time at the lower to mid buy-in levels. Though PLO players with some experience will also benefit as a ‘refresher’. I hope that readers will benefit by gaining an understanding of how an Omaha player thinks about different situations – and how to use this knowledge to profit from players who are not considering all of the important factors.

There is a steady stream of cash being brought to the tables by players who give away their hand too early, overvalue non-nut holdings and fail to bet their biggest draws for value in multi-way pots. With the help of this guide and the articles over at Omaha Planet you will soon be building your bankroll with this money!

Before we start the guide, I urge readers to take special note of the sections on game selection. Not all sites or tables are equal for PLO games, there is no doubt in my mind that those of use who take the time to find the softest games at the softest sites will do significantly better. If you struggle with the odds and equity calculations I also recommend checking out a tool called Omaha Indicator, this is a fantastic help while you are learning the game and has a 3 day trial. I know several players who still profit from the advice given by this unique tool, even though they are now relatively experienced.

GL at the tables, Mark http://www.omahaplanet.com

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Table Of Contents:

Part #1 – The 4 Conceptual Differences Which Shape Your Approach

1) Starting Hand Selection, Structure + Nut Potential

2) Protecting Hands And Betting Draws For Value

3) Pot-Limit Betting, Planning And Manipulating The Pot Size

4) Isolating Weak Opponents And Taking Orphaned Pots

Part #2 – Detailed Articles On Specific Hands And Common Situations

5) Your Omaha Poker Bankroll, Size And Variance

6) Key Elements Of Good Omaha Table And Site Selection

7) Straight Draws And Wraps In Pot Limit Omaha

8) Double-Suitedness, How Big A Difference Does This Make?

9) Full Houses In PLO, Don’t Overvalue The ‘Under-Full’

10) Final Thoughts, The Size Of Omaha Games + Links To Further Reading

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Part #1 - Overview, The 4 Key Differences Between Holdem And Omaha

We get into many specifics in this guide, including specific hands, betting situations and opponent types. Just for a minute we start by stepping back and look at 4 areas which might seem ‘obvious’ but actually have a big effect on really understanding the subsequent text. These are

- Instead of Thinking About Starting Hands In Terms Of Their Inherent Strength, Consider Them In Terms Of ‘Playable Structures’ And ‘Nut Potential’.

- Instead Of Thinking About ‘Pricing Out Draws’ Or ‘Protecting Vulnerable Made Hands’ - Start Betting Your Big Draws For Value, Often As A Strong Equity Favorite

- Instead Of Thinking About The Price To See The Next Card, Plan Out The Possible Betting Sequences Though The Hand Based On Your Opponent(s) And The Pot-Limit Structure – Then Manipulate This To Your Advantage.

- Instead Of Thinking About Expectation In Isolation, Consider How You Will Stack Each Of Your Opponents In Future Hands And Adjust Accordingly – While Ensuring You Take More Than Your Share Of Those Smaller Pots Too!

Many players making the switch to Omaha actually feel too comfortable with the similarities in betting structure. The differences are much bigger than they first appear, and go way beyond ‘draw only to the nuts’ , ‘don’t overplay those aces’ and ‘starting hand values are close together’.

Let us go through each of the key areas and provide some more detail and examples.

1) Omaha Starting Hands – Structure + Nut Potential

Showdowns in Omaha require each player to use 2 cards from their hand and 3 from the community card board. When moving from Holdem a simple and effective way of considering the strength of your Omaha hand is in terms of the number of possible 2-card combinations you will have should you reach a showdown.

To picture this imagine your 4 cards are marked A, B, C and D. You have 6 combinations of 2 cards as follows:

A+B, A+C, A+D B+C. B+D C+D

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Now we can look at some real PLO starting hands and compare the number of ‘live’ combinations that they contain. Let us compare K-K-8-3 of 4 different suits with 9-10-J-Q with just 2 suits.

The K-K-8-3 hand contains only one combination that can effectively hit the flop, K-K. In fact the rest of the hand means that (barring a miracle flop) that unless you hit a 3rd King you will probably have to throw your hand away. In fact even if a King does flop the presence of 2 suited cards, or another high card could easily mean an opponent has a monster draw against you – caution would be advised!

The 9-10-J-Q hand has many more combinations that could hit a strong hand on a number of flops. All 6 of the 2 card hands work together in some way to make straights and the 2 suits mean there are (non-nut) flush possibilities as well. Imagine a flop of A-K-8, with 2 of your suit – the number of live combinations in your hand make you a strong favorite to make the best hand by the river.

Structure And Nut Potential In PLO Starting Hands

Structure is a key determinant of quality PLO starting hands, however it is not the only one. You also need to consider the potential to hit the nuts. A good way to look at this is to consider the advantages of double suited cards (2 cards of each suit in your starting hand). While the smaller suited cards give you a possible escape route when outflopped , and often provide ‘backdoor’ possibilities, how comfortable would you really feel getting all-in on a suited flop with a 9 high flush? Of course, your suited cards can also act as blockers for a flush drawing against you – I will cover that area later.

Nut potential is largely driven by high-card strength, to uncover the real premium hands in Omaha we combine coordinated structures, suitedness (especially with the ace) and high cards together. There is some debate among expert PLO players as to which is the best starting hand of all. Some argue this is A-A-K-K double suited, while others prefer A-A-J-10 double suited – personally I am happy to see either!

PLO Starting Hands Guide – Hands Containing 1 Pair

A-A-x-x hands are strong in PLO, however the extra help given by the additional cards is a critical factor in how aggressively you can play them. If the side cards offer no help, and your stack is ‘deep’ they can in fact be trouble hands. That is to say that unless you can get a good proportion of your stack into the pot pre-flop is can be better not to re-raise, especially out of position. Since aces unimproved will rarely win a showdown in Omaha you need to have some backup. Even a small amount of help from side-cards for example A-A-J-3 with 1 suited ace is stronger – now you have a small amount of nut flush and nut straight potential to go with your high pair, though you would obviously prefer 4 cards working together.

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K-K-x-x and Q-Q-x-x hands follow the same guidelines, these hands need backup from the side cards to a much greater extent – as you will not always be making top set those times you do hit the flop. You may also be drawing to the non-nut flush when these hands are suited with their side cards. Kings and queens are strong hands in Omaha, however caution is advised when otherwise tight players want to build a big pot after the flop.

All other paired hands without backup must be played cautiously. Top set is a great hand to flop in Pot Limit Omaha, however any draw combination may leave you vulnerable to both the flush or straight and the fact that any over-card may give an opponent a higher set. Think of it this way. You have 10-10-7-2 and see a flop of 5-6-10 with 2 opponents. You could easily be facing a combination of 7-8-Q-Q and 3-4-A-A here (or other similar combinations)– that is a lot of straightening cards that destroy your set before we even consider suits, with deep stacks a potential trouble hand. Middle and bottom set is as likely to lose you a big pot in PLO as win one, choosing starting hands which are likely to hit middle set is a common leak for those players switching from Texas Holdem.

If you are new to PLO then Omaha Indicator will help you with categorizing the strength of starting hands while you play – allowing you to focus on your opponents!

PLO Starting Hands Guide – Connected Cards

Hands which contain 4 connected cards are very strong in Pot Limit Omaha, due to the large number of combinations working for you. If these are high and double-suited then this makes them even stronger.

Double-suited broadway hands such as 10-J-Q-K, J-Q-K-A and 9-10-Q-J are monsters and only a very slight under-dog to A-A-x-x hands before the flop. These should be played strongly before the flop, especially with position. The strength in these hands is the variety of straights and flushes they can make. With a flop containing 2 of your suit and straight working both ways you could have 17 or more outs to a nut hand – making you a solid favorite over flopped trips with no backup redraws.

Smaller connected cards and those with no suits can also be considered strong in the right situations. If you suspect an opponent is raising with a high pair then a ‘rundown’ hand such as 9-8-7-6 makes an excellent raising candidate, especially since the kind of flop that will hit these hands hard will not look ‘threatening’ to most opponents. Double suited rundowns can be

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considered premium hands and make excellent re-raising candidates to balance those times you are raising high card (aces) type hands. Again caution is advised those times you flop the lower end of a straight and an opponent appears to want to build a big pot.

With gaps in your connected combinations these hands begin to lose some value, though can often be used to call. Be cautious when the gap is large or at the top end of your hand. For example 5-6-9-10 is really needs to hit a 7 and 8 on the flop and 6-7-8-J has the downside that many of the straights you hit will not be the top straight – and in PLO that is very dangerous indeed!

PLO Starting Hands Guide - Mixed Draw Combinations

From position or when closing the betting there are many other playable combinations. For example a hand such as 10-10-J-9 is strong – especially when double suited can hit a flop in a variety of ways and should be played aggressively in many situations. A-5-6-7 (at least single suited to the ace) is another example that becomes playable when the betting is light pre-flop. New players should probably avoid the weaker end of these hands until they have gained experience in post-flop play in PLO.

PLO Starting Hands Guide – Two Pair Hands

The good news is that you will make a set a little over one in 4.5 times when holding 2 pairs before the flop. The problem is that, unless your pairs are high and the flop contains no draws, you would actually make a very expensive second best hand (middle or bottom set). High-cards (and preferably double suited cards too) are critical when playing 2-pair hands, making middle or bottom set can be dangerous in PLO as often as it is profitable.

PLO Starting Hands Guide – Double Suited Junk, Danglers, Trips And Babies

Having covered the categories of playable starting hands, a quick mention for ‘everything else’ which is firmly in the ‘unplayable’ category. Many players will play double suited cards which are not connected. We advise against this, double-suited junk may look like it has some potential, but is just as likely to lose a big pot as win one. We also advise being strict with the structure of hands you play when out of position J-J-10-4 may look like it is ‘worth a call’ from UTG at a full table or calling a small bet in the blinds, the reality is that this hand is likely to lose a big pot when opponents willingly bet and raise with you, and win a very small one those times you do hit hard from out of position.

‘Danglers’ is a term which goes back to the ‘6-combinations’ discussion. Having a single unrelated card immediately cuts your playable combination from a possible 6 down to 3. For

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example A-Q-Q-5 single suited contains a ‘dangler’ which lowers the hand strength, especially when compared to a Jack or a 10!

Trips Q-Q-Q-5 are unplayable, you will so rarely win a pot with an unimproved high pair that folding pre-flop is the best option. Baby rundowns should also be treated with caution 5-4-3-2 looks playable but only get action from a higher rundown – meaning it will win a small pot when opponents miss the flop or lose a big one against a hand such as 7-6-5-4.

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2) Instead Of Pricing Out Draws, Bet Your Own Draws For Value!

While part of our 2nd change in approach between Holdem and Omaha concerns the stronger nature of hands shown down, this shift from Holdem thinking is big enough to deserve some examples and a fuller explanation. In Omaha protecting ‘made hands’ could easily cost you an entire buy-in, here is an example:

You hold: A-A-9-8

Flop Comes: 4-9-8

There is a great chance you currently hold the best hand here (assume no suits) with your top 2 pairs and aces for higher 2-pair / set backup. However, if you get any significant action you have to assume that there is either a low set, wrap straight draw or possibly even both out there against you. An opponent holding 7-10-J-Q has so many outs that getting all-in on this flop would be huge. This player would not be semi-bluffing, they would be value betting instead. Adding flush draws to these situations can easily show that a wrap-around straight + flush draw can be 60% favorite – even against a flopped set.

I will list some more common hand match-ups below to re-enforce this point. Remember that the calculations need to include the cash already in the pot as you go through these match-ups. Even if you are an underdog there are numerous situations in which you should commit chips as your expectation including the dead money will be positive. This in turn increases the variance of PLO poker – something else we will cover later in this guide.

Hand Examples – Draws vs Made Hands

a) Top Set vs Wrap + Flush Draw

Player 1: 9-9-A-2 (4 suits)

Player 2: 8-10-J-Q single suited

Flop: 9-7-K giving player 2 a flush draw + wrap

Here the trip 9’s are 45% to win with the big draw 55%. Now imagine $100 stacks, there is $10 in the pot pre-flop and you bet pot on the flop making this $20, your opponent repots $30 more… there is now enough money in the pot to make it correct to re-raise with either hand with a positive expectation. Any fold equity would make this a hugely positive move… this goes some way to highlighting the variance inherent in Pot Limit Omaha Poker!

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b) Overpair vs 13 Out Straight Draw

Player 1: A-A-3-2 (4 suits)

Player 2: 4-6-7-8 (single suited)

Flop: 5-8-Q (3 suits)

Here the player holding the aces often sees a reasonably ‘safe’ flop and plays aggressively. However the matchup reveals a different story, a 13 out wrap + pair + backdoor flush draw in Player 2’s hand make this player a 62.7% favorite here. Of course this is one of the weakest aces we could come up with, but it does highlight the dangers of this hand – imagine a 3rd opponent with some combination like 9-10-J-K here – the aces would be a huge underdog!

c) Effect Of A Dominating Straight Draw

Player 1: 10-J-Q-K

Player 2: 9-10-J-Q

Flop: 8-10-A

Ignoring suits for simplicity, this match-up highlights the importance of drawing to the nuts in Pot-Limit Omaha – and also shows you one of the larger equity gaps on the flop in common situations. Player 1 has any jack, queen or king for the nuts here, a nine would split the pot and only a seven followed by a low card would give the pot to player 2. Of course you can not play Omaha fearing monsters, however when calculating outs it can pay to think in terms of outs which give you a nut hand against your opponents most likely holdings – and when there is serious action on a 2 high-card flop you can expect at least one player to be drawing to the broadway straight.

3) Plan And Manipulate The Betting

Pot-Limit Betting is simple in essence, however the strategy options which this structure allows are complex and are often overlooked by those switching from Holdem. There are two factors to start us off thinking about the betting. Firstly, the pot starts small and grows exponentially, when

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the money is deep getting people to fold for a single flop bet can often be difficult. Secondly, if you want to use ‘fold equity’ in your arsenal, then you need to plan to ensure you have the last meaningful bet – a job which is far easier when you are last to act in the betting sequence. Unlike Holdem, it is easy for any player to ‘represent’ a monster hand / draw on a coordinated flop. This means that the pre-flop raises is not always the person who takes the initiative on the flop, the ‘check to the raiser’ being less likely – especially multi-way.

Your objective with the betting will differ depending on whether you have a draw or made hand (and your redraws), the depth of stacks, position at the table and the tendencies of your opponents. Unraised pots before the flop can complicate the task of getting your opponent’s entire stack in the middle by the river – particularly if a turn card could come which might easily make them lose interest in the pot. This is just one of many reasons you should raise with a variety of strong hands before the flop. Sure, hand match-ups are usually close in Pot-Limit Omaha – so you may not have much the best of it. However we like to look at hands with nut potential differently, instead asking why would you not want to play a big pot when you can not have the worst of it and may well have a significant edge as the hand develops?

As stacks get deeper the task of planning out the betting becomes tougher, against skilled opponents the threat of bigger bets on later street means that early round betting can have increased leverage. Against inexperienced lower limit opponents your implied odds – the chance of being paid off those times you hit a lock – are greatly improved. Note that implied odds work both ways, never use this as an excuse for playing a marginal hand out of position!

Bet planning involves more than figuring out who will have the last meaningful bet, often you need to plan the best way of keeping your opponent in the hand, for what you will do if your opponent calls and a blank or scare card comes on the turn / river or even for what you will do if reraised on this street. The key skill is to plan out the hand before you act, this can mean reducing the number of tables you play compared to Texas Holdem is a profitable idea – at least while the common PLO situations / stack sizes become intuitive.

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4) Isolating Weak Opponents And Stealing Orphaned Pots!

Part of making the switch is to understand that close hand match-ups, exponential pot-limit bet sizing and the large number of possible hands after the flop mean that you are entering a ‘big-pot’ game. You simply will not maximize your profit in this game if you are nervous about committing your entire stack when you have an edge – Omaha favors the fearless!

A key aspect if the game is that you should be actively targeting ‘weak’ opponents, with a view to stacking them. Spotting the inexperienced people is relatively straight forward and becomes easier with practice. Some behaviors to watch for include:

- Aces Only Raisers (May also include Kings/ Queens!)

- Uncoordinated Hands At Showdown, Especially From Out Of Position

- Extra Passive Players Who Will Wait For The Nuts Before Raising

- Players Who Will Commit Their Stack With Non-Nut Hands*

*Be careful with this last category, since some good players may have read you as weak or may make a ‘backdoor’ hand and look ‘lucky’.

When you have position on one or more inexperienced opponent’s life at the Omaha table becomes very profitable indeed. You need to raise often enough to isolate (get 1-on-1 with) these weak opponents, without over-doing this and having more observant players 4-betting you when you are holding a marginal holding. Once you have isolated these players then your objective is their stack – how you get this will depend on the individual tendencies of the weak player, and of course the stack sizes and fall of the cards are important too.

Once again I’ll emphasize how Omaha Indicator can help with transitioning – opponents are tagged based on their play automatically by this tool. So you will know who are the weak players you should be targeting, you can take a 3 day trial to check it out by clicking the link below:

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Orphaned Pots In Pot-Limit Omaha

Orphaned pots are those small pots on the flop which nobody in the hand appears to be fighting for. Omaha is not a game where free cards can be readily given, if someone has a hand they should usually bet it – since even the safest looking flop can become dangerous with the arrival of a suited or straightening card on the turn, and betting will also disguise your monsters.

Since people usually bet made hands, those times when you are checked to in last position are often opportunities to make a play for the small pots. Flop texture and opponent tendencies can also be factored in, and if you have outs when called this is even better. While you do not need to make a play for every small pot from position, grabbing more than your fair share is an excellent way of boosting your profits over time. Stealing and bluffing in PLO is covered in more depth below.

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Part #2 – Classic Omaha Planet Articles And Practical Strategy Advice

Ok, I have covered the key differences in approach in a mostly theoretical manner above. Now it is time to get down to some more practical advice which can be used at the tables right away! First of all we need to ask – which tables?

You see, when it comes to Omaha there are bigger variations between the games, number of tables available and average skill levels of your opponents than for any other form of poker. You need to choose wisely to avoid being overwhelmed by experienced grinders, or finding only three Omaha games too choose from.

I recommend that you check out the Omaha Poker Sites area of Omaha Planet next time you are there to assess the best site for you as an individual. For those looking for a quicker summary here are my top recommendations for players up to the $1 / $2 level:

#1 – Carbon Poker: US Omaha fans might not have the wide choices of a year ago. However this is made up for by the excellent Carbon Poker still welcoming US players from most states. Excellent software, soft PLO games and some of the best player rewards anywhere combine to make this an easy top pick. You can claim your 100% welcome bonus of up to $600 with coupon code OP600. Click here to check out the awesome Carbon Poker for yourself now!

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#2 – 888 Poker: For non-US players avoiding the grinders is a great way to ensure you maximize your profits. 888.com (previously branded as Pacific Poker) benefit from a steady stream of ‘gamblers’ who come over from the large casino side of their business. This makes sure you get the maximum rewards for your PLO knowledge. Great bonuses and promos at this popular site including a 100% to $400 welcome bonus which is waiting for you right now! Click this link to see how profitable the 888.com Poker games are for yourself!

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1) Your Omaha Poker Bankroll

Bankroll Management in Pot-Limit Omaha is driven by two factors. Firstly there is more variance in the PLO game, big pots will often be between made hands and strong draws – if there is sufficient money in the pot both players will profitably push their entire stack into the middle in many situations.

Secondly, you will not be able to win long-term in PLO if you are thinking about the effect on your bankroll of any action. If you are nervous or hesitant to push all in when you have an equity edge then you are simply playing too high for your bankroll.

Since profitable play requires you take edges whenever offered you should ensure you play with a minimum of 30 buy-ins – if you are money-conscious, rely on your poker profits for your income source or play a particularly high-risk / high-reward LAG game then you should seriously consider moving this closer to 40 buy-ins. This can seem high to those used to other forms of poker, however taking advantage of your opponents in PLO will involve some big things… learn to shrug your shoulders, smile and say “It’s Only 100 Big Blinds” when you push all in!

2) Table And Site Selection

A serious leak among many good Omaha poker players is that they spend too much of their time on the tougher sites playing against other profitable regulars. This leak is worse than in Holdem – since the entire stack of weak opponents will make up a larger amount of your daily profits in PLO. Even if you have an edge on the regulars these games will never be as profitable as those containing recreational / inexperienced opponents.

The solution is simple, spending just a few minutes observing the available tables and choosing those with as many ‘unknowns’ as possible is a profitable habit to get into. If there are no games which are not full of regulars then why not drop a level for a while and come back when there are weak opponents to profit from. Common sense moves like this can make a big difference to your bankroll over time, if your pride will let you make them!

If you already played any Texas Holdem you will be familiar with the ‘% of players to flop’ and ‘average pot size’ statistics in the lobby of most sites. While these are great for finding unusually fishy tables, it is often the seats available at ‘normal’ looking tables which will be even more lucrative. Having inexperienced Omaha players to your left – where you will have position on them most of the time – is such a profitable situation in PLO that I will often delay starting my sessions waiting for these situations to appear.

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3) Straight Draws And Wraps In PLO

One of the biggest adjustments players new to Pot-Limit Omaha need to make is to the size of possible straight draws, it is possible to hold a straight with no less than 21 ‘outs’ on the flop in PLO – yet many players make huge errors with these holdings.

Here we examine the variety of straight draws available and the starting hands which give you the potential to flop the largest of these draws. We will also look at ‘trap wraps’ by covering scenarios where not all of your outs are clean.

Playing Wraps In Pot Limit Omaha – Hierarchy Of Common Straight Draws

1 – Gutshot Straight Draw – 4 Outs – Example: A-2-9-J on a flop of 4-5-8

2 – Open Ended Straight Draw – 8 Outs – Example: 4-5-Q-Q on flop of 6-7-K

3 – Inside Broadway Draw – 9 Outs – Example: 5-10-J-K on flop of 7-Q-A

4 – 12 Out Straight Draw – 12 Outs – Example: 7-9-J-Q on flop of 2-8-10

4 – 13 Card Wrap Draw – 13 Outs – Example: 5-6-8-9 on flop of 4-7-K

6 – 17 Card Wrap Draw – 17 Outs – Example: 10-9-6-2 on flop of 8-7-A

6 – 20 Card Wrap Draw – 20 Outs – Example: 10-9-6-5 on flop of 8-7-2

When considering the power of wrap around straight draws we need to consider several inter-relating factors. These include the following questions:

What Starting Hands Produce The Most Powerful Omaha Wrap Straight Draws?

Here is the key ‘Wraps Love Gaps’, that is to say you need gaps in your starting hand in order to flop the best possible wraps. Within this there is a proviso – that the ‘2-gap’ hands which can produce the biggest wrap draws of all are not necessarily the most desirable starting hands, since not all your outs are to the nuts. High-card strength and / or suitedness (along with good table position) can really help with these hands. If you have gaps pre-flop then these are always better at the bottom of your rundown – gaps at the top are less likely to flop nut straights with nut redraws..

How Many Of My Outs Are To The Nuts?

It is easy to find yourself counting a huge number of outs, only to find that less than half of them are to the nuts. Chasing a ‘Sucker-Wrap’ can be hugely expensive in Omaha, you will find yourself winning a small pot or losing a big one to a better draw. If you have a read (for example that your

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opponent has a set), or help (for example a flush draw or pairs) then non-nut wraps can be played more aggressively.

Is There A Flush Or Flush Draw Available On The Flop?

Key to the power of your wrap is whether the flop contains 2 suited cards, if you do not have a flush draw yourself then this can devalue your hand significantly. Against multiple opponents even the strongest wraps should be given up on a monotone (single suit) flop when you have no help. Position is key to playing wraps where other draws are possible, since this will often allow you to better control the size of the pot.

What Is The Likelihood That Some Of My Outs Are In Opponents Hands?

When considering a broadway (picture card) wrap draw it is important to consider that your opponents may be holding a number of your outs. Since high cards and connected cards are more likely to be in the pot, it can be possible for several cards to be taken. For example when playing an inside broadway straight against 2 opponents it is feasible that you could end up with a split pot more than half of the time – and an opponent with the same straight draw and a set could be freerolling for the full house on later streets.

How Deep Are The Chip Stacks, And Where In The Betting Order Do We Sit?

While the depth of stacks and position are more a key strategy component with PLO poker than specific to wrap draws – the strength of your draw and position are closely related. This becomes most apparent when your flop bet is flat called and the turn does not complete your draw. Changing from a solid favorite to an underdog to win the pot means that position or the ability to threaten your opponent with a potentially large re-raise are key weapons.

While you are learning to play the number of outs, nut outs and equity calculations can seem a little confusing. I recommend those making the transition check out Omaha Indicator – this is a unique real-time poker calculator and is approved by all the major rooms. For most of us it will pay for itself in no time at all!!

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4) Double Suitedness In PLO – How Big A Difference Do Suits Make?

When your PLO starting hand contains 2 cards of each of 2 suits it is referred to as ‘Double Suited’. A Hand with 2 suited and 2 unsuited cards is referred to as ‘Single Suited’. The ability to make flushes, and indeed to block some outs for opponent’s flushes gives your hand an advantage. This article will look at the effect of suitedness (both single and double) on your winning chances in pot-limit Omaha.

The format will be to examine winning chances before the flop against a range of your opponent’s possible holdings – here is an example:

You Hold: 5-6-7-8

Your Opponent Holds: A-A-K-J

If both hands are unsuited (4-suits) your winning chances all-in pre-flop are 42.76%... if your hand is double suited and your opponent’s hand is unsuited then your winning chances improve to 50.13%. Where your hand is unsuited and your opponents hand is double suited your winning chances are just 36.68%. As you can see there is a large difference here – switching double suitedness can turn you from a small favorite into a 2/1 underdog!

To look deeper into the effects of double suited hands we will give you the best possible PLO starting hand A-A-J-10 double suited (some might argue that this is A-A-K-K double suited, bit for the purposes of this article both can be considered great!). This time we will see how your chances are affected against multiple opponents.

One Opponent – Double Suited PLO Hand Matchups

A-A-J-10 no suits vs 7-7-8-8 double suited = 54% / 46%

A-A-J-10 double suited vs 7-7-8-8 no suits = 67% / 33%

A-A-J-10 double suited vs 7-7-8-8 double suited (same suits!) = 65% / 35%

Two Opponents – Double Suited PLO Hand Matchups

A-A-J-10 no suits vs 7-7-8-8 double suited vs K-K-5-6 double suited = 33% / 37% / 30%

A-A-J-10 double suited vs 7-7-8-8 no suits vs K-K-5-6 no suits = 52% / 27% / 21%

We can see a big effect of double suiteness before the flop from the PLO hand matchups above. But what about the effect after the flop? We will give one player a made hand in each scenario –

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and set the flop to discount straight draws to see the effect of suits on your winning chances on the flop.

A-A-J-10 Double Suited vs 7-7-8-8 unsuited on a flop of A-2-9 with 2 suits matching the A-A-J-10 hand = 97% / 3%

A-A-J-10 Unsuited vs 7-7-8-8 double suited on the same A-2-9 flop with 2 suits matching the 7-7-8-8 hand = 71% / 29%

Again we see a considerable difference, the message should be clear – choose double suited hands in PLO where possible

5) Full Houses In Pot Limit Omaha, Why Holdem Players Often Overvalue The Underfull

For players new to Pot Limit Omaha Poker a full house can seem invincible – these individuals only find out when it is too late that a full house can be a very dangerous hand in PLO… in particular the ‘Underfull’.

The underfull refers to the small end of a full house. The classic example would be a flop of QQ7 while you are holding a pair of 7’s. The chances are good that you have the best hand on the flop – but if the money is deep enough you’ll only ever find yourself all-in on the river with an opponent holding Queens-full…

Deep-stacked play, pot-limit betting and 4 hole-cards make PLO a fascinating and enjoyable game. These same factors make holding an underfull house hand dangerous. We will examine them one at a time:

Deep Stacks And Full Houses In Pot Limit Omaha Poker

Stacks of 100 times the blinds or more add a level of complexity to Omaha Poker which results in the skill edge in this form of the game being more significant than in other poker variations. Depending on the level at which you play PLO Poker we need to consider that you can not have a full-house unless the board is paired. The key point here is that your opponents can see the board is paired – which then leads to the question of what kind of hand a thinking player would need to call a river bet for a huge proportion of their stack?

Of course, many players at the lower levels would do this with trips – but most of the time it takes a full-house to call your bet. If you have an underfull such as the one in our example then the only full house that would be likely to call you contains a queen and another card.

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Obviously this is highly opponent dependant – some forethought is required though, after all – why make a bet that will only be called by a better hand?

Pot Limit Betting And Full Houses In Pot Limit Omaha Poker

The Pot-Limit betting structure in the play of Full houses is actually related to the discussion on deep-stacks above. The point here is that it is not possible to get your stack into the middle with one (or often even 2) big bets. The only time this is likely to happen on the flop is with an opponent who is willing to raise and re-raise more than once.

Even if your opponent has top trips (your best case scenario) then you are only 58% to 42% favorite with an under-full house. The pot limit betting ensures that you are suffering from reverse implied odds to some extent. That is to say that those times your opponent does not improve you will win some decent bets but not their whole stack… however those times your opponent does improve they will likely win your entire stack!

4 Hole-Cards And Full Houses In Pot Limit Omaha Poker

Finally a look at the odds when you make your small full house on the flop, or hit a draw on the flop and turn against an opponent with top trips.

You: 8-8-10-Q

Opponent: A-K-J-9

Flop #1: K-K-8

Here you are 58% favorite when the money goes in on the flop. If the turn card is ‘safe’ (for example a 2 here) then your winning chances improve to 75% for the river!

Flop #2: K-A-8

With a set of 8’s against top 2 pairs (unsuited, so no flush draws) you are a healthy 78% favorite, here your opponent only has 4 outs to re-draw with (the 2 remaining aces and 2 remaining kings).

Flop #3 – K-A-8 (2 hearts)

Looking at the same flop again but this time giving your opponent a flush draw to go with the top 2 pair has a big effect. Your set is 51% favorite only on this flop – note that the kill cards for the flush on the flop give your opponent a higher full house. A safe turn (again a 2 in our example) improve your odds dramatically – making you a 75% to 25% favorite.

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Full Houses In Pot-Limit Omaha Poker – Summary

Underfulls are dangerous hands when indiscriminately playing them for your whole stack – they are also powerful holdings against the right opponent. Our conclusion here is that the real problem starts before the flop, playing the small pairs that go on to become vulnerable full-houses.

There are, however, many times when an underfull can be played very strongly.

Against weaker opponents, particularly those likely to think that over-pairs or trips are stronger than they really are (new Texas Holdem converts to Omaha sometimes fit this profile)

In an Omaha Poker Tournament

Played In Position, particularly when opponents have not raised before or on the flop.

Choosing The Right Omaha Poker Sites

I already summarized my top 2 choices for PLO Players – Stars for everyone and Titan as a fishy alternative for non-US players. These are far from the only available choices though. Omaha Planet has a section dedicated to what each site offers as far as Omaha is concerned – you will find a ton of articles there and also out unique Omaha-Specific Reviews. You can find these in the Best Omaha Sites page now, it is the right hand tab on the Omaha Planet site; If you enjoy a specific form of the game then the articles below could be of interest;

PLO Cash Games – Summarizes the best cash game sites, linking to the full reviews as well as the sites themselves to find out more.

Best Site For Omaha Tournaments – Both entertaining and profitable, I recommend readers check out an Omaha tournament or two! This article summarizes the offerings at the major sites.

Best Site For Heads Up Omaha Poker – For fans of the 1 vs 1 games, this article shows you where to find the easiest opponents.

There are plenty more great guides and reviews too… check our Omaha Sites main page for the full list. I’m recommending Carbon Poker for US readers – grab a 100% welcome bonus up to $600 now with coupon code OP600

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6) Final Thoughts: Tune In, Bet Pot, Cash Out

In our opinion the biggest single key to success in PLO is forgetting about the money and focusing on the equity. That is to say that you need to be happy to push in your entire stack when you have an equity advantage without worrying about losing it. If you think of the value of this money then you not only miss out on profitable situations, your opponents who are happy to take the small edges are likely to run you over!

Remember that PLO games play ‘Bigger’ than No-Limit Holdem, with more players involved in hands early and more draws – those pots are contested more often and involve larger sums of money. While you are learning the game it can pay to drop a level from your usual blinds until you are familiar with the size of the game. You should also be very selective with starting hands – that Q-Q-J-3 single suited may look tempting but suffers from a serious case of reverse implied odds when out of position.

Finally, remember to pop back over to Omaha Planet soon – I am dedicated to creating the best collection of articles for beginner to intermediate Omaha players worldwide.

GL at the tables, Mark www.omahaplanet.com