Learning PLO: Any advice?

Timmah120

Timmah120

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Hello everyone!

As a USA player, I am currently practicing Pot Limit Omaha (Hi) on pokerstars right now with play money. I've been reading up on the game, learning about straights/wraps/draws vs. nut draws, etc. So far, I'm loving it, but I have a long way to go.

One thing I've read over and over is the phrase "most hands are won with straights or better." I've played a few games on Bovada (.02/.05 with a $5 buy-in) and see people raising and betting pot with 2-pair and sets, and winning. I see the same on Pokerstars with the play money.

Whereas me, I'm trying to play premium hands (hands that are double-suited with at least 3 connectors up to one gap at the low end) and missing tons of flops, having to fold because I know I can't continue profitably.

Am I playing too tight? Too loose? Should I bet more aggressively, passively? Any advice you can give a beginner is most welcome! Also, how do you handle the game mentally, especially when catching tons of cold cards? It seems much different than hold'em.

Thank you in advance!

P.S. -- I'm currently reading "Pot Limit omaha poker: The Big Play Strategy" by Jeff Hwang. Anyone have others that they recommend?
 
LevySystem

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Hello everyone!

As a USA player, I am currently practicing Pot Limit Omaha (Hi) on Pokerstars right now with play money. I've been reading up on the game, learning about straights/wraps/draws vs. nut draws, etc. So far, I'm loving it, but I have a long way to go.

One thing I've read over and over is the phrase "most hands are won with straights or better." I've played a few games on Bovada (.02/.05 with a $5 buy-in) and see people raising and betting pot with 2-pair and sets, and winning. I see the same on Pokerstars with the play money.

Whereas me, I'm trying to play premium hands (hands that are double-suited with at least 3 connectors up to one gap at the low end) and missing tons of flops, having to fold because I know I can't continue profitably.

Am I playing too tight? Too loose? Should I bet more aggressively, passively? Any advice you can give a beginner is most welcome! Also, how do you handle the game mentally, especially when catching tons of cold cards? It seems much different than hold'em.

Thank you in advance!

P.S. -- I'm currently reading "Pot Limit Omaha Poker: The Big Play Strategy" by Jeff Hwang. Anyone have others that they recommend?

Hey man, hope you are doing fine.
First off, I'm not a Omaha player, but fundamentals apply to most variations I guess.

Keep doing what you do an learn the fundamentals before you try to play fancy. Tight is right as a beginner.
The stronger your ranges are pre the stronger your hands are going to be post. Playing marginal spots should be avoided until you feel confident enough to play them.

As for playmoney, what happens over there should by no means influence your game in realmoney. It's like 2 different games really, and imo not a good place to learn anything apart of the rules of the game.

To beat NLHE2 online you need roughly the same skill you would need to beat your local NLHE200 casino game.
So with a couple of dollars you can actually improve a lot in a very short amount of time due to higher volume played, if you put in theoretical work behind it.

As for mental game, set yourself a bankroll, define clear goals when to move up/ down and stick to it.

And one thing that might help you dealing with those downswings is understanding variance, and for that I highly recomend this tool:
https://www.primedope.com/poker-variance-calculator/

Make sure to read the instructions below so you get accurate results.

Hope this helps.
GL at the tables :)
 
Last edited:
D

DS3

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Hello everyone!

As a USA player, I am currently practicing Pot Limit Omaha (Hi) on Pokerstars right now with play money. I've been reading up on the game, learning about straights/wraps/draws vs. nut draws, etc. So far, I'm loving it, but I have a long way to go.

One thing I've read over and over is the phrase "most hands are won with straights or better." I've played a few games on Bovada (.02/.05 with a $5 buy-in) and see people raising and betting pot with 2-pair and sets, and winning. I see the same on Pokerstars with the play money.

Whereas me, I'm trying to play premium hands (hands that are double-suited with at least 3 connectors up to one gap at the low end) and missing tons of flops, having to fold because I know I can't continue profitably.

Am I playing too tight? Too loose? Should I bet more aggressively, passively? Any advice you can give a beginner is most welcome! Also, how do you handle the game mentally, especially when catching tons of cold cards? It seems much different than hold'em.

Thank you in advance!

P.S. -- I'm currently reading "Pot Limit Omaha Poker: The Big Play Strategy" by Jeff Hwang. Anyone have others that they recommend?

I agree I think you are doing fine. I love the game and think it really improves a players ability to grasp the strength of hands which can then be applied back to NLHE. However, I am possibly going to put a little bit of a dampener on ambitions.

I became interested in PLO when I started playing poker not too long ago and hit the tail end of a purple patch where PLO was played in a deliberate manner at the highest levels. It was played as a post flop game.

A couple of years ago the likes of Poker Go started to promote a really wild gamblers PLO game and then Kings Casino did likewise (via streams and TV/You Tube) via high stakes settings. In short that attracted of lot of gamblers rather than players to PLO and that is where the game appears to stand at present.

There was always such an element (gambler) which was attracted to PLO, but now it feels saturated with such players. As soon as you mentioned people playing questionable hands (2 pairs and sets) and them winning, it only means to me, that most at the table are playing a really poor game.

Please note, I am out of step and aware of it - all I want to say is at present most PLO I see is played in a wild and dubious manner - it is a gamblers game rather than the strategic one I first came across.
 
U

UkoChebuko

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"I'm trying to play premium hands (hands that are double-suited with at least 3 connectors up to one gap at the low end) and missing tons of flops"


:D. What!? How you missing tons of flops with this hands? Double-suited connected hands. What you want to hit OTF? Straight? Flush? You often will have a draw. Different draws. Some of them are weak, some strong. Sometime you bet OTF, sometime 2nd barrel OTT. Sometime you will check-raise OTF. Sometime you will check-call OTF. Different hands pre, post, different opponents, different boards.

Advice...Learn the preflop ranges. I know, "PLO is a postflop game". This is not exactly like that. Start with preflop ranges...


2. Do not play in Pokerstars.


3. Do not play fast poker.


4. Do not play without rakeback or/and leaderboard.


GL...

 
Alucard

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If you are serious about the game & want to imrpove I suggest run it once essential membership. Great content in every format including plo stuff from phil galfond
 
Timmah120

Timmah120

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If you are serious about the game & want to imrpove I suggest run it once essential membership. Great content in every format including plo stuff from phil galfond


Thanks! I'll check it out.
 
Timmah120

Timmah120

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"I'm trying to play premium hands (hands that are double-suited with at least 3 connectors up to one gap at the low end) and missing tons of flops"


:D. What!? How you missing tons of flops with this hands? Double-suited connected hands. What you want to hit OTF? Straight? Flush? You often will have a draw. Different draws. Some of them are weak, some strong. Sometime you bet OTF, sometime 2nd barrel OTT. Sometime you will check-raise OTF. Sometime you will check-call OTF. Different hands pre, post, different opponents, different boards.

Advice...Learn the preflop ranges. I know, "PLO is a postflop game". This is not exactly like that. Start with preflop ranges...


2. Do not play in Pokerstars.


3. Do not play fast poker.


4. Do not play without rakeback or/and leaderboard.


GL...



I know how to read hands, even PLO hands. Yes, I miss double-suited and run-down hands on the flop....if I have clubs/diamonds, spades/hearts fall.

I think it's just my small sample size (I haven't played that many hands) and poor variance. I only just started getting into PLO.

The best advice you offered was to study the preflop ranges....that may help me choose my starting hands more carefully.

Thank you!
 
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