In Part I of this column, I discussed three starting hands from my favorite game, pot-limit Omaha high (PLO), the big-money game. Almost all top professionals in Europe prefer this game over any other, because it offers an almost perfect combination of luck and skill, and the danger of the game dying out is therefore not as strong as it is with pot-limit hold'em, for example. Even though the long-term expectation for the pro in PLO is huge, on any single night, everything can happen. It is entirely possible for a weak player to clean out the entire table, and big losses for even the most successful pros are common. For a hold'em player wishing to step up to this beautiful game, it isn't always clear what to look for in a starting hand, so this series might be of assistance.
Hand No. 4: 9
8
7 6
Analysis: According to most point-count systems, this hand is trash and should just about always be mucked before the flop. Actually, this is a very nice moneymaking hand when played under the right conditions. Even though it seems this hand would fare best in an unraised, multiway pot (because of the straight possibilities), I prefer to play the hand in raised pots against only one or two players who are marked with big cards/high pairs. This way, I know when the flop hasn't hit my opponents – and I can put pressure on them, even when I have flopped a relatively weak hand myself.
Early position: This type of hand performs better from late position than from early position. If I play the hand from early position, I almost always come in for a raise to disguise my hand.
Late position: Depending on the game, the players, stack size, and circumstantial factors, you would either call or raise with this hand. If people are short-stacked and therefore willing to go all in with all kinds of hands, simply calling might be best, hoping to catch a good flop.
Against a raise: Contrary to the big-cards/high-pair hands, a rundown hand like this gets more value when the pot's been raised – if the raiser is marked with big cards, that is. In fact, you hold an ideal hand to snap off somebody's aces, because your hand has maximum stretch, you know what you're up against, and you might need only two pair to win.
Hand No. 5: J 9 8 7
Analysis: Lots of hold'em players might think this is a better hand than the one above, but it's not. The gap makes it almost impossible to flop the nuts with the jack, and you lost the 6 that made your hand strong from a flop-hitting/moneymaking perspective. That said, from late position, the hand is usually still worth a call, but not against a raise.
Hand No. 6: K K 8 6
Analysis: Kings single-suited is a fine hand; however, it's not nearly as strong as a pair of kings in hold'em. The fact is: You will usually need to flop a king (for top set), two spades (for a flush draw plus an overpair), or 7-5-X (for an open-ender plus an overpair) to be a serious contender for the pot, and even with the last two flops, your hand is not necessarily worth your entire stack. What's more, you cannot be too aggressive with your hand before the flop. Whenever you make a big raise and someone comes over the top, you are almost certainly up against aces. Then – depending on stack sizes, the type of opponent, and possibilities to bluff after the flop – you might have to give up the hand, and you will have raised yourself out of the pot. That said, this hand is playable from any position and for any reasonable amount of money – even though it's not necessarily good enough to reraise with.
Hand No. 7: A A 10 8
Analysis: Aces are strong in any game, pot-limit Omaha being no exception. However, aces are strong mostly if you are able to go all in with them before the flop. When you cannot do this, your aces will – just like any other hand in Omaha – simply need help from the flop to continue playing. In a multiway pot, this means hitting the ace or flopping two hearts, maybe with some straight draw, as well. Against only one opponent, your aces may be good enough by themselves, especially when you think your opponent holds a big pair and/or is unlikely to have received help from the board. There are lots of players who don't know how to play aces in pot-limit Omaha, especially those coming from a limit hold'em background, and the strategy of simply raising the pot every time you get them (which lots of players do) is a guaranteed recipe for disaster.
Early position: If you are playing a small stack, you can limp in to try to reraise a raiser, or, if you have more chips in front of you, you might come in for a small raise. However, make sure you are not giving away your hand by doing this, and that you also raise with other types of hands from early position.
Late position: You are in good position to build a big pot, and raising here will not mark you with aces, by any means – if you are a good pot-limit Omaha player, you will raise from late position with a wide range of hands.
Against a raise: If you are able to put a large percentage of your stack in, reraising the pot is obviously your best option. If this is not possible, you have the options of flat-calling or reraising a small amount (to reopen the betting), if you think the texture of the game, your table image, the quality of your opponents, or other situational factors dictate that this may be the best play. Don't reraise the pot when there's still a lot of money left to bet, as you will give your opponents implied odds on the hand: Because they know your hand but you don't know theirs, you are more likely to lose money to them after the flop than they are to lose money to you.
Some final words: Choosing the right hands to play in pot-limit Omaha and then playing them well is far from easy. It will take new players quite a while to become proficient in making the right decisions in this game, and I hope this column might have been of assistance in speeding up that process a little.