So we’ve talked about suitedness and “rundown” hands as good ones for pot-limit Omaha. What about pocket pairs? We generally like being dealt pocket pairs in Texas hold’em. Shouldn’t we also like being dealt pairs in PLO, too?
Yes and no. Again, let me remind you of the profound importance of having four hole cards that are coordinated or that “work together.” Having a pair amid your four cards is good, but it is all the better if that pair is working well with the other two cards in your hand, too. In fact, if your pair is not at all coordinated with the other two cards, you might do well to minimize the significance of the pair altogether as you judge the value of the starting hand.
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.
