Winning Online Poker

Advanced Pot-Limit Omaha Strategy

Pot-limit Omaha is generally a game where an unsophisticated player can make a decent amount simply by selecting the right games and playing tight. However, there is much more to this game than the simple advice to draw only to the nuts. Since beginners often get killed trying to play too loose in PLO, I recommend you master the basic Pot-Limit Omaha Strategy before reading this page. This essay will cover advanced concepts such as stack size, implied odds, pre-flop raises, bluffing, and more.

Stack Size and Implied Odds

Even more so than no-limit hold 'em, pot-limit Omaha is a game of implied odds. In short, what this means is that you are looking to make a relatively small investment preflop and win a lot by getting lucky on the flop and beyond. Many hands such as 9-8-7-6 have little high-card strength, but can get paid off big because they can hit many straights, and it is often difficult for your opponents to read your hand when medium cards flop.

In other words, when there is more money on the table, you can play more loosely with speculative hands. Any hand with one gap in it (such as 9-7-6-5 or 7-6-4-3) can be played, although it is better if the gap is lower in the run, because your straight draws are more likely to be the nuts. 9-8-7-5 is much better than 9-7-6-5. Even hands with two gaps (such as 9-7-6-4) are often playable in good position in a game where most players have about 100 big blinds on the table. Be careful if your cards are too low, because you will not be able to hit as many straights and many will not be the nuts. A hand like 7-5-4-2 is much worse than 9-7-6-4 and shouldn't be played.

One other factor stack size has on the play of PLO is in the importance of drawing to nut hands. The more money on the table, the more important it is to hit the nuts, because you can collect more from worse hands, and you avoid going broke yourself and losing a ton with a non-nut hand. This raises the value of suited aces and top set, and lowers the value of middle set and lower flush draws substantially. Learning when to get away from these hands is critical to your long-term success at Omaha.

Remember that in pot-limit Omaha, players are more afraid of drawing hands than in no-limit hold 'em. For example, a player with a flush will be much more scared by the board pairing in Omaha than in hold 'em. Against a cautious opponent, your drawing hands do not have as good implied odds as in no-limit, especially if it is an obvious draw. (However, you should balance this by occasionally bluffing when a card probably counterfeited an opponent's hand, even when it did not help you. There is more coverage of this idea in the bluffing section.)

What if you are playing against bad players? Then your implied odds can be huge. For example, if you are facing many opponents who will call a pot-sized bet to draw to a flush that is not the nuts, a hand containing the nut flush draw goes way up in value. If you hit it, you can often get a huge payoff from a lower flush. If you are against an opponent who will continue to call with a straight or trips even though your flush has hit, this can also give you great implied odds.

Position

Position is very valuable in PLO, perhaps moreso than in any other form of poker except PLO8 (pot-limit Omaha hi-lo). Why? Because hands are played more straightforwardly. Fewer players bluff, and most tend to bet with good hands. This means that in last position, you are gaining more information from the opponents' actions than in hold 'em, because each player's actions are more likely to be genuine.

Preflop, being in late position gives you a much better idea of whether the pot will be raised, especially if the aggressive players are to your right. But the advantage is much greater postflop. You can pull off a bluff with greater success, especially when the board makes it unlikely you will be called. (More on bluffing later.) You can bet weaker hands than in early position because the odds you will run into a big hand are much lower. For example, I would often check top two pair in early position depending on the situation, but I would definitely bet it in late position. Even top and bottom pair is worth a bet if everyone has checked to you, there are not many opponents, and the board is not coordinated.

Another huge advantage of position in this game occurs on the turn and river. When the board counterfeits your hand (for example, creates a possible full house against your straight or flush, or a possible straight or flush against your trips, etc.), you will often not know whether that card just beat you. If you have to check to your opponent, he will often sense weakness and bet with or without a hand, which is to your great disadvantage. With position, you can assess the situation much better. Many opponents, if they have hit their draw, will instinctively go for a check-raise, allowing you to check behind them and see a free card (turn) or free showdown (river).

There are a myriad of other uses for position in PLO, as in any other poker game. Remember that it is very important, and consider it when deciding whether or not to play a hand.

Preflop Raising

Most of the pot-limit Omaha strategy you will read advocates seeing the flop cheaply, and then making your big-money decisions when your hand is better defined. However, the better pot-limit Omaha players will raise preflop with a fair degree of frequency. Why?

Omaha differs from most other forms of poker in that it is hard to have a big advantage on the first betting round. In hold 'em, a pair of aces will hold up against three opponents over half the time. In 7-stud, high rolled-up trips are very hard to beat. But in Omaha, even a superb hand like A-A-K-K is not that hard to bring down. So one of your primary motives for raising, namely getting more money into the pot with the best hand, does not fit well into preflop Omaha strategy.

The motive for pre-flop raising is directly related to stack size. In the big live games where most players have stacks that are 200 or more times the size of the big blind, a pre-flop raise can be a way to raise the stakes so that you may take an opponent's whole stack if you hit a great hand. On the other hand, if you raise in a game where most of the stacks are 50 or fewer big blinds, such as on Party Poker, you are turning the hand into a move-in contest on the flop. After your raise, the pot is usually so big that anyone who hits a big hand or a big draw simply pushes all-in and sees who wins. In other words, you can use a preflop raise to manipulate the pot size, effectively reducing your opponents' implied odds against you.

But whichever of these categories your game fits into, your primary motive for raising preflop should be to affect the way your opponents will play postflop. Most poor Omaha players, whatever their reason, feel compelled to play looser in a raised pot than they would otherwise. As an example, they may commit all their chips with as weak a hand as top pair with a good kicker, a low flush draw, or bottom two pair, if the pot was raised preflop. (This is especially true on Party Poker, where a bet in this situation will often put them all-in or nearly all-in.) The same players would often fold these hands facing a bet in an unraised pot. Perhaps they see the big pot and feel compelled to call, or they just want to gamble once the stakes are raised. At any rate, in online PLO games, preflop raising should be done primarily to manipulate your opponents into playing too loose on the flop, not to 'get more money in with the best hand'.

Evaluating Opponents

PLO features several distinct types of players. Most of your opponents will fall squarely into one of these categories:

New to Omaha - This is usually the best opponent to have in your game. His defining characteristic is playing much too loose. He will usually know a fair amount about hold 'em strategy, but because of the four-card nature of Omaha, he overvalues his starting hands, playing almost all of them. Also, he will often continue in the pot with 'sucker hands' in Omaha such as bottom two pair or an open-end straight draw that isn't to the nuts. Basically, if you imagine yourself the first time you ever looked at an Omaha hand, you can estimate how this guy plays. Attempting to bluff this player out is often suicide, so try to milk him with a big hand. To recognize this opponent, look for a guy who's playing virtually all his hands, calling a lot of bets, and often mucks at the river or puts big drawouts on people.

Gambler - This player chooses Omaha because there are so many opportunities to simply put a lot of money in the pot and gamble. Preflop, he will raise very frequently with any reasonably good hand. Postflop, with a hand such as a flush draw or an open-ended straight, he will often just attempt to get all-in as soon as possible. Of course he will do so with his mediocre made hands, such as top and bottom pair on the flop, as well, and will also bluff too often. This type of opponent is most commonly found on Party Poker. It is important to identify this type of opponent, because you will often need to stay in the pot with him in spots where you would fold to a more solid player, and you don't want to waste money bluffing him if he won't fold anyway. If a player is betting and raising very often, it's safe to assume he falls into this category.

Rock - This player knows that you need a big hand to win in Omaha, and he is not there to gamble. His plan is to see flops as cheaply as possible, make a nut hand, and bet it for all it's worth. He rarely bluffs and rarely bets marginal hands. If this type of player raises you after the flop, get out unless you have the nuts or a huge draw. Oddly enough, in Omaha some 'rocks' actually play a lot of starting hands but simply tighten up postflop. It often takes awhile to identify a rock because they play so passively, but look for someone who usually gets out of the way postflop and raises very rarely, but has the goods whenever he does.

As an aside, when you are starting out in PLO, you may want to play like a rock, because this is the least dangerous way to make a small profit. As long as you find loose opponents, you should turn a long-term profit. But you can definitely make more money by playing like a...

Shark - This player knows the game very well. Preflop, he raises to manipulate his opponents into playing badly. He bluffs rarely but picks his spots very well, is aggressive with both big made hands and big drawing hands, and can fold a good hand if he thinks he is beaten. He is also skilled at using position to his advantage. Because it's difficult to win against a shark, you don't want to see many in your game and you should avoid combat with them unless you are a great and experienced player yourself. Sharks are somewhat difficult to identify, but avoid people who are known to post on 2+2, or people who you see sitting at every PLO table on the server and winning at each.

Here are some general indicators to determine what category your opponent fits in:

- If you see him playing at multiple tables, he is more likely to be a shark.

- If you see him playing more than half his hands preflop over a period of time, he is definitely not a shark. Use his betting patterns to determine what other category he falls into.

- If he rarely bets or raises without a great hand, he is probably a rock.

- If he calls a lot of bets but rarely puts them in himself, he is probably new to Omaha.

- If he bets or raises at seemingly every opportunity, he is almost definitely a gambler, or he is on tilt.

Bluffing

Bluffing is a big part of winning PLO play, but you must know your opponents well. It is important to recognize which players will release a hand when the board creates a superior possibility. For example, if you read your opponent for a straight and a third suited card now hits the board, can he give you credit for a flush and muck his hand if you bet? Most players will fold in this situation, but you should not hand money to one of those players who will call "just to see your cards", or someone not aware enough to realize his straight is now no good.

The best time to bluff is when you have missed your draw, but the turn or river card has probably counterfeited your opponent's hand anyway. For example, your opponent is betting heavily on a board of 7-6-5-2. He almost surely has a straight. Your hand is A-8-7-7 and have been calling all the way. Now a diamond comes on the river. You should strongly consider a bluff, especially if you have position and the opponent has already checked to you.

What about bluffing when no one has shown strength? Here are some guidelines to use. First, avoid bluffing against more than three opponents. When everyone has four cards, there is just too good a chance someone has something they will call with. Second, consider the texture of the board. A flop like K-8-2 rainbow is MUCH more attractive for bluffing than K-T-7. The latter board makes two pair much more likely, as well as straight and flush draws. Third, this kind of bluff works better in last position when everyone has checked already. Players tend to slowplay or check-raise less in PLO than any other game. Thus, if everyone checks there is a good chance no one has a made hand.

Other good bluffing opportunities arise in shorthanded pots when the flop is single-suited or contains a pair. Most players are afraid to call a bet unless they have a flush or trips. This is a good spot to try a bluff if no one has indicated any strength and there are not many opponents. Against a large field, there is too good a chance someone has a high flush or trips, so you should generally avoid bluffing.

Be more willing to bluff when you have a few nut outs and position. This allows you the added leverage of building a big pot if you are lucky enough to hit your draw.

How much should you bet in these situations? The correct answer is "whatever they won't call", but you must determine this amount on your own. You should make all your bets at least half the size of the pot, because you will often get a curiosity call if you bet too little.

This brings up another interesting point. Many poker authors argue that you should bet the same amount whether you are bluffing or have a hand. However, this assumes you are up against observant opponents who can "read" your bet sizes. If you are up against a bad player who will fold to a big bet but call a small one out of curiosity, then it is a crime not to use this tendency against him by varying your bet sizes. Watch your opponents and see which of them fall into this category.

Finally, if you a draw hits on the board and you make a bet representing that you've just hit, you must consider how obvious it is to your opponent that the board has changed texture, and how easy it is for your opponent to "put you" on the hand you are representing. For example, you have missed a draw when the turn board is J-9-4-2. It is best to bluff if the river is a K, Q, T, 8 or 7, which would connect with many reasonable straight draws that you could have held on the flop. An A, 3, 5, or 6 can also make a straight on the river, but your opponent will realize is is unlikely you hold a draw to those straights if you called a bet on the flop. In addition, the straights they make are not as obvious. As another example, it is easier to represent a flush when two cards of the flush suit flopped, rather than when one flopped and the other two came on the turn and river.

Remember: Don't bluff against opponents who will call 'to see your cards' or who can't let go of a decent hand. You're throwing away hard-earned money.

Reading Hands

There are some good general rules about reading hands in PLO. First off, if a 'rock' (passive player) raises a bet, he almost always has the nuts or close to it. Most mediocre players know that there are a lot of big hands in Omaha, so they are not interested in putting more money in the pot than they have to, unless their hand is the best possible. Don't waste money paying these raises off unless you have a nut draw with odds to call.

Most PLO players are passive with their draws, even with a huge hand like a 17-card wrap-around straight draw. Solid players will play a huge draw aggressively because they know how good it is; gamblers will push any draw hard. Most other players will check and call with their draws until they have hit. (Once, a player intentionally disconnected to use his all-in protection against me when his straight and flush draws actually made him the favorite over my top set!) So if you see a player checking and calling, it is likely he either has a weaker made hand or a draw.

Slowplaying is rarer in PLO than most forms of poker, although you will still see it occasionally. Huge hands like quads or a flopped full house are usually slowplayed, but strong hands like top set often bet straightforwardly. Of course, there are exceptions. Just be aware that most players will bet or raise when strong, check when weak, and call when on a draw. This makes position very valuable in PLO. (However, don't take this advice to an extreme. A player who makes a big check-raise on the flop will still show you a set, straight or flush 95% of the time.)

Many players will raise preflop only with A-A-x-x. If you notice over a period of time that someone rarely raises preflop, he may fit into this category. If you see a reraise preflop by a player who is not normally very aggressive, it is usually safe to assume he has A-A-x-x and proceed accordingly. Remember that any hand with an ace in it goes sharply down in value once you know you are up against A-A-x-x.

As in hold 'em, a 'min-bet' (betting the size of the big blind) is usually a sign that the player either wants a cheap card with a weak draw, or is betting a mediocre hand in the hopes of getting called by an even worse hand. These bets beg to be raised, and they virtually eliminate the possibility that the bettor has a strong hand.

How Much to Bet?

In hold ‘em, there are often strategic reasons for betting significantly less than the size of the pot. In Omaha, this is rarely the case. There are two main reasons. First of all, many drawing hands are out, and you want to give them the worst possible odds to call. Second, if a bad player is willing to call half the size of the pot on a hand like a gut-shot or open-ended straight draw, he will probably call the full pot for it too.

The main exception to this rule is when you are making what Bob Ciaffone calls an 'either-or' bet. If the flop is K-K-J and you bet half the pot, you either have a big hand or a bluff. Because you are unlikely to be outdrawn, it is okay to bet less than the maximum. However, if you are against an opponent who is too unaware to notice your bet sizes, just bet the maximum and hope to catch him with a losing hand containing the case king or J-J.

Bluffing should be done rarely in loose micro-limit games, but when you do bluff, tend to bet the same amount you normally would. Always bet at least half the pot. Your bet should convince the potential caller that if he guesses wrong, his entire stack could be on the line. A min bet or a bet of ten percent of the pot does not do this. It is also unwise to make a small bet to set up a bluff on the next street, because the cheap card could easily give him a hand worth calling.

Good luck!!!