Paying Close Attention to Everything

Beyond skill, luck, or strategy, the simple task of keeping yourself properly focused on the game and carefully observing everything that is going on is probably the single most important thing that a poker player has to do in order to excel at the game. Keeping yourself undistracted, cool, calm, and collected are obvious prerequisites to effective observation because not only do you have to see everything that is going on and be on the constant look out for clues about what the other players are up to, you have to be able to make sense of any information you get and determine ways of using it to your advantage. Playing poker well involves a lot of thought and concentration.

Remember that when watching the game you are not just watching the cards, tracking the specific cards that are knocked out of play and calculating the odds that cards you need will come up, but you also have to watch all of the other players as well. Knowing and understanding their style of play and looking for tell-tale hints about how good or bad their hands are is all part of the game. Further, assuming the other players have experience with the game as well, they all know you are observing them and will be trying to consciously mislead you to their advantage. The interaction and efforts to mislead and misdirect fellow players is one of the key elements of poker.

However, in PLO whatever four cards happen to be in that starting hand you’ve been dealt are very rarely going to be enough to carry you through to take the pot. Chances are you will need to improve your hand on the flop, turn, or river in order to win a showdown. That’s because each player is dealt four hole cards from which each will choose two to match with three community cards to form a five-card poker hand. That means each player has six possible two-card combinations from which to choose. In other words, if it is a nine-handed game, that’s kind of like playing your six hold’em hands against 48 other hands. Once those five community cards come out, do you really think your lonely, unimproved pair of aces are going to be enough?

Another reason why PLO is called a drawing game is because it is possible to flop a draw that is in fact a statistically stronger hand than a “made” hand, thus meaning it is correct to bet and raise one’s draw aggressively, even though one might not have anything more than jack-high against another player’s flopped set at the time!

Here’s an example: Let’s say you hold Jh-10h-7c-4c and the flop comes 9h-8s-2h. You’re opponent is sitting over there with Ac-Kc-9s-9d. He’s flopped top set and knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that at that very moment he has the best hand. But if you look more closely, you’ll see you actually have a whopping 21 outs to improve to a better hand: any of the 10 non-pairing hearts, the three jacks, the three tens, the three sevens, and the two other sixes.

That means you are in fact a 56% to 44% favorite in the hand, despite the fact that all you have at the moment is measly jack-high! Even if the turn is a blank like the 3c, you are still a slight favorite going to the river.

Thus is PLO often called a “drawing game,” since many times it is in fact correct to play draws aggressively, much more often than is the case in hold’em.

One reason why PLO is so volatile has to do with the fact that draws play such a major part of how hands go. One plays draws in no-limit hold’em all the time, of course, and while players will sometimes find themselves taking “coin flips” or 50-50 situations, such occurrences are much more frequently encountered in pot-limit Omaha. It is often correct to bet one’s draws aggressively in PLO, since in some cases the drawing hand is a favorite over the made hand. For instance, someone who flops a “wrap” draw to a straight with 20 outs is often going to be a statistical favorite over the player who flopped top set. And since neither player is likely to want to get rid of such strong hands, into the middle the money will go.

That said, draws don’t always get there, even if they are favorites to do so. Thus, one is often forced to gamble like this much more frequently in PLO than in no-limit hold’em. Again, such a statement does depend on other factors, too, as some players are able to adopt a much less risky, less volatile style and be successful at PLO.

Another reason why PLO can be especially volatile actually has to do with the wildly varying skill levels of players one encounters at most games. Pot-limit Omaha attracts many players because of the action it provides, and many of these players do not necessarily play “correctly.” While such players are good for the game and over the long haul will help pad the more skillful players’ bankrolls, they do introduce an added element of risk that again will have the effect of increasing volatility.

As for the consequences of PLO’s high volatility, one is that you are probably is going to need a larger bankroll to play the game comfortably than would be required by a no-limit hold’em game in which the average pot size was the same.

A second, more pleasant consequence is that because of the higher variance, the skillful player stands to find a PLO game more profitable than the equivalent stakes no-limit hold’em game. That’s because while the wins and losses will both be greater than what you will experience in no-limit hold’em, the overall profit margin will likely be greater, too — if you’re a winning player. If you’re a losing player, then the losses should be greater as well.

The preflop and flop action should have given you at least some indication what you are up against when that turn card falls, although one of the trickier aspects of Omaha is the fact that since players are dealt four hole cards instead of two, the two cards a player might have been essentially ignoring on the flop can suddenly become very significant when a particular turn card falls, perhaps bringing a new draw or some other unforeseen development that changes players’ attitudes about whether or not to pursue their hands.

A key to deciding how to proceed on the turn is to become comfortable with reading board texture. The term “board texture” refers to how the community cards work with one another to provide hand-making possibilities. An uncoordinated board like 2h-9s-5d-Kc offers very little in the way of drawing opportunities, so if there is a lot of action on that turn king, you might well assume someone is betting his set of kings or perhaps two pair. However, a more coordinated board like Jd-Td-7c-8h suggests made straights and flush draws, and so it is prudent to proceed accordingly.

Another point to make with regard to turn play is the fact that this is the point in your PLO hand when it becomes vital to understand what the best possible hand is (the “nuts”) and to try your best to gauge whether someone else has it (if you don’t, that is). Because of all of the many possible hand combinations out there, it is probably safe to assume in most cases that someone has the nuts once you reach the turn, particularly if three or more players are still in the hand.

Thus if there is a pair on board, you should proceed with the assumption that someone has trips at least, and very likely a full house. Three suited cards by the turn also likely means someone has a flush, so don’t be stubborn about that straight you flopped.

And thus the betting begins. One way to think about betting on the river is to regard it as a kind of conversation among the players still involved in the hand. Their checks, bets, and raises are all about one thing: the nuts. Players’ actions are all saying either “I have the nuts” or “I don’t have the nuts,” with everyone trying to figure out what the others’ actions truly mean.

A pot-sized bet on the river can mean “I have the nuts, but I want you to think I am bluffing and call me with less than the nuts.” Or it can mean “I don’t have the nuts, but I don’t think you have the nuts, either, so I’m going to make it very difficult for you to call me here.”

A small bet on the river could be similarly ambiguous, representing a value bet for the player who does have the nuts (or what he believes to be the best hand), or a bluff for the player who missed his draws but wants to make it look as though he’s betting for value.

Many non-PLO players seem to be under the impression that since the likelihood of someone making the nuts in PLO is indeed higher than in hold’em, pot-limit Omaha is a game in which there isn’t much room for bluffing. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it is precisely because the nuts so frequently turn up at showdown that bluffing is such a big part of the game.

That’s because, as mentioned before, the “conversation” here at the end is all about the issue of who is representing the nuts, whether that player does or doesn’t. Listen intently to what your opponents are “saying,” and proceed accordingly.

Of course, if someone bets on this flop and a player calls, you can pretty much count on the possibility that at least one of them is holding a six, and it wouldn’t be surprising if both were. However, having a six in your hand in this situation isn’t necessarily a good thing in PLO. Because there exists a distinct possibility that if you aren’t careful you could lose a lot of money by drawing very, very thin or even dead.

How can this be? In hold’em, having trips like this is a great spot, isn’t it? So why isn’t it the case in PLO?

First of all, having trip sixes here is not necessarily having the best hand, particularly if another player — or perhaps two other players — are also showing interest in the flop. Let’s say you hold A-T-7-6 on this J-6-6 board. You bet out and get not one, but two callers. You can’t all have sixes, right? The turn then brings a queen. Again, you bet, and again both players call. The river brings an ten, giving you a full house, sixes full of tens. You happily bet again, one player calls with a glum look on his face, and the third player shoves over the top.

Now what are you going to do? Where do you think you stand in this hand?

Since two players stuck around after that flop, you can be certain that one of them has the case six. But what could the other one have? The board now reads J-6-6-Q-10. It is almost a certainty that the player shoving all in here is going to have J-J-x-x, Q-Q-x-x, or perhaps J-6-x-x. Your full house is going to be beaten by any of these hands. In fact, you likely were drawing dead from the get-go.

I’d guess the glum-faced player who called has the case six and our river all-in has the big pair, giving him the better full house. In any event, sixes full of tens aren’t looking too good right now.

The lesson here is twofold. Don’t get overly excited in PLO when flopping trips like this, especially if there is an overcard to your trips on the board. And secondly, never get too carried away with full houses that are not the nuts, sometimes called “the underfull.” If you must proceed, try your best to keep the pot small. Because when your chips go sliding across the table to the fellow with two jacks, having the underfull ain’t so wonderful.

However, in PLO there are many more possibilities for straight draws besides these three. Before we take a look at these other straight draws, we should note the relative value of straight draws in PLO as opposed to hold’em.

Like in hold’em, the inside straight draw (to four outs) is a pretty weak one to consider. However, while in hold’em the open-ended straight draw or the double belly-buster draw might be thought to be a decent draw, in PLO it usually is not considered such a good strategy to go after eight outs like this after the flop. One should instead wait for better drawing opportunities, including those in which one has an advantage, statistically speaking, over made hands.

A nine-out draw can occur whenever a player is holding three consecutive cards and the outer two poker cards have appeared on the board. For instance, if you hold 10-9-8-2 and the flop comes J-7-5, any ten, nine, or eight will complete your straight.

A thirteen-out draw is an even better one to pursue. Indeed, if one flops a thirteen-out draw, one is often about even money against most made hands such as a flopped set. One example of a thirteen-out draw is when one’s hole cards “wrap” around two of the community cards. For example, you have 10-9-8-6 and the flop comes 7-5-2. In this case, any of the three nines, the three eights, the three sixes, or the four fours will give you your straight.

A seventeen-out draw is another situation in which our hole cards “wrap” around the community cards. These big straight draws are often called “wrap” draws for just this very reason. An example of a seventeen-out draw would be one in which you hold 10-8-6-3 and the flop comes 9-7-2. Any of the jacks (4), nines (3), sevens (3), sixes (3), or fives (4) would give you your straight.

Finally, a twenty-out “wrap” draw is also possible in PLO. An example of that would a hand in which you hold four cards with a two-gap like 10-9-6-5, and both the cards in the middle appear on the flop, e.g., 8-7-2. In this case any of the jacks (4), tens (3), nines (3), sixes (3), fives (3), or fours (4) would give you your straight.

You can see why PLO is sometimes called a “drawing game”!

Take pocket aces, which provide the most glaring example of the difference between a well coordinated hand and one that is not. Let’s say you are dealt Ac-Ad-9h-5s. Notice how neither ace works well at all with the other two cards, and in fact the nine and five don’t work together, either. You have a couple of very unlikely straight possibilities if the exact three cards were to fall, but otherwise you are hoping to flop a set of aces. If you don’t, and if others’ betting seems to indicate they are interested in the flop, it is probably a good idea to fold your aces rather than hope they stand up. (Indeed, some players will fold a hand like this preflop, especially if out of position.)

On the other hand, a hand like Ac-Ad-8c-7d is quite strong as a starting hand. Notice the hand’s straight and flush potential. Even better would be a hand like Ac-Ad-Jc-10d, since in that hand all six two-card combinations can be said to “work together” (whereas in the previous example only four of the six two-card combinations really are coordinated).

High pairs are obviously better than low pairs, but really only A-A-x-x and K-K-x-x warrant being played aggressively preflop because of the inclusion of a pocket pair. Everything depends on the situation, of course, with position, opponents’ styles, and other factors affecting how you play any hand. But generally speaking it is not profitable to overplay even a pair of kings preflop since so much depends on connecting with that flop.

Starting hands containing two pairs — e.g., Q-Q-8-8 — can be good to play, also. If one has a hand with two pairs like this, one has just about a 25% chance of flopping a set. So if someone has raised and a couple have called, it might not be a bad idea to call in the hopes of hitting that set.

A final warning, though: flopping sets with medium or low pairs is a sure way to lose one’s entire stack in PLO. Say you hold A-K-4-4 and the flop comes J-T-4. Not only are you vulnerable to possible straights being completed, but your set of fours may not even be good as someone could well have jacks or tens. So if you must play those small pairs, play them with care.

First of all, suitedness is a definite plus in pot-limit Omaha. So-called “double-suited” hands like 10c-9d-8c-7d obviously have two different ways of making a flush, thereby increasing their potential for making a winning hand. Of course, when we play a hand like 10c-9d-8c-7d we are primarily gunning for a straight, since any flush we make will not be the best possible flush. The fact is, Omaha is a game in which final hand values are significantly higher than in hold’em. Whereas one might be reasonably confident a ten-high flush in hold’em is the best hand on the river, one usually can never be so sure about a ten-high flush in Omaha.

That being said, it is still a huge benefit to have this hand be double-suited and thus have that flush potential. One common scenario in PLO is for two players to make the same straight, and being the one with an additional flush draw essentially means you are likely “freerolling” from that point forward in the hand. For example, say you have that 10c-9d-8c-7d hand and the flop comes 9d-6d-5h. You’ve flopped a flush, and when the betting starts on the flop you figure out that one of your opponents probably also has a nine and an eight in his hand, too, giving him the straight. However, if that player does not have diamonds in his hand (a circumstance made more likely by the fact that you do have diamonds), he may not be in a position to improve to a better hand the way you are. In this case, you happily bet big against your opponent knowing you will at least split the pot with him, and could possibly win his whole stack.

Secondly, so-called “rundown” hands are very good to play as well, such as J-10-9-8 and the like. Such hands have the potential to flop especially strong straight draws, sometimes with as 13 or even 17 outs to the nuts! One hint regarding rundown hands: If the hand has a “gap” it is better for the gap to be at the bottom than at the top. In other words, J-10-9-7 is a better hand to play than J-9-8-7. In fact, the difference can be quite huge. The reason is if you do flop a straight draw you are more likely to be drawing to the nuts with the first hand than with the second.

One good way to start developing an understanding of differences in starting hand values in PLO is to remember that the game is primarily a “post-flop” game. Many PLO starting hands are relatively close in value preflop, although that statement really has very little practical meaning unless one is referring to hands that are going to be played all of the way to the river.

For instance, let’s say one player holds Ac-Ad-9h-4s before the flop and another has 8s-7c-4d-2d. At first glance, one might think the hand with aces was a big favorite, but in actuality the edge is only approximately 60% to 40% — if both hands go all of the way to the river, that is. Of course, as will happen in hold’em, the appearance of the three community cards on the flop drastically changes those percentages, turning an A-A-x-x to a monster or mush lickety split.

Thus, one shouldn’t get too carried away with how a hand looks before the flop, although certain big hands like A-A-x-x double-suited and the like certainly deserve a preflop raise for value. However, one wants in Omaha to play hands that have genuine potential to connect with the flop, particularly because the pot-limit betting format ensures most of the big betting is likely going to happen after the flop.

A good general rule of thumb for selecting starting hands is to decide whether or not your four hole cards “work together” well, meaning do all six of those two-hand combinations have potential to connect with flops in productive ways. Thus, a hand like Jd-10c-9d-8c is quite strong for PLO, since all six two-card combinations yield straight and/or flush possibilities. A hand like the one referred to above — Ac-Ad-9h-4s — might look good to a hold’em poker player used to thinking of pocket rockets as the nuts, but in truth the hand isn’t all that strong, since after all, only one of the six two-card combinations is worth getting excited about. And when the flop comes without an ace, very often the hand will be behind, even to a hand like 8s-7c-4d-2d.

Bottom line: look for starting hands with four cards that are coordinated or “work together” well. Doing so increases your chances of hitting the flop, after which point the real money gets in the middle.