Pot Limit Omaha Guide Part Two

By Philip Tuck

As a follow up to part ones focus on the importance of the flop in PLO, I want to look at some hands that really illustrate quite why the flop is so important...

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The first hand is a classic - one which really shows the difference between hold’em and PLO. http://www.pokerhand.org/?1435284" target="_blank">Click here to see the hand.

Player “xBJKx” ignores the golden rule of PLO - he does not consider the flop (or the action for that matter), and gets all his money in miles behind (just 5% equity) and sucks out. Going all the way with aces here in hold’em would be dangerous - making this type of play in PLO is suicidal.

Hands involving AAxx seem to frequently illustrate how often people forget about the importance of the flop in PLO, just believing that any hand with aces in it deserves to win the pot. Falling in love with any hand pre flop in PLO is a sure fire way to lose money.

I hope this hand illustrates that in PLO the big hands are often out there if you get action - you have to be able to fold aces in this spot if you want to make money at this game. Most of the time the big hands will be out there in PLO.

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As a quick side point, there are situations occasionally that allow you to get most of the money in with AAxx pre flop if you can spot them. http://www.pokerhand.org/?1762439" target="_blank">This is a hand from my recent $1 account challenge (im up to $250 and taking a shot at a very weak .10/.25c HA game) that shows this well.

Player “TooStrongForYou” is tilting hard, raising pot most hands, and losing heavily. My hand is actually quite weak. Unconnected unsuited aces are not huge in PLO. But they do have a lot of value against “TooStrongForYou’s” range - most of the time he will have lower pairs - which should give me 60% or better equity (in this case I get 72% pre flop). This is enough to be trying to think about how to get it all in pre flop.

As it is pretty likely that “TooStrongForYou” will pot bet any weakness it makes sense just to call the position raise. This gives two clear advantages. Firstly, if “TooStrongForYou” decides to just call, I can see a flop with my well disguised marginal aces, possibly winning a big pot if an ace flops - if, on the other hand, the flop is connected and dangerous I can simply fold without having invested much in the pot.

Secondly, If “TooStrongForYou” pot bets it, “kpob8596" will nearly always call (as the implied odds from the tilting player, combined with the strength of all hands pre flop in PLO, will entice a call). Once “kpob8596" has called, I am now in a position to put in a big raise and isolate “TooStrongForYou” - getting most of my stack in pre flop with a clear advantage against the weak player. This has the added advantage that so much of my stack will have gone in it will be difficult for “kpob8596" to get any implied odds with their marginal hand - this is an easy fold for them after my re-raise. Although PLO is a game where you will have to play a lot of flops, there are some spots where you can try to get most of your stack in pre flop, try and pick up on them and profit accordingly.

The next hand is one played by super high stakes PLO player “$tinger”. Before we look at the flop action, notice that in the pre flop action “$tinger” employs a similar tactic when playing aces as in my previous hand - getting in cheap at first pre flop then building a massive pot after a pre flop re-raise.

What this hand really illustrates is another situation where a player makes a catastrophic error in their flop play. http://www.pokerhand.org/?1764323" target="_blank">View the hand here. “$tinger” is clearly not folding on this board, and neither is “Rockfaith”, but “LuckyTC” should instant fold here - there is no hand they are ahead of (they have just 2% equity in this hand in fact), and are just throwing $2286 away. They have a worthless straight draw, after “Rockfaith” moves in it is very likely that A10 is held by one of these players, and an equally worthless flush draw for the same reasons. Most of the time with pre flop and flop action like this the big draws are going to be there.

The reason I pick this hand is to try and ram home how important it is to be trying to bet with, or draw too, the nuts in PLO when making your flop choices. If you consistently play weak flush and straight draws on the flop in PLO you will lose - this hand illustrates it about as clearly as it can be.

In the third and final part of our PLO guide I want to look at turn and river play - when and why to check, bet, and fold on the final streets.