Despite being one of the newer variants invented, Pot Limit Omaha poker has carved out a role for itself as the second most popular form of the game, behind its ancestor No Limit Texas Hold'em. Thus, it's only natural for those looking to expand their poker horizons to begin familiarizing themselves with PLO.
Tons of recreational players love Omaha because there's more postflop action and thus more multiway fun to be had on later streets as opposed to Hold'em in which hands often end preflop. Yet, the game represents an opportunity for skilled poker sharks too. Because it hasn't been as extensively analyzed as NLHE, the general level of Pot Limit Omaha strategy among the field as a whole is relatively basic. Therefore, anyone who opts to put in the necessary study time can emerge with a sick advantage over his or her opponents.
Many experienced NL Hold'em veterans consider these points and then opt to jump right into four-card poker, hoping that their general big-bet, flop-game skills will help them successfully make the switch. However, there are significant differences between the two games, including some of the basic rules, and the learning curve may prove to be quite expensive indeed if you decide to just head over to PLO without doing any preparation.
This is exactly why we created Pot Limit Omaha From Square One: to teach you how to win at Omaha even if you haven't ever played the game before. This ebook is full of tips on how to play Omaha poker. It contains both basic and advanced Pot Limit Omaha strategy. Some of the topics we cover include the changes from proper No Limit Hold'em tactics, constructing opening ranges, the best places to find PLO training videos, three-betting, the importance of position, cold-calling preflop, and c-betting.
Clearly, going through such an expansive list of subjects in sufficient detail to provide useful information is not possible in just a few paragraphs or even pages. That's why we've split our how-to guide up into several distinct parts. Look below for a description of each section, and click over to read those that appeal to you.
Learn about the basics of Pot Limit Omaha and how it differs from No Limit Texas Hold'em. We discuss some of the best books and software tools to assist you in improving your PLO game.
We go over the three key elements to look for in PLO starting hands. Find out about how position affects the hands you can play preflop and what problems lie in wait for you if you play trashy hole cards.
Find out about the factors to consider when deciding whether to isolate or cold call after someone else has already entered the pot. Also read about 3-betting as a bluff.
Three-betting in PLO is very different from in NL Hold'em particularly since more opponents will either call or four-bet you. We'll tell what to look for when deciding whether or not to 3-bet for value or as a bluff.
By planning the way you want to play postflop based on factors like the number of people in the hand and your position, you can avoid the mistakes that come from seat-of-the-pants play. Always be aware of what your opponents are likely to do so that you can develop a counter strategy.
Although c-betting a high percentage in PLO isn't right, there are still plenty of situations where a c-bet is profitable. Learn about how, why, and when to continuation bet, ways of fighting against floaters, how to deal with check-raises, and more.
We’ve gone over how to c-bet in normal raised pots in a previous section, but three-bet pots are different. Learn how to refine your continuation betting strategy so that you don’t make too many mistakes in these massive, low-SPR pots.
It’s different when you call preflop as opposed to raising. Learn about defending your big blind, calling in position, reacting to c-bets, floating, and other techniques for succeeding when you lack the betting initiative.
Tadas Peckaitis is a professional poker player, author of the free book “Formula for Poker Success,” and founder of
MyPokerCoaching.com. He may be a coach, but he wisely strives to improve his poker game every single day to not only better his results but to have a greater wealth of knowledge to share with his students, on his website, in his books, and in exhaustive Pot Limit Omaha guides such as the one you have just read!
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