When you start playing poker, it’s usually all about Texas Hold’em. But then after a while, it becomes clear that that’s not all you can play. Pot Limit Omaha is another game that you should have down.
Hold’em is still probably the most popular game going, but Pot Limit Omaha is a close second. And, experts say that it’s getting more popular by the day. So let’s get our heads around PLO once and for all.
Then you can go forth and boss the PLO tables at your local cardroom or a fine online poker room (bet365 bonus code here, if you’re looking for a new one).
How to play Pot Limit Omaha
Alright, and we’re off. The aim of the game in pot limit Omaha is to make the best five-card hand you can out of at least two of your hole cards and the community cards on the board.
Every player gets dealt four facedown hole cards before the action starts. You keep these cards private throughout the duration of play.
When everyone’s got their cards, the first round of betting starts. Just like in hold’em, you’ve got the option to call, raise or fold.
At the flop, three community cards are dished out on the board, face up. Then another round of betting takes place. Next comes the turn, where one more community card is added to the board face up. Another round of betting. And now we’ve got the final community card, the river. Then it’s time for the final round of betting.
At showdown, you’ve got to use at least two of your hole cards to make your five-card poker hand. New players sometimes make the mistake of forgetting that you’ve got to use two of your hole cards, not just one. So make sure you don’t make that mistake!
Bet sizes in PLO
When you’re playing Pot Limit Omaha, the minimum bet allowed is whatever the big blind is. And the maximum you’re allowed bet is the size of the pot. The clue, dear readers, was in the name all along. Calculating the pot sized bet can be a bit of a pain if you’re playing at home, but online games do all the heavy lifting for you, so you can see it at a glance.
More hole cards = more action
As you’ve got four hole cards in PLO, you’ve got a wider scope to make higher value hands. That can lead to way more action than at your regular Hold’em tables (although Six Plus or Twister players may beg to differ on that front).
Sure, that can often make the game more exciting. But it can also give new players false confidence. This is because a hand that might be really strong in hold’em, say a three-of-a-kind, isn’t all that hot in action-packed Omaha.
Looking for more pot limit omaha wisdom?
As PLO is such a popular game, we’ve got plenty of content that might interest you, including the most important PLO bet size tells, how you should deal with bad luck in PLO and what reads you should look out for in PLO.
On top of that, there is plenty of wisdom to be found on pot limit omaha in poker strategy books and poker podcasts too. And, of course, make sure you catch some of the PLO action in WSOP 2022.
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