Patrik Antonius(credit: Patrik Antonius' Web Site)
Pot Limit Omaha is a game that more and more players are coming to in the United States, but it’s been popular in Europe for years. The game is similar to Texas Hold’em in many ways. It’s played with hole cards and players use a community board to make their best hands. There are, of course, some rules that players should remember if they’re new to the game (and would do well to keep reminding themselves of periodically as they improve).
1) Forgetting the two from the hole, three from the board rule. The rules of Omaha Hold’em as mentioned previously are similar to those of Texas Hold’em, but they’re not exactly the same. Players must use two cards from the four they receive in the hole, no more and no less.
For example, three of a kind in your hand means very little and is actually not a very good, playable hand as the likelihood of catching the fourth on the board to make real trips is highly unlikely. They also have to take three cards from the board, no more and no less. Making this mistake can prove rather costly and cause you to play hands you wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) otherwise play.
2) Not paying attention to the ‘texture’ of the board. Omaha hold’em requires that you watch the board and check for the ‘nuts’ at all times. If the board comes down 7,7,2 and you’re holding a 7,2 – congratulations – you have the best hand. If you have a 2,2 in your hand, you have a lower full house and someone could have a higher one out there.
Losing to a bigger full house happens a lot in PLO, believe it or not. Also a big problem for people is a straight losing to a flush. Flushes are always back-door when it’s three cards from the hole so you’ve gotta get out of the Texas Hold’em mind-set. If there are three cards of the same suit and you have the nut straight, there’s a high possibility that the opponent betting into you has a flush. Even if that flush is a baby flush (one made with small cards), it’ll beat your straight.
3) Over-playing starting hands. Perhaps this tip should’ve gone first. However, this is the root of a lot of PLO ills. Players often raise up a starting hand that looks great but what they don’t realize is that the flop will give you all the information you need as to whether you should even be in the hand or not.
Pre-flop means a lot less in Omaha than it does in Texas Hold’em. Why? Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Omaha is more mathematical and you know, by using two cards from the hole and surveying the texture of the flop (the entire board at the time) whether your hand fits in with it or not.
In essence, those last two cards mean less to you if you haven’t hit a good flop. You can’t make something out of nothing in PLO; there’s less bluffing and you need a good hand to win.