PLO is the number one game in Europe. It is a game of great skill, bluffing, mathematics, and heart. One or two good "reads" can make the difference between winning and losing for any given session. Do you have the guts to make a huge bet on the end with nothing? Do you have the guts to call a huge bet on the end with a weak hand? If you do then PLO could be suited for you.
We will cover what you're looking to make in PLO- the best possible hand, beginners guide to PLO, best starting hands in PLO, what hands to avoid in PLO, how to play AAxx in PLO, how to play strong hands, mathematics on 4th street and finally how to play on 5th street.

When the big money flies into a PLO pot, expect to see the best possible hand from your opponent. Barring unusual circumstances, you can expect to fold the 3rd best possible straight and also your second nut flush as well when the big money comes in. King high flushes can cost weak players their entire bankroll more times than you would expect.
When playing PLO, look to have the best possible hand before you put in the big money. Of course, sometimes someone will try to bluff you on the end but in general you should be ready to fold a lot of second best possible hands in PLO.

As for starting hands, beginners can think about playing only three of the pairs before the flop: aces, kings and queens. This way, when you flop a set it can usually be the highest set. Sometimes you will find that someone has flopped a lower set and win a lot of chips off them.

Best starting hands in Pot-limit Omaha

1. A-A-K-K double suited 2. A-A-J-10 double suited 3. A-A-Q-Q double suited 4. A-A-J-J double suited 5. A-A-10-10 double suited 6. A-A-9-9 double suited 7. A-A-x-x (x) = any card 8. 8-9-10-J double suited 9. K-K-Q-Q preferably suited 10. K-K-J-J preferably suited 11. K-Q-J-10 double suited 12. K-K-10-10 double suited 13. K-K-A-Q preferably suited

14. K-K-A-J preferably suited 15. K-K-A-10 preferably suited 16. K-K-Q-J preferably suited 17. K-K-Q-10 preferably suited 18. K-K-J-10 preferably suited 19. Q-Q-10-10 preferably suited 20. Q-Q-A-K preferably suited 21. Q-Q-A-J preferably suited 22. Q-Q-A-10 preferably suited 23. Q-Q-K-J preferably suited 24. Q-Q-K-10 preferably suited 25. Q-Q-J-10 preferably suited 26. Q-Q-J-9 preferably suited

Beginners should also otherwise stick to the starting hands at the top of the list above. High and medium "wraps" also work well in PLO, so be very selective in what hands you play.
Make pot-sized bets in PLO when you do have a strong flop. Betting less than pot size could sometimes be a mistake unless you have a hand that can't be outdrawn, and there aren't many of these hands about. Make your opponents pay to play.
You also have to learn to count the number of outs you have when you have a drawing hand. If there are 13 outs for you to catch, calling a pot sized bet on 4th street would be an okay move to make. So in general, the best strategy to follow is probably to play very tight and very aggressive.

The top 26 starting hands are listed above but the best starting hand in PLO is A-A-K-K double suited. This hand can flop 3 aces or 3 kings, two different ace high flushes, a straight or some combination of those. The next best possible hand is A-A-J-10 double suited. In fact, some of the top pro's consider it to be the best starting hand. Some feel that possible extra straights it allows are worth giving up the extra trips and extra full house opportunities.
In any case, the top of the list of best hands in PLO is dominated by hands that include A-A as two of the four starting cards. Most players like getting all their money in before the flop with an A-A-x-x starting hand as you are always a favourite against any other opening hand, unless someone else also has A-A-x-x. In multi way pots, you would like the x-x to have a little oomph when you are putting your money in pre flop, because even though dry aces are a favourite over any individual hand, they can easily be a collective underdog against multiple opponents.

The hands that will be highlighted now are those that appear strong but will get you into a lot of trouble in PLO. Four cards in a row double suited can be trouble hands. The lower wraps like 2-3-4-5 play very poorly in this game. Most times when you make a straight with these hands, a higher straight is possible, and every time you make a flush with these hands, a higher flush is possible. Playing hands like this before the flop is a natural setup for losing money in big chunks.
Some other dangerous hands are pairs of nines and under. To an amateur PLO player, it may seem as having a pair is a good thing, but these are precisely the type of hands that break you more often than not. Playing these hands, you could end up drawing to only 1 card in the deck after the flop even if you hit your set that you wanted. Even if you are not up against a higher set, your hand is vulnerable to players who hold the top two pair, which can make a higher full house or have straight or flush draws.

When you have A-A-x-x before the flop in PLO, you want to put as much money in the pot as possible, ideally as a 2nd raise to knock out any "hitchhikers" to get to heads up. If you raise pre flop, then you will have to bet at most flops. Obviously if it looks like a flop that has clearly helped your opponent, you can check then if your opponent bets, you can then fold. This hand is not a strong hand after the flop but it is still the best hand pre flop. You won't know what type of hand your opponent has so most of the tie you will need to bet out to find out but be ready to fold if someone raises you on the flop and all you have is a pair of aces.
Some players don't like to raise pre flop with A-A-x-x due to the fact that they want someone else to raise for them then to re raise when the action comes back round to them. This will pile in a lot of money when you have the best possible hand pre flop.

When you have hands like K-K-x-x, Q-Q-x-x, J-J-x-x or 10-10-x-x, you want to take a cheap flop. These big pairs are good hands to call small bets with before the flop, in anticipation of hitting your big set. That's about all they are good for in PLO.

When you have a hand like 10-J-Q-K, one theory says go ahead and make a small raise before the flop in order to build up the pot before the flop. With a hand like this you don't want to be driving players out of the pot, because you might hit a dream flop like 4-10-J and you eventually want to get a lot of money in the pot.

The principle about mathematics on 4th street is that many consider having at least 13 wins a this point allows you to call a pot sized bet by your opponent. If you use this theory, you can put your opponent on 29 wins. This comes about by the fact that you would have 13 possible winning cards and rest would be losers. If you know of 8 cards - 4 of your hole cards and 4 on the board and assume that your opponent has two more pair cards in his hand, then you know that there are 42 cards left in the deck.
We win with 13 of the remaining 42 and lose with the other 29, so you would be roughly a 2.5/1 underdog, but the pot would give you odds of 2/1. But you also have to factor in the implied odds that you can bet out if you hit your hand in this spot and maybe also get called. The implied odds are enough to make this call possible for you.
Before you consider calling a pot sized bet with your drawing hand, count the number of winning cards you can hit. If the number of potential winners is 13 or more, you can call. If the number of winners is 12 or fewer, you should fold your hand.

To call somebody's big bet on the end, you need to get a good read on that particular player. Usually when a player makes a pot sized bet on the end in PLO, it means they have made their hand. It takes good reading ability to see that your opponent has hit the goods or is bluffing. You also need heart to know that you are right and guts to put the money in the middle.
If you make your hand on the end, be careful not to show any emotion. Most beginners jump right out of their seat or spill their drink all over the place when they hit their hand!

When you play PLO, try and stick to the strong hands, bet pot size when you have a strong hand or draw and use some maths to help you decide whether to call or fold. Also bluff from time to time so to not look predictable and be cautious when calling your opponents big bets. Remember that PLO is a game where you want to make the best possible hand.

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