What is Pot Limit Omaha & How to Play?

It is in the interest of many good poker players to learn how to play pot limit omaha poker and why not? It is one of the most popular variants of poker after Texas hold’em. It is fondly and deservedly one of the best poker formats in the world. A popular poker podcast praises Pot Limit Omaha as “the great game.” It is for the people who love action in their games.

There are many differences between Pot Limit Omaha and no-limit Texas hold’em but some of the features are very similar. To begin with, both the games have same objective - to win the game with bluff or with the help of a five card combination. Another similar thing between the two Omaha Poker and Texas poker is that there are five community cards dealt. Omaha Rules Poker are very easy to follow, which makes the game a lot more fun. The players see familiar terms such as bet, raise, call, fold and deal but there are few important differences to note which are explained below.

PLO (Pot Limit Omaha) is played with a single deck and is very similar to Texas Hold’em. The differences lie in the number of cards each player receives, the number of cards that are available to form a hand hand and the betting limits.

• Each player starts with 4 cards in hand. These cards are dealt facing down.
• They can choose to check, raise, call or fold based on their hands.
• Since this is Pot Limit Omaha, the maximum raise that a player can make is equal to the value of the pot
• The dealer then reveals 3 cards in flop and another round of betting takes place.
• A fourth card, turn before another round of betting commences.
• Finally the river is revealed and the last round of betting commences.
• At the end, all players reveal their card and the hand with the best 5 card combination wins.
• This combination is formed between 2 of the 4 player cards and 3 of the 5 community cards.
• A player also wins if none of the other players can match the current bet or others fold/forfeit the game.

• In an event where multiple players end up with an equally strong combination, the chips are equally split among the players with a draw.

  What is Pot Limit Omaha?

  It is in the interest of many good poker players to learn how to play pot limit omaha poker and why not? It is one of the most popular variants of poker after Texas hold’em. It is fondly and deservedly one of the best poker formats in the world. A popular poker podcast praises Pot Limit Omaha as “the great game.” It is for the people who love action in their games.

  There are many differences between Pot Limit Omaha and no-limit Texas hold’em but some of the features are very similar. To begin with, both the games have same objective - to win the game with bluff or with the help of a five card combination. Another similar thing between the two Omaha Poker and Texas poker is that there are five community cards dealt. Omaha Rules Poker are very easy to follow, which makes the game a lot more fun. The players see familiar terms such as bet, raise, call, fold and deal but there are few important differences to note which are explained below.

  How to Play Pot Limit Omaha?

  PLO (Pot Limit Omaha) is played with a single deck and is very similar to Texas Hold’em. The differences lie in the number of cards each player receives, the number of cards that are available to form a hand hand and the betting limits.

  
  
  • Each player starts with 4 cards in hand. These cards are dealt facing down.
  • They can choose to check, raise, call or fold based on their hands.
  • Since this is Pot Limit Omaha, the maximum raise that a player can make is equal to the value of the pot
  • The dealer then reveals 3 cards in flop and another round of betting takes place.
  • A fourth card, turn before another round of betting commences.
  • Finally the river is revealed and the last round of betting commences.
  • At the end, all players reveal their card and the hand with the best 5 card combination wins.
  • This combination is formed between 2 of the 4 player cards and 3 of the 5 community cards.
  • A player also wins if none of the other players can match the current bet or others fold/forfeit the game.
  • In an event where multiple players end up with an equally strong combination, the chips are equally split among the players with a draw.
  
  

  Types of Pot Limit Omaha

  There are two different PLO games that people play, one of them is called 4 PLO and the other is called 5 PLO.

  • 4 PLO - It is also known as 4 cards PLO, in this game every player is dealt four cards and they have to use 2 out of those 4 to play their game with the help of community cards. The betting phases remain the same pre-flop, flop, turn and river. The best combination made from a hand of 5 cards wins.
  • 5 PLO - It is also known as 5 cards PLO, in this format players are dealt five cards and they must use 2 out of those 5 to form a hand with help of community cards. The betting phases remain the same pre-flop, flop, turn and river. The best combination made from a hand of 5 cards wins.
  
  

  Pot Limit, No Limit, Fixed Limit Omaha

  In all the Omaha games each player is given 3 hole cards and 5 community cards are revealed over three rounds of betting. After the final round of betting, the player that has the best 5 card combination formed using 2 of the 4 hole cards and 3 of the 5 community cards wins the game. Different Omaha games have different restrictions over the amount that can be raised by a player. 

  1. Pot Limit Omaha - In PLO, a player can only make a raise no greater than the total value of the pot in that round.   
  2. No Limit Omaha - In NLO, there is no restriction to the amount that can be used to place a bet in any round. 
  3. Fixed Limit Omaha - In Fixed limit Omaha, the amount that can be used to make a raise in each round is fixed. In the pre-flop and flop, bets are placed in increments to the big blind. And for the next two rounds (turn and river) raises are made in increments of value double that of the big blind 
  
  

  What Are The Specific PLO Rules To Know?

  The most significant rule that every PLO player should know is that the player must compulsorily use two out of four cards from their hole cards. Let us take a look at an example.

  Suppose the board has these set of cards as the community cards - A♥️ K♥️ J♥️ Q♠️ 5♥️. In Hold’em poker the player would be happy with a 10 or any heart card in their hand, which would give them a straight or a flush respectively. This is the point where most beginners make mistakes in Omaha Rules Poker. In PLO, the hand containing 10♥️ 10♦️ 6♠️ 7♦️ would mean that your best scenario hand is the pair of 10. There are two specific points - 

  • There must be another card in your hand alongside a 10 to accompany and complete your combination of five including the community cards. Which means making a straight with 10 and four community cards is not allowed.
  • Similarly, the player can’t use a single card to make flush, they also need another heart card.
  
  

  What Can Help In Winning Pot Limit Omaha?

  When the basic PLO rules are clear to a player then there are certain gameplay rules that the players follow in order to maximise their chance of winning. When you are aiming to win these are the basic pointers that you should have in mind.

  1. Be Patient - When you are going for PLO, the first thing you should be paying attention to is being patient. Especially when you start the hand selection. Make sure you are not falling into the trap of thinking that having any four cards is going to be worth it.
  2. Bluff Lesser - Omaha Poker players often bluff less than other format players due to the importance of hands in four card hole system. Although there is always a chance of bluffing, it is just lesser in PLO than others.
  3. Draw To Nuts - There can be times when your cards feel very weak but this can convert to a victory as the game progresses, it is best to not be aggressive and play it for a draw.
  4. Remember The Difference - Do not treat Omaha Rules Poker like Holdem, be prepared mentally from the very beginning.
  
  

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