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The Texas Holdem Players Introduction To The Winning Pot-Limit Omaha Mindset
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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
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 , dont 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.
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 98-7-6 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
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
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. Find Out Why We Give 888.com Our Top Rating For PLO Players!
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 9s 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!
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 2s 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.
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 opponents 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. US Based? Do Not Miss Out On The Best Selection Omaha Games Online At Carbon Poker! Claim Your 100% To $600 Welcome Bonus With Coupon Code OP600 Now!
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*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 opponents 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 Ill 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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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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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 7-78-8 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 7s. The chances are good that you have the best hand on the flop but if the money is deep enough youll 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 8s 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 fullhouses. 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. Im recommending Carbon Poker for US readers grab a 100% welcome bonus up to $600 now with coupon code OP600
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