Top Strategy Tips for Pot Limit Omaha
Pot Limit Omaha is a very commonly misunderstood poker game. Everybody always seems to think they have something worth playing no matter what is in their hand. That is the biggest problem with Pot Limit Omaha. Add in the fact that the most money you can put in before the flop is the size of the pot, and you will find yourself in a pretty high action type of game. It's common to see a ton of action in a Pot Limit Omaha game along with a lot of crazy hands. It's unlikely that you'll completely miss a flop. You will hit some part of the flop more times than not in Omaha.
With all of that said, there are a lot of tips and strategies that need to be thought about before you should get too involved in any Pot Limit Omaha game. There are a lot of things to watch out for. If you follow the Omaha tips that are recommended in this article you will be way ahead of the game, as most players do not follow these very important Omaha strategy tips.
Only Draw to the Nuts
The first Pot Limit Omaha tip is to make sure you are only drawing to the nuts. Omaha Poker is a drawing game. There will be a lot of times where the drawing hand will actually be better than a made hand. For example if you flop the best possible straight and your opponent has a higher open ended straight draw, a set and a nut flush draw - they will have a much better hand than you do. Even though you have the best hand on the flop, it is very likely that your opponent will have a better hand after the river is turned up. The point here is that putting your money in with a draw is a perfectly acceptable play a lot of the time in Pot Limit Omaha. That is, if you are drawing to the nuts.
The last thing you want to do is draw for a hand that will not even be the best hand if you hit. The problem with doing that is you could hit and still not win. If you are going to risk your money with a draw you better be sure that when the draw hits, you are going to have the best possible hand. In Texas Hold'em it might be okay to draw for a queen high flush. In Omaha, the only flush you should be drawing for is the Ace High flush. It's very common to see a flush over flush type of situation in Omaha versus Hold'em. It's very simple. Only draw to the nuts.
Position is Key
Position is extremely important in Pot Limit Omaha. Playing out of position and especially raising out of position can be very dangerous in this poker game. In later position you will have a huge advantage over the players in early position. All you need to do in order to figure this out is simply play a few hands out of position. You will quickly figure out all of the reasons why it is a bad idea. The only time playing out of position can be good is when you have a monster starting hand. Even then, it will be very hard to figure out how to play it and get paid off.
Courageous Players Only
If you do not have the courage to make big moves when you have the best odds, then you do not belong in this poker game. There will be a lot of instances in Pot Limit Omaha where you will need to put all of your money in with nothing except a draw. The reason being is because sometimes the draw is actually the best hand. Even though you have absolutely nothing at that time, you may have a 80% chance of catching a card that will end up being the winning hand. In that case, you have to be willing to put your money in the pot. There are some players who are afraid to draw and do not like putting the money in unless they have the nuts. In Omaha, there is no nuts until all 5 cards are dealt. That is just the way it is.
Although there are many more tips that could be given to you about Pot Limit Omaha, these are some of the most important Pot Limit Omaha rules to follow. If you are courageous, smart and you learn to play from good position drawing only for the nuts - you will already be better than most PLO players. Other than that, patience and discipline are very important attributes (just as they are in any other poker game). Pot Limit Omaha is a game that can only be learned from experience. You will lose before you win and that is perfectly normal. The most important tip is to make sure you learn from your experiences. That is the only way to become a truly good Pot Limit Omaha player.