PL Omaha

Hi guys, i wanted to start playing omaha and was looking for some basic tips into playing it, any reccomendations, hands to play etc.

I was thinking of only playing connectors , especially if suited, looking for straights and flushes and maybe PP to look for my FH

Also its going to be Pot Limit Omaha , not the high low variation since i saw someone wrote about it, but im not sure if both fit in

Look at the bar below the Cardschat logo, and click "articles". There's 3 in there re Omaha (written by Dorkus Malorkus).

Position, opponent reading and startinghands are what the game is all about.

Startinghands:
It depends on position, action before you, how loose or tight the table is and so on. Just like in texas hold'em. All the good startinghands contain 4 broadway cards. Pairs, suited aces, kings and queens add value to the strength of your hand. Suited middle connectors can be played from late position, but they are somewhat difficult to play. And just like texas hold'em, play tight. AA78 not suited might look good, but it should be tossed away alot of the times you see it. It shouldn't be to fifficult to find a starting hands guide out there, if you want to have something more solid to go for.

Postflop:
Don't chase anything but nutdraws. Chasing a queen high flush, only to find out somebody was chasing the acehigh flush draw, when calling a huge bet on the river is bad. The same goes for chasing anything if the board has paired. You should also avoid chasing strights when there's a flush draw out there. It only leads to headache when an opponent hits the flush on the river. Don't slowplay hands unless you have a hammerlock on it, cause there will be enough "suckouts" even if you play every hand fast.

Last, and the reason I don't play PLO cash games... It is sometimes correct to lay down your hand when you flopped the nuts, and there's no way I'm going to do that. If for instance you flop a broadway straight with no redraws, and you are faced with a good amount of aggresion, laying down your hand would often be the best decision, because you're likely to be up against a broadway with redraws. Anyway you're at best going for a split pot, and there's not much profit in that.

I played the 1c/2c PLO tables at PS and would only take $1 even though the max is $5. This would allow me to play and minimize my losses when I take my bumps and bruises learning the ropes. I know I missed out on maximizing some wins but I think overall it saved me money to start with when I would get beat. Practice is the best way to get a feel for this game and I tried to get my lessons for as cheap as possible.

As you feel more comfortable you can then start to bring more and more money to the table or move up to the next level.

Starting hand guide:
There is no hand like AA in holdem for Omaha. The best you can get is AK suited as a equivalent. You are on a draw for all hands because you are forced to use two cards from you hand unlike holdem. AA has some power but in Omaha straights and flushes are more common. AA does not stand up solo as often even if it hits a set on the flop.

Good hands have all 4 cards within 5 of each other, preferably 10 and up. Hands like J Q K A or J K K A. These increase your chances of completing the straight.

High PP are good as long as the other two compliment them. KK68 looks good but all you can hope for is the full house vs JJQA when you can still complete a straight.

Suited A's. They are also very nice to have since it gives you the nut flush draws but alone don't have much power. This will just add to the power and chances of winning with a nut flush. Suited K's can just cause you headaches because they win once in awhile but bite you in the butt 90% of the time.

This may help explain why middle cards are dangerous to play out of position:
Middle suited connector hands in PLO is a slippery situation except in late position. They don't have as much value as in holdem. You have something link 78910 (suits doesn't matter). You get your flop of 5H 8D 4H. You now have to really worry about the heart draw because someone probably has the Ax of heart. That is why your suits don't matter. You hit the nuts but you more than likely will lose it when the 3 suited card falls.

PLO you MUST fear the nuts. For every person who see the flop there are 6 holdem hands out there. If 5 people see the flop, that is 30 combinations of hands that are in play. A full table of 9 people 36 cards are dealt, that is well over half the deck so all 4 A's can be out there alot more than in holdem.

tip #1: listen to Osmann and Titans4ever
some scattered info in no particular order:
basically like osmann said position is very important. Never raise from early position.
starting hands are like those listed above^^^ connected and double-suited cards are very strong: 6789, AKKJ, AKQJ and hands like that
Pocket pairs are only really valuable when you make a boat with them or a set with the board showing no flush or straight possibilities (which is rare).
hands that are rare in holdem are now much more common in OH. 2 pair and trips are not strong hands if there is a flush/straight possible, as someone will most probably have one of the two made.
DRAW ONLY TO THE NUTS. Never draw to the lower end of a straight or a 2nd best flush, and sometimes you'll have to pull away from underfulls if you're taking alot of bets in front of you because someone very well might have an overfull to have you beat.
from Supersystem's PLOH section:
there were once two poker players who went broke from chasing the lower end of straights; one because he constantly chased them but missed, the other because he made them.
generally when you are ahead in a hand and want to raise, you raise the maximum (the pot).
and just like in holdem draw only if you're odds are in your favour