Pot Limit Omaha Poker
- Pot Limit Omaha Poker Book
- Pot Limit Omaha Poker Jeff Hwang
- Free Poker Omaha Pot Limit Aol
- Pot Limit Omaha Poker Game
Table Of Contents
Grab our guide 10 Pot Limit Omaha Secrets Exposed for free by clicking HERE or on the image below!) Read more from Upswing Poker: Pot Limit Omaha Strategy Quiz – Only a PLO Expert Will Score 9/10. Pot-Limit Omaha vs. Texas Hold'em More players will consistently see the flop in Omaha. The gap in strength between starting hands is shallow in Omaha, meaning your hand is almost never at a huge disadvantage before the flop. For this reason, almost all Omaha flops are seen by multiple players. Play Hundreds of Hands an Hour Featuring 9-player and 6-Max Pot-Limit Omaha against over 50 life-like opponents of various skill levels. Targeted Training and Advice Practice any of 76 different hand types (rundowns, double-suited pairs, and many more). Pot-limit Omaha ( frequently shortened to PLO) is popular in Europe, online, and in high-stakes 'mixed games' played in some American casinos. This variant is more often played high only, but can also be played high-low. To a still greater degree than in Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, PLO is a game of drawing, when drawing, to the nut hand.
Omaha hold'em, often called simply Omaha, is an exciting poker game that is strikingly similar to Texas hold'em, although it does have a number of differences to set it apart.
Unlike Texas hold'em, a game in which the preferred betting structure is no-limit, the most popular betting structure of Omaha games is pot-limit.
Games of this type are referred to as pot-limit Omaha, abbreviated as PLO poker.
The first major difference you'll instantly be aware of when playing PLO poker instead of hold'em is that each player is dealt exactly four hole cards instead of two.
However, players don't use all four hole cards to make a hand because they can only use two of them.
In fact, players must use exactly two of their hole cards along with three of the community cards to make a five-card poker hand.
Let's see an example:
- A player holds — a strong starting hand in pot-limit Omaha.
- The five community cards read
In a pot limit Omaha game, the player does not hold a flush despite holding the .
Neither does the player have a Broadway straight.
The player actually only has a pair of kings with an ace-kicker.
This may seem a little confusing when you first sit in a PLO game, but it quickly becomes second nature. You just need to play enough Omaha hands to get used to this and to learn how to read the board correctly.
SEE ALSO: Learn Omaha Poker at GGPoker with Daniel Negreanu
What is Pot-Limit Omaha?
To know more about the basics of the game, you can visit these pages:
- How to play Omaha poker: the official rules of the game explained in the easiest way possible.
- Why You Are Losing at Pot-Limit Omaha (With Ryan Laplante): Poker poker pro Ray Laplante helps you become a better player in a 2-minute video lesson.
- Eight Common Mistakes Beginners Make in Pot-Limit Omaha: 888poker ambassador Vivian Saliba shares her thoughts on the most common mistakes beginners make when they approach Omaha poker.
- Best Free Poker Sites in 2020: a list of the top sites to practice Omaha poker for free or play real money games with bonuses.
Main Differences Between Omaha Poker and Texas Hold'em
Besides starting with four hole cards rather than two, there are a few more differences between Texas hold'em and Omaha games.
The Action Preflop
One such difference is that preflop hands in pot-limit Omaha run much closer in terms of poker equity than they do in hold'em.
- In Texas hold'em, a hand such as is an 82.36% favourite over before the flop hits the board.
- In Omaha poker a hand such as will only beat 59.84% of the time.
This closeness in preflop hand strength is one factor leading to players playing more hands, seeing more flops, and PLO being more of a drawing game than hold'em is.
This creates larger pots with the majority of the chips often going into the pot after the flop is dealt.
Hands Strenght
Another key difference is the fact you generally need a stronger hand at showdown to win at pot-limit Omaha than you would in a Texas hold'em game.
In hold'em, it is not uncommon to win a hand with two pair or even a single pair. In Omaha poker, these hands are rarely the best by the river.
The Betting Structure
The other significant difference between pot-limit Omaha and no-limit Texas hold'em is the betting structure.
In no-limit hold'em, players can bet any amount they wish, up to the size of their stack.
Pot Limit Omaha Poker Book
Omaha poker, however, is 'pot-limit,' meaning players can only bet the total size of the pot including their call.
Need help to understand the concept of pot-limit games? Let's look at another example.
Imagine a PLO poker hand that is contested between two players.
The pot has $100 in it, which means the maximum the first player can bet is $100.
When it is the second player's turn to act, that player can only bet a maximum of $400.
This is worked out by adding the initial size of the pot ($100), plus the size of the opponent's bet ($100), plus the second player's call of the first bet ($100).
This equals $300, which when added to the $100 call makes the maximum bet $400.
Betting is easier when you play online
While this can be confusing until you are used to playing the game regularly, betting in pot limit Omaha poker is a lot easier if you play online.
When playing Omaha games online you can simply click the 'pot' button and the software figures out the correct amount for you.
SEE ALSO: Want to Play Omaha Games Online? Check Out 888Poker!
Need help? Ask the Dealer to count the chips for you
In a live pot limit Omaha game, if you announce 'pot' before betting the size of the pot, the dealer will assist with the calculations.
Basic Pot-Limit Omaha Strategy
Pot-limit Omaha poker is a complex game, which makes it difficult to come up with the perfect strategy for playing it.
There are a number of pointers that you can remember that can form the basis for a solid pot limit Omaha strategy:
- Be patient with your starting hand selection. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that any four cards are worth playing.
- A bare pair of aces isn't as good as in hold'em. Two aces can help form a strong preflop hand in PLO poker, but unless they improve on the flop you're unlikely to win the pot, especially in a multi-way contested pot.
- There is less bluffing in PLO poker. While bluffing does occur, it's less prevalent in most players' PLO strategy than happens in hold'em; a show of strength in PLO is likely to be a strong hand.
- Draw to the nuts. Although there are times when you can play a weaker draw aggressively, drawing to the nuts is the best idea.
Stop thinking like a hold'em poker player. Many Omaha poker players come from a no-limit hold'em background and play the game as such. They'll overvalue one-pair and two-pair hands, as well as open-ended straight draws (with eight outs).
The latter is particularly problematic since in PLO poker it is possible to have 'wrap' draws with up to 20 outs with the perfect hole card and community card combination!
SEE ALSO: Dealing With Variance in Pot-Limit Omaha
Quick Strategy Tips to Be a Good Omaha Player
While Omaha might not be as 'straightforward' as Texas hold'em, these are some simple strategy tips that will help you get better results at the table — faster.
Go through this list of essential Omaha poker tips, memorise them, and you'll know what to do to become a better player right.
Know what hands to play / fold. The nature of PLO requires you to be smart and take a holistic approach to the cards that compose your starting hand.
Avoid the danglers, for example.
Whenever you decide to play a hand with a 'dangler' (a card that doesn't connect to any of the other cards in your four-card starting hand), you force yourself to play with three cards.
Why is this bad, you ask?
You might think this isn't too bad, especially if the other three cards that compose your hand seem promising.
Think about your opponents, for a moment.
If they go for a 'more conservative' pot limit Omaha poker strategy, they stay in the hand only if they can still play with all four cards, not just three.
By entering the hand with three cards, you are giving others an advantage they shouldn't have.
READ ALSO: You Play Too Loose in These 3 Preflop PLO Situations
Don't play too many hands. Note: this is not only the most important Omaha poker tip you can ever learn — it is a lesson that you should keep for all the poker games you'll ever play in your life.
Once you realize that Omaha poker games have good hands (a few) and bad hands (a lot more), you need to accept the consequences of that.
Select the hands you play and go only for the premium hands.
Omaha, like hold'em, is a game where you need to know when it's time to play and when it's best to fold your cards.
Be patient. Wait until your starting hand fits the range you should play, use the information you have to read your opponents and decide whether you should continue or not.
Know how to read the board and assess the other players' hand strength. Unless you are so good at detecting poker tells that the police use you as a real-life lie detector…be careful.
Omaha poker can become a very expensive game and one where the players don't bluff as much as in hold'em.
If a large bet comes on the board, you better save your hero call for another poker game and fold. Most Omaha players use big bets to protect their hand. Calling their alleged bluffs can be very, very costly.
Understand How Odds and Outs Work. The concepts of odds, outs, and equity are important in all poker games, including pot-limit Omaha.
If you struggle to do the math and understand how everything works, you better rely on the usual beginner's formula.
Start with a free odds calculator and continue using the tool until you learn how to do the calculations in your head.
Three Things NOT to Do in Pot Limit Omaha Poker
While in Sochi, Russia, for an 888poker Live event, PokerNews'own Tiffany Michelle approached 888poker ambassador Vivian Saliba to talk about Pot-Limit Omaha.
With more than $100,000 in PLO tournament winnings and an 11th-place finish in a PLO event at the World Series of Poker, Saliba is known (and respected) to be a good Omaha poker player — perhaps even the best one in the 888poker team.
In her conversation with Michelle, Saliba touched on the three most common mistakes she sees poker players make at the table when they play Omaha poker.
Don't Freak Out When Short Stacked
'When you have seven or 10 big blinds (BB) you are not that short. You still have a lot of room to pick your spot and to pick your right hand,' Saliba explains.
Confirming one of the Omaha tips we shared earlier, patience is the key. 'You need to be very patient. I see too many people just going crazy [because] they think they are super-short.'
'Poker is about survival,' Saliba continues. 'Tournaments are about survival. PLO is like that, too — just perhaps at another level. You need to learn to manage risks all the time..'
Don't Play a Lot of Hands
If you thought our list of Omaha strategy tips was the only one mentioning the sheer volume of hands beginners play — think again.
'You have four cards,' Saliba explains. 'I know they look pretty — but this is the same for your opponent.'
If you plan on staying in the hand and invest your stack, 'you really need to have strong high cards, high pairs, drawing for the nuts.'
'You shouldn't be playing multi-way pots with weak draws or [small] pairs. You have to select the hands you play.'
Don't Assume It's Just Like No Limit Hold'Em
It's no secret that the majority of players that get into Pot Limit Omaha poker come from Texas hold'em.
According to Saliba, many of them make one common mistake: 'they think Omaha poker is simply hold'em with four cards.
'There are a lot of differences between the two games in terms of hands, of strength, theory, approaches, and more.'
'There are so many things that before you start playing PLO you should stop and study the game. Omaha is not as simple as people think.'
Best Starting Hands in Pot-Limit Omaha Poker
Like other variants of poker, pot limit Omaha success begins with solid starting hand selection.
The very best Omaha poker players in the world play a wide range of poker hands, but those new to the game should stick to hands that are stronger and therefore easier to play.
The best PLO poker starting hands are those that have a big pair in them and some connectedness that allows them to improve post-flop.
Ideally, your hands will be what is known as 'double-suited,' meaning you have the chance to flop two different flush draws.
E.g., is a nice double-suited starting hand with a big pair.
Computer simulations show that double-suited is the best pot-limit Omaha starting hand.
Flopping a set with this hand means you'll always have top set, while any flush draw will be to the nuts.
Other strong hands containing a pair of aces include and , while double-suited run-down holdings such as are also very playable.
SEE ALSO: You Can't Play Them All: Evaluating Starting Hands in Pot-Limit Omaha
Final Considerations
As you have probably gathered, pot-limit Omaha poker is an exciting game that creates big pots, and sees players make big hands regularly.
As great as this is, the big thing you need to consider is playing Omaha poker requires a larger bankroll than hold'em variants mostly because of the closeness in the strength of hands both preflop and postflop.
It's common to not have more than 60% equity on the flop against a single opponent, which can and does lead to some crazy swings!
When you run good at pot limit Omaha, you usually run very good, but the flipside is also true. Remember it when you play!
Top Omaha Poker Sites
This article was originally published on March 1, 2016. The last update includes new info, including a list of practical Omaha strategy tips and Vivian Saliba's insights on the most common mistakes beginners make when they play Omaha poker.
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cash game strategytournament strategypot-limit OmahaOmaha pokerPLObeginner strategystarting hand selectionequity
Table Of Contents
For many poker players who start out learning how to play Texas hold'em, Omaha poker is often the next game to discover.
If you are thinking to explore this poker variant and you would like to learn how to play Omaha poker, this beginner's guide to the game gives you everything you need.
Continue reading to find:
1. What is Omaha Poker?
The more you play poker, the more you keep hearing how Omaha poker is the game to play to get the best action and challenge the best players.
In the past 10 years or so, Omaha poker became one of the most popular poker variants. Some go as far as to say that Omaha poker (PLO, specifically) it's on a trajectory to surpass Texas hold'em and become the most played game in the world.
Part of the game's success has to do with its rules. Like most poker games, the basics of Omaha poker are the same as those in Texas hold'em - meaning that if you know how to play one, you are in a good spot to play the other.
When it comes to Omaha poker, there are different sub-variants out there, each with its specificities and dedicated players base.
The two most popular types of Omaha poker (i.e. those you'll find at every major poker site) are:
- pot-limit Omaha (PLO)
- Omaha hi-lo
This guide on how to play Omaha poker focuses on pot-limit Omaha (PLO) poker, one of the most played games of the year and probably the easiest version of the game to learn as a beginner.
If that's not what you are looking for or if you are already fluent in PLO poker, you can read about Omaha hi-lo poker rules here.
Top Sites to Play Omaha Poker OnlineWhile free games are excellent to practice PLO and learn how to play Omaha poker, these three sites offer also exciting real money games you should not miss. The first bonus is on us!
'>Pot Limit Omaha Poker Jeff Hwang
2. How To Play Omaha Poker
To play a game of Omaha poker you'll need a 52-card deck of French cards. Also, unless you are in for an old-fashioned game with beans, buttons, and pennies, you'll need also some poker chips, a dealer button, and two blinds buttons.
A game of Omaha poker needs two to ten players to begin.
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Like in other poker games, the action of a hand of Omaha poker includes several betting rounds and a combination of private ('hole') and community cards ('the board).
The first thing you want to remember when it comes to learning how to play Omaha poker is the name of the different phases that compose a hand.
- The pre-flop: The initial betting round. Some players (the 'Blinds') are obliged to place a bet while the others can decide wether to call, fold, or raise.
- The flop: The second betting round. The players still in the hand decide how to act once the dealer places the first three community cards on the board, face up.
- The turn: The third betting round. The players still in the hand decide how to act once the dealer places the one more community card on the board, face up.
- The river:The last betting round. The players still in the hand decide how to act once the dealer places the last the five community cards on the board, face up.
- The showdown: The players still in the hand reveal their cards.
Preflop Action
The Big Blind (BB) and the Small Blind (SB) place their bets on the table so the action can start.
The dealer distributes four cards to each player, all face down. As we will see later, this is one of the key differences between Omaha and Texas Hold'em poker.
As soon as all the cards reached the respective players, the first betting round begins. The first player to act is the one at the left of the Big Blind (table position: 'Under the Gun' or UTG).
The action continues clockwise until it reaches the Big Blind.
All players have the following options:
- Call: They place a bet equal to the size of the Big Blind (or to the highest bet that was placed before them, in case someone in the hand decided to raise).
- Raise: They increase the bet making it more expensive for other players to stay in the hand.
- Fold: They give back the card and leave the hand.
The Flop
The dealer places three cards on the board, all face up. These are the first of a series of five that the players need to use to build their final poker hand.
As soon as the three cards are on the table, a new betting round begins.
The Flop betting round is identical to the previous one.
The Turn
The dealer places one more card on the board, again face up. All the players still in the hand enter a new betting round that develops exactly as the previous one.
The River
The dealer places the last community card on the table, face up, and a new betting round follows.
If there are still two or more players in the hand, the action continues to the final chapter (the 'Showdown). It most player fold, the hand goes to the last-one standing.
The Showdown
The players in the hand turn at least two of their private cards and use them in combination with any of the five on the board to build a five-card poker hand.
The player with the highest poker hand is the one who wins the hand and takes down the pot.
And here's where most beginners get in trouble.
Players that are just starting to learn how to play this game and are not too familiar with the Omaha poker rules tend to make a lot of mistakes when it comes to building five-card hands.
The most common PLO poker mistake people make when they learn how to play Omaha poker is to forget they need to use at least two of the four hole cards to build their final hand.
Let's look at one example.
A player holding A♥Q♣7♦6♦ looks at a board of 9♥4♥2♣J♥Q♥ thinking he has made the nuts with an ace-high flush.
That's a mistake.
The Omaha poker rules do not allow you to make a hand using only one hole card (A♥) in combination with four community cards (the four hearts on the board).
In fact, this player only has a pair of queens, not a flush.
How to Bet in Omaha Poker
Another factor to consider when it comes to Omaha rules is how betting works. And that's because there are some key differences between Omaha poker and Hold'em — and not being aware of them could cost you a lot of precious chips.
Like in hold'em, the minimum bet allowed in Omaha is always the equivalent of the big blind.
In a $1/$2 PLO poker game, the minimum a player can bet is $2.
However, while in no-limit hold'em player can always bet all their chips at any point, the maximum bet allowed in PLO is the size of the pot.
Calculating what exactly is a 'pot-sized' bet can be trickier and it often needs the help of the dealer.
If the pot is $10 and a player is the first to act, the calculation is easy: the maximum possible bet is $10.
However, poker is never that easy. You need to be prepared for different types of situations and calculations if you don't want the other players to take advantage of your lack of experience.
Let's use an example to understand how betting works in PLO poker.
In this fictional PLO poker hand, there are $10 in the pot when a player bets $5. The next player, however, decide to up their game and announce the intention to 'raise pot'.
How much is that?
Based on the previous bets, the most that player can bet is $25.
This number is calculated by adding the $5 to call plus the $20 that would be in the pot after the call ($5 + $20 = $25).
When you play Omaha at a casino, the dealer will take care of the math for you should you announce you wish to bet the pot.
Things get even easier when you play online because the calculations appear right on the screen, automatically.
3. The Hands in Omaha Poker
Pot-limit Omaha (or 'Omaha high') is known as an 'action game' which is one reason why it is popular among high-stakes players.
Since players start with four hole cards in Omaha instead of two, they can make a much wider range of hands.
For that reason, hand values tend to be higher in Omaha than in hold'em, with players making 'the nuts' or the highest possible hand much more frequently.
If you think about it, in PLO players aren't dealt just a single two-card combination (as in hold'em), but six different two-card combinations (among the four hole cards) from which to choose the best hand.
It isn't surprising, then, that players tend to make much better hands at showdown in Omaha poker.
In Texas hold'em making two pair or three-of-a-kind can be a very strong hand, but in Omaha there will often be better hands out there to beat those holdings.
Let's look at two more examples.
Example 1.
Yu have been dealt 10♠9♠8♥7♥ and by the river the board is 7♠9♥K♥J♣2♦.
Using the ten and eight in your hand along with three community cards, you have a jack-high straight.
The problem is that any opponent holding Qx10xXxXx would complete a higher, king-high straight and defeat you.
If the betting gets heavy on the river, that's probably exactly what is happening.
Example 2.
You hold J♠J♣9♠9♥ on a board of 9♦K♠Q♥5♦3♦.
You have a set of nines, which would be a nice holding in Texas hold'em. But Omaha poker is a different game and there are several hands that could beat yours.
Anyone with KxKxXxXx or QxQxXxXx would have a higher set, and an opponent with Jx10xXxXx would have a straight.
There is also a flush possibility, meaning anyone with X♦X♦XxXx (two diamonds) would make a flush.
Due to the nature of so many better hands, an opponent may just be calling your bets with a set of kings or queens as they may fear a straight or flush, so even if you are not facing any immediate aggression, you could still be beaten so proceed with caution.
4. Differences Between Omaha and Texas Hold'em?
Like hold'em, Omaha is a 'flop' game that uses community cards.
Just like in hold'em, players are dealt their own hands face down — their 'hole cards' — and use those cards in combination with the five community cards (the flop, turn, and river) to make five-card poker hands.
However, there is one big difference between Omaha and hold'em.
Free Poker Omaha Pot Limit Aol
Whereas in hold'em all the players receive two hole cards each, in Omaha they get four hole cards.
Of those four hole cards, players must choose two to be used in combination with three of the five community cards to build their five-card poker hands.
Yes. In a game of Omaha poker, each player must use two of their hole cards and three of the community cards to build a poker hand.
That's different from hold'em where players can use:
- both of their hole cards (and three community cards),
- just one hole card (and four community cards),
- or no hole cards (and all five community cards, which is called 'playing the board').
In pot-limit Omaha, the poker hand rankings are just the same as in Texas hold'em.
Like hold'em, pot-limit Omaha or 'PLO' poker is played as a 'high-hand' game, which means the hands go (from best to worst):
- royal flush
- straight flush
- four-of-a-kind
- full house
- flush
- straight
- three-of-a-kind
- two pair
- one pair
- high-card.
Other Omaha Poker Tips
The Importance of 'Position'
Just like in hold'em, poker positioning is an important element in Omaha.
Many consider this aspect of the game to be even more important in Omaha poker. That's due to the the pot-limit betting format and all the combinations a player can make with an Omaha hand.
When you have 'position' on your opponents, you can follow their actions and base your decisions on the information you received.
When you are out of position, it becomes much harder to make the correct decisions. The lack of information can lead to wrongful assumptions and push you to take risks that are not justified by the value of the cards you hold.
Another benefit of being in position is that you have a better chance of controlling the size of the pot, which is often based on the strength of your hand and your overall goal in the pot.
Being out of position to one or more opponents gives them the ability to control the pot size and also capitalize on the added information of knowing your actions first.
Bluffing in Omaha Poker
Because Omaha is so focused on the nuts, it might seem like bluffing plays an important role in the game.
A player can represent a wider range of hands in Omaha, and also open up with a bit more with so many more semi-bluffs available.
In fact, experienced Omaha players will often bet big draws heavily on the flop, since in some cases those draws are actually mathematical favorites versus made hands.
All of which is to say players do bluff in pot-limit Omaha, but with so many possible hands out there you have to be judicious when deciding when it is best to bluff.
The more you learn about the game, the easier it will become to pick up on these spots and determine how to proceed against various opponents.
Be Wary of the Blockers
Relatedly, blockers also become much more prevalent in Omaha than in Texas hold'em.
Blockers are those cards you hold in your hand that prevent an opponent from making a specific hand.
For example, if a board reads K♠10♠5♥2♠4♦ and you hold the A♠ in your hand but no other spades, you may not have a flush, but you know your opponent cannot make the nut flush.
This gives you added power in the hand being able to push your opponent off certain hands as your opponent is guaranteed to not contain the nuts.
5. Where to Play Omaha Poker Games Online
Like you would expect for a popular game like Omaha poker, you'll find PLO games at all the major poker sites online.
All the 'must-have' poker rooms listed below offer a very good selection of PLO games, with plenty of beginner-friendly free games.
Pick one of them, register a free account, and use the PokerNews-exclusive welcome bonus to pay for your first real money games of Omaha poker online.
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