How To Play Plo Omaha
Beginner Articles
How is Pot Limit Omaha Different From No Limit Hold’Em
This guide on how to play Omaha poker focuses on pot-limit Omaha (PLO) poker, one of the most played games of the year and probably the easiest version of the game to learn as a beginner. Revolutionary preflop tool for PLO, Pot Limit Omaha poker. Calculations were ran on 3 servers continuously for months to create the most accurate possible ranges for the PLO Matrix. Your new favorite tool gives you precise, optimal preflop ranges for Pot Limit Omaha with just 2 quick clicks.
While NLH and PLO have some similarities, there are several elements that cause the games to play very differently. The strength of made hands and draws are evaluated very differently in PLO. Equity advantages are also much narrower than in NLH.
The Basic Rules of Pot Limit Omaha (PLO)
If you are completely new to PLO, read this quick primer on the rules of the game. There are some key differences compared to NLH (e.g. you have to play exactly 2 cards from your hand), so you’ll want to be up to speed.
How To Calculate The Pot In PLO
While you can always announce “Pot” and have the dealer figure it out, it’s important to know how to determine “pot” to calculate fold equity and value. You will also want to know the max potential bet size if you are re-raised.
Basic Pot Limit Omaha Strategy
If you’re just starting out, you’ll want to have a few basic guidelines to anchor your play. In a game where the complexity of pre-flop and post-flop combinations (both yours and opponents) is increased substantially, having a solid starting strategy is a key to success.
We have 5 Fingers, 5 Toes, 5 Senses, 5 Appendages & 5 Major Systems of the Body.
So, Here’s Introducing Five-Card Pot-Limit Omaha! Learn It In 5 Minutes! Go-
How To Play Plo Omaha Live
Learn How To Play 5-Card PLO In 5 Minutes
How To Deal Plo Omaha
After Texas Holdem, Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) is perhaps the most played poker game in the world. Since its introduction in the online poker room, the standard 4-Card PLO has been such a huge success that people have come up with different iterations of online Omaha poker games. Enter 5-Card PLO
Like 4-Card PLO, 5-Card PLO is played with Pot-Limit rules: this means that the maximum bet amount permitted is the total size of the pot. The rules of Five-Card PLO is also the same as 4-Card Omaha games with the only exception of an extra hole card dealt to each player at the table. So, in 5-Card PLO, players receive 5 hole cards and must make the best hand possible using 2 hole cards and 3 community cards.
Pot-Limit Omaha has always been a game of nuts. Pocket Aces or Kings rarely win any hand, but, 5-Card PLO is even harder since even straights and flushes are fairly commonplace. The ranges played by a player should be tighter since all players have 5 cards and chasing straights and flushes should always to the nuts (even this doesn’t guarantee a winning hand).
Even though bluffing in PLO is comparatively lesser than Texas Holdem, there is even less bluffing taking place in 5-Card PLO. Also, bankroll management is of crucial importance in 5-Card PLO since the variance is greater than its standard counterpart and much, much higher than Texas Holdem poker.
PRO TIP: Always Draw To The Nuts!
How to Play 5-Card Pot-Limit Omaha
The rules are the same as 4-Card PLO – every player is dealt five cards face down with five community cards being placed on the table (whose value is shown as the round progresses). Each player has to make the best five-card combination from among the board and personal cards and bet on the same. But, unlike Texas Holdem Poker, in 5 Card PLO, players can’t use all five cards, and each player has to choose exactly two of the five-hole cards along with three of the community cards to make the best possible five-card hand.
- The Opening Deal
- The dealer deals five cards (hole cards) facedown to every player on the table, starting from his/her left.
- 1st Round of Betting
- The player to the left of the Big Blind starts the betting, putting money in the pot. All players are given the opportunity to call the bet, raise or fold. In PLO games, there is a set limit to the betting structure and the maximum players can bet is the total size of the pot.
- The Flop
- The dealer deals three community cards face-up on the table
- 2nd Round of Betting
- Every player has the option to check, raise or fold. If a raise is made, other players need to call the bet or fold (or raise). If a raise is made, the betting continues. Again, the maximum bet allowed is the total size of the pot.
- Turn
- The dealer deals one more community card (the fourth card) on the table.
- 3rd Round of Betting
- Once again, every player has the option to check, raise or fold. If a raise is made, other players need to call the bet or fold (or raise). If a raise is made, the betting continues.
- River
- The dealer deals the fifth & final community card on the table
- Final Round of Betting
- Once again, every player has the option to check, raise or fold. If a raise is made, other players need to call the bet or fold (or raise). If a raise is made, the betting continues.
- Showdown
- The players who haven’t folded open their hole cards in turn clockwise around the table. The player with the highest hand wins the pot.
- The Opening Deal
Remember: Unlike NLHE games, you cannot bet any amount you want in PLO. In pot-limit games, the maximum amount that a player can bet in PLO games is the total size of the pot. The same rule applies for Five-Card Pot-Limit Omaha games. The maximum amount you can bet is easily calculated:
[amount required to call big blind/last bet] + [amount in pot after calling big blind/last bet]
How To Play Plo Poker
5-Card Pot-Limit Omaha – Hand Rankings
The hand rankings in Pot-Limit Omaha poker games is the same as Texas Holdem poker – Pair beats High Card, Two Pairs beat a Pair, Three of a Kind beat Two Pairs, Straight beats Three of a Kind, Flush beats a Straight, Full House beats Flush, Four of a Kind beats Full House, Straight Flush beats Four of a Kind & Royal Flush beats them all!
So, the hand ranking in 5 Card PLO is the same as 4-Card PLO. Just in case, here’s a quick recap of the different hand rankings:
You are now ready to play 5-Card Pot-Limit Omaha Poker! Check out the online poker tables @ Pocket52
Get, Set, GO!
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