How to play PLO: differences and strategy for beginners

PLO (pot-limit omaha) is a poker variant where each player is dealt four, five, or six cards (depending on the Omaha variant), but to form the final combination, they must use exactly two of them and three board cards.

❕Unlike Texas Hold'em, where you can use any combination of your two cards and the community cards, here the rule is strict: only two from the hand and three from the board.  This makes the game more variable and difficult to analyze.

The "pot-limit" restriction means that you cannot bet more than the size of the current pot plus double the call — this limits the size of bets, but does not make the game less aggressive, and players always see the flop, since "getting it in" on the preflop is more difficult than in Hold'em due to the pot-limit restriction.

Hand equity in PLO is often closer to each other than in Hold'em, so even strong starting hands before the flop are rarely confident favorites.  Because of this, the game becomes more dynamic, with frequent draws and possible bad beats.  Pot-Limit — a game where winning is achieved not just by a strong hand, but by the ability to build a nuts combination and play it correctly according to the board structure.

At low stakes PLO, a player encounters a large number of loose-passive opponents.  Many enter the pot with garbage hands, overestimate draws, and often call to showdown without a clear understanding of the strength of their hand.  Let's consider the basic principles of Omaha:

Against micro-stakes players, there is no point in playing "traps" or slow plays.  Most opponents tend to call bets even with weak hands.  The sooner a player starts to build the pot, the more money they will get from weak opponents.  The tactics of micro-limits in PLO can also be gleaned from more experienced players, which they share on streams and in reviews.

Choosing starting hands in pot-limit omaha is the foundation of a successful game.  Unlike Texas Hold'em, where you can afford a wide range of pre-flop hands, in PLO you need to be much more selective.

The game revolves around the potential strength of the hand that can be assembled, not just the presence of high cards.  Synergies between cards are especially important—so-called coordination.  Ideal starting hands are four cards that can jointly form flushes, straights, full houses.

The main goal when choosing a starting hand is to have as many paths to the nuts as possible.  This means having pairs that can become a full house, connectors capable of making a straight, and suited combinations for the nut flush.

⚡ Estimating hand strength in Pot-Limit Omaha requires a completely different approach than in Texas Hold'em.  In PLO, you can't rely on standard combinations.  Overpair in PLO is not an advantage, it's often a trap.  Even a pair of aces, unless supported by a flush draw, straight draw, or extra link, is rarely able to stay on the flop.  Aces without support can lose not only to straights and sets, but even to two pairs made from the board and low cards.

Postflop play in PLO is a key element of strategy, where most decisions are made and a significant portion of equity is played out.  Due to the large number of possible combinations in each hand, hand strength changes quickly, and mistakes by PLO beginners on the flop can be costly.  The main types of postflop lines in PLO:

✔️ Continuation bet after a preflop raise—with the nuts, with a strong draw, or to protect equity.  Used selectively, especially against multiple opponents;

✔️ Check/call—optimal with a medium-strength hand, with equity, but without initiative.  Allows you to get to showdown or improve your hand;

✔️ Check/raise—a powerful weapon with a strong draw or a made nuts, especially against aggressive opponents.

Sizings in PLO depend on the strength of the hand and the goals of the play.  For value, large bets should be used—typically from half to the full pot.  This allows you to extract the maximum from hands that are not inclined to fold, especially if opponents have a weak draw or second pair.

Bluff bets must be justified—without blockers to the nuts, they are useless.  Bluff sizing should be comparable to value sizing, otherwise attentive opponents will be able to exploit the difference.

You can learn PLO poker using Upswing Poker, Run It Once, PokerStrategy, as well as visiting communities and forums dedicated to the game.