Introduction

In this article

 Why pre-flop play is important in PLO

 How the size of your open-raise influences the way the hand develops
 How to create a good stack-to-pot ratio

Many players think pre-flop play is far less important than post-flop play in Omaha games, since
the various starting hands all have almost equal equity. This however is only partly correct.

The first betting round is the round in which information is gathered and various lines are used to
pave the way for the action on later streets.

The pot size limit in PLO has a strong effect on how players bet in the course of the hand and,
inevitably, on your implied odds and reverse implied odds.

And this is where having the right pre-flop open-raising strategy becomes advantageous. Setting
the price for the flop allows you to actively influence the number of players in the hand, and the
size of the pot respectively.

These two factors logically have a very strong influence on the relative strength of your hand. A
queen high flush draw is worth a lot more in a heads-up pot than in a multi-way pot. Inversely, a
nut flush draw in a multi-way pot has much better implied odds than in a heads-up pot, since it is
more likely that one of the players will have a weaker flush.

Many players, including winning players, underestimate the opportunities that can be created
with a solid pre-flop game, and neglect this simple way of adapting your game in order to avoid
running into difficult situations at the poker tables.

It is definitely worth taking the time to perform an exact analysis of pre-flop play in PLO. Let's
start with a look at various hand types and the options you have when open-raising.

A few general things to remember:

 In a pot limit game you have to manipulate the pot from the start
 You can influence the course of the hand by varying the sizes of your open-raises
 This affects your implied odds and reverse implied odds

The relationship between the strength of your

hand and the number of players in the hand
You should know the relative strength of your hand in relation to the number of players who are
expected to see the flop. We will differentiate between pots of 2 or 3 players (known as the
heads-up pots or short-handed pots) and pots with more than 3 players (multi-way pots).

Heads-up pots
When no more than 3 players see the flop, it is generally less likely that one of them will hit his
hand. This means that your and your opponent(s)' hand will often be unimproved on the flop.
Consequently, you should be more inclined to bet for value with marginal hands, as they are
worth significantly more.

Unlike in a multi-way pot, your opponent will make lighter call-downs in heads-up. You will
even see players in the low and middle limits calling with as little as a TPTK, a six-high flush or
a set, on boards that offer straights and flushes.

You have to place plenty of bets against these types of opponents in order to exploit them and
extract max. value. As a thinking player, you can use your hand-reading skills to make lighter
call-downs than you would in a 4-way pot.

The advantages of position and showing aggression are also much more evident in heads-up pots
than in multi-way pots. Players tend to be much more honest when they are in multi-way pots. If
you can't play in position, try to force difficult decisions on your opponent by firing a 2nd or
even a 3rd barrel in carefully selected situations.

Heads-up pots also offer more room for creative and strategic play (floats and pure bluffs).
EXAMPLE 1: Float or pure bluff

PLO Ring game $0.5/$1

Stacks & Stats

UTG $ 45.15
MP $ 102
CO $ 49.32
BU $ 75.36
SB $ 100
Hero $ 100

Pre-flop: Hero is MP with K , 9 , K 8

UTG folds, Hero raises to $2, 2 fold, SB raises to $6, BB folds, Hero calls

Flop ($13): 6 , 6 , 7
SB bets $7, Hero raises to $21, SB folds

In this hand the SB 3-bets your open-raise. The flop is relatively dry and your opponent can't
really stay in the hand without a six or a full house.

You can generate quite a bit of fold equity since his range is very unlikely to include a 6, 77** or
67**. As you have nothing more than an OESD with a backdoor flush draw, you should try to
win the hand directly on the flop.

Your kings might still be good as an overpair, but you could be way behind against a tight
opponent who only 3-bets from the blinds with AA**. If your opponent does call, you can still
hit your OESD or backdoor flush.

EXAMPLE 2:

PLO Ring game $0.5/$1

Stacks & Stats
UTG $ 45.15
Hero $ 102
CO $ 49.32
BU $ 75.36
SB $ 100
BB $ 50

Pre-flop: Hero is MP with K , 9 , K , 8

UTG folds, Hero raises to $3.5, 2 fold, SB raises to $11, BB folds, Hero ???

The same hand as before, but this time you make a pot-size raise instead of a min-raise. If you
call, there will be $23 in the pot on the flop. This would result in a stack-to-pot ratio (SPR) of 4.3
with $100 effective stacks, which means your opponent can go all-in on the turn at the latest.
SB's 3-bet robs you of your positional advantage on 2 streets (turn and river). The result is that
there will hardly be any post-flop play in this hand.

EXAMPLE 3: Light value betting

PLO Ring game $0.5/$1

Stacks & Stats

Hero $ 105.18
MP $ 133
CO $ 26.32
BU $ 150.68
SB $ 64.20
BB $ 50.35

Pre-flop: Hero is UTG with Q , 8 , 5 , 5

Hero raises to $3.5, 3 fold, SB calls, BB folds

Flop ($8): 9 , T , J
SB checks, Hero bets $8, SB calls

Turn ($24): 4
SB checks, Hero bets $24, SB calls

You are playing at 8 different tables and mis-click. Luckily the SB is the only one who calls your
open-raise and you can play heads-up and in position.

You hit the 2nd nut straight on the flop and bet for protection against flush draws and sets, on
this very draw heavy board. The SB's check/call is often a sign that he is on a draw, as he would
probably have check/raised or donked to protect if he had the nut straight.

You bet again for value and protection after a blank shows up on the turn. Since you bet the max
on the flop and turn, the SB now has to decide if he wants to play for the rest of his $28.70 stack
or if he would rather check/fold.

EXAMPLE 4:

PLO Ring game $0.5/$1

Stacks & Stats
Hero $ 105.18
MP $ 133
CO $ 26.32
BU $ 150.68
SB $ 100
BB $ 50.35

Pre-flop: Hero is UTG with Q , 8 , 5 , 5

Hero raises to $2, 3 fold, SB calls, BB folds

Flop ($5): 9 , T , J
SB checks, Hero bets $5, SB calls

Turn ($15): 4
SB checks, Hero bets $15, SB …

Same hand again, but this time with a min-raise instead of a pot size raise (disregard the mis-
click).

The key difference here is the size of the pot on the turn. Your opponent has $78 remaining,
which means he theoretically needs just ~14% equity, if he gives himself his remaining stack in
implied odds after a check/call on the turn. He will rarely give himself his entire stack in implied
odds, but the example shows how a low SPR helps you to protect.

Multi-way pots

You can almost always assume that someone will have hit the flop in a multi-way Omaha pot
and that you will therefore have next to 0 fold equity.

Most players are very straightforward in multi-way pots and you will rarely see a pure bluff or
semi-bluff with a weak or medium strong hand. The key to success in Omaha is focusing on nut
draws when in multiway pots.

Although this may sound trivial, after taking a closer look you see that there are two very good
reasons for this:

Your reverse implied odds decrease and your implied odds increase.

The more players in the hand, the more likely it is that one of them has a smaller
flush/straight/set and will be willing to pay you off. Ideally you want the nut flush draw or nut
straight draw, combined with a flush draw or higher straight draw (a so called freeroll). These all
give you good implied odds against weaker hands, and possibly a direct pay-off.

Marginal hands, which are relatively strong in relation to the number of players in a heads-up pot
hand, are not worth much in multi-way pots. What might be a raise or a call heads-up is an easy
fold in a multi-way pot.

EXAMPLE 5:

PLO Ring game $0.5/$1

Stacks & Stats
Hero $ 105.18
MP $ 133
CO $ 26.32
BU $ 150.68
SB $ 100
BB $ 50.35

Pre-flop: Hero is UTG with Q , 8 , 5 , 5

Hero raises to $3.5, MP calls, CO calls, BU calls, SB calls, BB folds

Flop ($18.5): 9 , T , J
SB checks, Hero checks…

This time you're not so lucky after mis-clicking; instead of being heads-up and in position you
are now out of position and facing four opponents.

The danger on this flop is that a player behind you could already have the nut straight, or the
same straight + a flush draw. These are much stronger hands here than in a heads-up pot. The
best thing you can do is give up your hand and play check/fold.

EXAMPLE 6:

PLO Ring game $0.5/$1

Stacks & Stats

UTG $ 45.15
Hero $ 102
CO $ 49.32
BU $ 75.36
SB $ 100
BB $ 50

Pre-flop: Hero is MP with K , 9 , K , 8

UTG folds, Hero raises to $2, 3 call, BB folds

Flop ($9): 8 , J , 4
SB checks, Hero ???

The same hand as in the second example, but this time you are confronted with three callers
instead of a 3-bet from the SB. There is no sense in contibetting with two opponents behind you
on a semi-draw heavy board. You've only invested $2 and can easily check/fold.

EXAMPLE 7:

PLO Ring game $0.5/$1

Stacks & Stats

UTG $ 45.15
Hero $ 102
CO $ 49.32
BU $ 75.36
SB $ 100
BB $ 50

Pre-flop: Hero is MP with K , 9 , K , 8

UTG folds, Hero raises to $3.5, 3 call, BB folds

Flop ($15): 8 , J , 4
SB checks, Hero ???

Another similar example, but this time with a larger pre-flop raise.

Check/fold is still an option, but this time you've already invested $3.5 instead of just $2. That's a
difference of 1.5 BBs.

It may not sound like much, but if you have this type of hand 2 or 3 times per 100 hands, it's a
difference of 3-4.5 BBs, which will be noticeable in your win rate.

Open-raising from early position

Hands with nut potential are logically suitable for play in both heads-up and multi-way pots. You
want to have implied odds against weaker hands and want to find a way of getting them to add to
the pot with your raise.

You can make excellent min-raises from early positions (UTG, MP) with these multi-way hands.

These min-raises bring the following advantages:

 The blinds are more likely to call. And they are the only ones you will have position over.
 You make it easier for dominated hands to cold call than if you make a pot size open-
raise. This makes it more likely for you to play in a multi-way pot.
 You build up the pot better than by just limping, which makes it easier to extract value
after the flop. Your min-raise basically doubles the stakes for rounds in which you have a
good hand.
 Your opponents won't be able to make as large 3-bets against a min-raise as against a pot
size raise. This means that calling a raise behind you costs you a smaller portion of your
stack. The stack-to-pot ratio also makes it harder for opponents to build up the pot and go
all-in when they have a good made hand. You also have the option of floating out of
position on the flop, giving yourself a chance to hit a backdoor draw.
 A lot of players seem to be allergic to min-raises and don't know how to react. They call
too often and don't know how to properly evaluate your hand on and after the flop.
 You can join the pot cheaply with big pairs, the value of which consists for the most part
of the possibility to flop a top set.

Exactly what kind of hands are we talking about?

Hand Example

Aabc ss A ,9 ,8 ,7
AA**-QQ** A ,A ,4 ,2

Axxy ss A ,T ,T ,7

ABBB ss A ,K ,Q ,J

You obviously want to play against only one or two opponents with hands that have less
potential in multi-way pots but good playability short-handed or heads-up. You should therefore
tend to make full pot size raises from EP with such hands.

The reasons for this are the opposite of those we listed as reasons to min-raise:

 You have more fold equity on high-card boards as you represent a very strong hand.
 Your hand is very well hidden when you do hit a monster.
 You make it harder for the blinds and players in better positions to see the flop with a
draw that has you dominated.
 You influence the SPR to your advantage, by robbing your opponent of any implied
odds, even when you go all-in against a higher flush draw on the flop.
 You're much more likely to improve on the flop with these hands that you make pot size
open-raises with, meaning you can go all-in unimproved more often than with hands like
KK** and QQ**. You can also call a large pre-flop 3-bet, especially when you are fairly
certain that your opponent has AA** after 3-betting.

Exactly what kind of hands are we talking about?

Hand Example

Connected and/or suited double pairs 66-JJ T ,T ,J ,J ;6 6 7 7

Suited run-downs 4 ,5 ,6 ,7 ;J ,T ,9 ,8

Suited connected middle cards 8 ,8 ,9 ,T

Open-raising from the CO

Your raises from the CO should usually be pot size raises. This allows you to generate more fold
equity against the BU, which makes it more likely that you will be able to play in position after
the flop. Of course, you have to mentally size up your open-raises with the opponents you are
facing, but finding the right size shouldn't be too hard with the help of the VPIP and PFR stats.

If the BU is rather tight, you can make a pot size open-raise with your entire range. If, on the
other hand, the BU is rather loose, you will have to adjust accordingly.
You can either apply the min-raise strategy or a pot size raise strategy from the CO. When facing
a very aggressive opponent who likes to isolate or 3-bet, simply min-raise from the CO as a
general rule. The advantage of min-raising is that you will be able to call a 3-bet if one comes,
since you will have a good SPR. You won't have the loose open-raising range you would have
against a tight BU, so your range gives you an equity advantage. It also has good playability and
is very disguised on the flop.

The best way of dealing with a loose aggressive player to your left is to simply leave the table.
You should only stay at the table and engage in such a strategic battle when you have good
reason to do so; a LAG to your left in PLO is like a hole in your wallet.

Open-raising from the BU

In light of the advantage of position, you can afford to be generally more loose than tight when
on the button. You're guaranteed to have position and you will have two opponents at most,
though it is much more likely that you will be heads-up and that the blinds will have a very hard
time adapting.

It is completely normal to raise with 30-40% of your hands from the BU when all players fold
against you. Some players even raise with 50-60% of their hands.

You can almost always call a 3-bet from the blinds with your entire range. The SPR after the flop
will be large enough for the advantage of position to outweigh the advantage of having the
initiative.

Another advantage this range gives you is this: even if your opponent knows you're making light
open-raises, he can't 3-bet if he doesn't have a very good hand. You will have enough equity to
call a pot size bet on 50% of all flops when you play a Top 70% hand against a Top 10% hand.
Variation
Some starting hands fulfill both criteria and are in the grey area between multi-way and heads-up
hands. You should use these hands to balance your range by raising the pot and min-raising
50/50.

If you are generally facing good/solid opponents who might adapt to this open-raising strategy
(which will hardly ever be the case), you can try balancing your optimal raise sizes with sub-
optimal raise sizes 90/10 or 80/20.

By balancing as part of your strategy, you make it harder for your opponents to read your hand,
which in turn makes post-flop play easier for you. You can end up getting confused if you think
too hard about varying your raise sizes when facing weaker opponents however, so we suggest
that you primarily just stick to the optimal raise sizes.

Tip: There are several ways to balance your raises. Some people decide based on the suit of the
first card they are dealt, others based on where the minute hand is standing.

Exactly what kind of hands are we talking about?

Hand Example
Suited A with a small pair 55-88 A , 6 , 6 ,7

Suited A with a small rundown A ,6 ,5 ,4

Not being exploitable

Some attentive readers will certainly argue that min-raising against a thinking player
automatically gives away at least part of your hand. Your opponents will know you almost
always have an ace when you min-raise, and that you have a good drawing hand when you raise
pot size.

This is a theoretical factor (and a poor one at that), but the truth is that it is very hard for
opponents to make such reads when you balance your pre-flop play in this manner. Even
thinking players rarely see all streets in a single context, but rather think from one street to the
next.

You also need a minimal sample size in order to be certain that your assumptions are correct.
This is rarely possible in the low and mid stakes since the player pool is so large.

And even if your opponent knows your strategy by heart, he won't be able to exploit your game
because he knows that the SPR will allow you to call a lot of 3-bets with your min-raising range.
At the same time he won't be able to cold call with a weak draw as he would be in danger of
being dominated.

You can also use your image as an AA** min-raiser, in order to stay in the pot fairly cheaply
with marginal hands and put your post-flop skills to use. Your pot size open-raising range is
shoveable much more often after the flop, so you can also call if you get 3-bet.

If your opponent limps behind, he won't have much room for creative play (float, pure bluff) and
won't be able to make full use of his positional advantage, since the SPR will be lower.

We should mention here that this is more of a guide for creating a good SPR for certain hands,
and less of an ORC that you should strictly follow. All in all, the disadvantages are rather
theoretical in nature and are clearly outweighed by the advantages.

Conclusion
The open-raising method found in this article is not absolute and should not become your pre-
flop bible.

It simply illustrates the concept of creating an optimal SPR for your hand by varying your open-
raise sizes from various positions. You should always take factors like the table flow, your
image, and tightness/looseness at the table into account when making your decision.

Hopefully reading this article will lead you to become more aware of how your pre-flop
decisions influence the way the rest of the hand will develop.