Guide to Pot Limit Omaha poker (part 1 of 5): Introduction to PLO

PLO is rapidly gaining popularity in the poker world. A long-time staple in European poker rooms, and high stakes games: Thanks to the availability of low-stakes action on the internet PLO is finding its way into the poker mainstream.

Before you learn any strategies, it’s best to know the concepts of the game, and what makes PLO different from the other poker variants.

PLO is considered an action game: With four hole cards, and five community cards, bad players are more likely to have some kind of hand and pay-off.

This is especially true of Texas Hold’ Em converts who think any flush is the nuts, and top pair is a good hand and two pair is a monster! The best part of these converts is that for the most part they are failed Hold’ Em players, so the chances of them becoming solid PLO players is quite slim.

1. Unlike Texas Hold’ Em which has a clear pecking order for starting hands, PLO starters tend to run very close in value -it will be rare that you are ever more than 60/40 favorite pre-flop.

This is where many players fail in PLO; they have a hard time going from the pre-flop game of Hold’ Em, to the post-flop PLO. Not to say that Hold’ Em doesn’t require a lot of post-flop skill; but you are more likely to hold a big advantage in Hold’ Em going into the flop than you are in PLO. You won’t see confrontations where you are an 80/20 favorite with KK against 88: Most PLO confrontations are like AK vs JJ.

1. PLO is a game of the nuts: If you don’t have the nuts, or aren’t drawing to the nuts you’re in trouble.

The second-nut flush is a bad hand to draw to in PLO, and non-nut hands are only good as backup (see below). In PLO if it’s possible to have, someone probably has it; especially in a loose game with multiple players seeing the flop.

1. PLO is a game of big draws, re-draws, blocking cards, and backup.

How big of a draw can you have in PLO? It’s possible in PLO to have a 20 out straight draw (you hold 4589 on 67K flop; any 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, or Ten will make your hand) which would make you a favorite over a set of Kings! Now, imagine if you had a flush draw to go along with that!

Re-draws are when you and your opponent flop or turn the nuts, but you have a re-draw to a stronger hand. For instance, if the flop is TJQ, and your opponent has AKT5 and you have AKQJ; you have a re-draw to a full house with you two pair.

Blocking cards and backup go hand-in-hand: These two terms apply to non-nut draws and re-draws you might hold that will either win the pot if they hit (backup) or decrease your opponent’s chances of drawing out on you (blocking cards). A good example of blocking cards is when you’re certain your opponent is drawing to a hand like the nut-flush, but you have two or three of the suit in your hand. An example of backup cards would be if you flopped top set and had a gut-shot straight to draw to go with it.