Florida Poker Tours - Players Points Structure

The Basics of

Poker How Big is the Pot?
In limit poker, each player's bet is limited to a pre-determined fixed maximum size. You know if someone raises a bet during the 2 level, his maximum bet is 4. You can then decide if you want to call or raise this bet based on the hand potential and the fact that the bet will cost you 4 compared to a pot size of, say, 20. Generally, at fixed limit, you are getting generous pot odds to call unless you are drawing very thinly.

At pot limit, you have no such stringent limitations and you will often be asked to call a large raise in the later stages of the betting rounds. Your pot odds calculations will change drastically. Like No Limit Texas Hold'em, pots will often be fought out heads up in Pot Limit Omaha because it is so often uneconomical to chase a draw. The pots in Pot Limit Omaha can and often do grow mighty quickly during a hand. Do not be fooled by the limitations enforced by pot size as, very often, players will find themselves all-in unless they are playing from a large stack of money.

In basic terms, you are free to raise a pot by the size of the pot itself which includes the bets that preceded your turn. The pot limit game limits betting and raises to a maximum that is currently in the pot. If the pot holds 20, you can not bet more than 20. If you are raising on a player's bet, your call is included in the pot already. For example, if the pot is 20 and Player A opens the betting round with a bet of 20 and it is now your turn to bet, the most you can bet 60 (The pot's 20 plus the bet from Player A of 20 plus your bet of 20).

Pot-Limit - Omaha Poker Basics
Pot-Limit Omaha, also referred to as PL Omaha or PLO, is derived from Texas Hold'em. While PLO has a lot of characteristics that are similar to Texas Hold'em, PLO requires its players to implement a unique set of strategies in order to win. The first strategy that PLO players must learn is that it is vitally important to build the best hand possible, the nut hand, or as close to a nut hand as possible. This strategy gives the player the best chance at drawing a hand that will beat everyone else at the table. To accomplish this, PLO players will need to collect card combinations that will allow a nut hand draw, as well as collecting card combinations that will provide the player with a back up plan in case the nut draw fails. To successfully implement these PLO strategies, PLO players first need to learn how to identify good hands, as well as how to identify trap hands.

Strategies for Building a Great Pot-Limit Omaha Hand
The first thing that PL Omaha players should understand is that PL Omaha hands should be built to offer players as many options as possible. Connecting cards, wrap cards, and double high value pocket pairs are all card combinations that give the player a variety of possible draw hands that they will be able to play. This strategy helps players to reduce the chances that they will end up with a dead draw, and it also helps them to increase their chances of building a nut draw. Another hand building strategy is to acquire and play high pocket pairs. In the worst case scenario the high pair can be played by themselves and in the best case scenario they can be combined with the flop cards to make a big flush. Lower pocket pairs should be mucked in most cases, as they are easy to beat and basically worthless in this game.

Connecting cards should also be collected, especially if the player has four connecting cards. This run allows players the option of creating many different straights. For example a pre-flop hand of JT98 gives about 30 possible straight combinations when combined with possible flop card combinations. Connecting cards are even more valuable when they are on the higher end of the value scale, as they can produce higher valued straights, which will in turn give the player a better chance of winning the hand.

Collecting suited cards is another good strategy for PL Omaha players to use. However, it should be done with care as players can trap themselves into a situation where they end up with a dead draw. If the player has non-ace high suited cards then a different strategy should be implemented, as drawing to a non-nut flush is an ineffective strategy. On the other hand, if the player hits a non-nut flush during a redraw, multi-draw, or back-door flush draw then it is a good idea to play these cards.

The Top Starting Hands
Building a nut PLO hand starts by being able to identify good starting hands. PLO players should learn to recognize the top 30 PLO starting hands, as well as other starting hands that have potential. The following list contains the top 30 starting hands for PLO. These hands can be made stronger if the high pair is suited with at least one of the remaining two cards. If a player has any of these card combinations they should raise pre-flop.

1. AAKK
2. AAJT
3. AAQQ
4. AAJJ
5. AATT
6. AA99
7. AAXX
8. 89TJ
9. KKQQ
10. KKJJ

11. KQJT
12. KKTT
13. KKAQ
14. KKAJ
15. KKAT
16. KKQJ
17. KKQT
18. KKJT
19. QQJJ
20. QQTT

21. QQAK
22. QQAJ
23. QQAT
24. QQKJ
25. QQKT
26. QQJT
27. QQJQ
28. QQ99
29. JJTT
30. JJT9

Trap Hands
While it is important for PLO players to learn how to recognize a good hand, it is also important for them to recognize bad hands.

The first bad hand, or trap hand, that PLO players should avoid is a small pair hand. A small pair hand is any pair that has a face value that is lower than a nine. Players should keep in mind that these pairs are basically worthless in PLO games.

The second type of trap hand is the low wrap hand. In this instance the player's cards seem like they can make a good hand such as a 23456 straight. However, this seemingly strong hand is actually weak because its low value is easy to beat. Because this type of hand is a trap hand, PLO players should avoid collecting these types of card combinations.

The final type of trap hand is the small flush hand. It follows the same philosophy as the low wrap hand trap. Players who have pre-flop cards that can only create low value flushes should not bet a lot of money on their hand. It is all right to play this type of hand, but the wagers made should reflect the high probability that their flush will be out-drawn by another player.

Conclusion
Pot-Limit Omaha is a game of strategy.
Players need to be able to identify strong combinations during all phases of the game, and they need to be able to build their card combinations to give themselves the best chances of drawing a nut hand.
High value card combinations are preferable to card combinations valued fewer than nine, and suited card combinations are preferable to non-suited card combinations.
Finally, in order for PLO players to become winners they will need to be able to avoid building traps hands, as these hands limit the ability of PLO players to build a winning hand.

Pot-Limit Omaha: Top Advice

Be very selective with your starting hands: nothing is more important than choosing the correct starting hand for a certain situation.
"Play the players": be sure to quickly assess the opposition: who plays inferior hands, who folds at aggression, who bets with draws, who calls big bets with weak hands and draws, who can be bluffed, who bluffs, etc.
"Pump it or dump it": fold or bet/raise (if the odds are with you). You should avoid calling unless you have a good reason (such as trapping an opponent or increasing your pot odds when you are on a big draw).
Respect most big bets and raises: this is particularly true in Pot-Limit Omaha since most players do not bluff.
Do not get "married" to the nut flush draw: the difference between drawing to the nut flush in Omaha as compared to Hold'em is that in Hold'em you can usually win the pot by pairing your Ace or win the pot with a flush even though the board pairs. The same is not true in Omaha.
Do not get "married" to an eight way straight draw: in Omaha, it is possible to flop 13-way, 17-way and 20-way straight draws. It is best to wait until you hold one of these draws before you heavily involve yourself in the pot.
Do not overplay unsuited Aces: when all you hold are a pair of Aces and two unsuited, unconnected rags, there is little you can flop to improve your hand. If you do not flop an Ace, you will usually end up with a weak holding.
Bet your best drawing hands: enhance the deception in your game by betting your strong draws, as you will also win more pots without a fight.
Always draw to the nuts in multi-way pots: when all the money goes into the middle in multi-way pots, be sure to draw to the nuts. Avoid committing all your money with draws without additional value as you can find yourself trapped between a set and the nut flush draw, maybe leaving you with only a nut straight draw that might end up in a split pot if you hit.

A Comparison: Pot-Limit Omaha vs. Texas Hold'em

More players will see the flop in Omaha. The advantage of good starting hands over worse ones is not as great in Omaha. This encourages people to see more flops in Omaha than in Hold'em. It also creates bigger pots, making your decisions on the flop even more crucial.
You need a stronger hand to win at Omaha. The hands that typically win the pot in Hold'em, such as top pair with top kicker and overpairs, do not win it very often in Pot-Limit Omaha. In Omaha, the best hands are those that are made and hold additional value, like top set with a big draw. When the money goes into the middle in Pot-Limit Omaha someone is usually holding the nuts.
Omaha is a more hand driven game. There are not as many opportunities to bluff in Omaha. This is due to the fact that there are more players seeing the flop and more combinations of hands to be made. When a pair is on the board someone is likely holding a full house, when a flush or straight is possible someone is likely to hold it, and so forth.
Giving free cards is generally a bad play in Omaha. First of all, because the pots are usually bigger on the flop, it makes more sense to try and win the pot right there. Second of all, your hands are much more likely to get action because of the greater drawing possibilities. And, finally, it is very probable that a free card could beat your hand.
Position is less important in Omaha. Although position is very important in all forms of poker, it is less important in Omaha. More players are in on the flop and it is hard to pick up a pot by betting when checked-to in late position. As a result, it is usually the player holding the best hand that wins the pot.
Tight players are less likely to be "bullied" in Omaha. In Hold'em, tight players can easily be bullied out of pots when the flop comes with low cards. However, in Omaha, because a tight player can play hands such as 8-7-6-5, J-J-5-4 or 8-8-7-7 with little difficulty, it is harder to push them around. The pondering bully can never be positive that you do not hold the nuts on a flop like 7-6-3, while, in Hold'em, he would be almost certain that you do not.

Pot-Limit
In Pot-Limit Omaha, you want to protect your hands by making pot-sized bets and raises until you are a big favorite, at which point you put all your money in the middle. You want to have the best possible hand and/or draw when all the money goes in. In Pot-Limit, the pots increase quickly and you must be able to determine the amount you can bet on the turn, if you expect to get called on the flop.

Generally, there is no reason to bet or raise less than the size of the pot when playing Pot-Limit Omaha. You might do this on specific occasions, like when betting into an opponent with the second-nut flush on the river and the pot is very big, or if you want a call on the river and you bet the amount you think your opponent will call. However, while it is entirely dependent on the player and the situation, most of the time it is best to bet and raise the size of the pot.

Pot-Limit Omaha Common Mistakes

Not releasing a decent hand when beat, thus losing the whole stack on one hand.
Overvaluing the hand (common mistake by Hold'em players).
Calling with weak holdings when facing a bet.
Playing too many starting hands.
Not raising pre-flop with premium hands (putting pressure on limpers holding drawing hands) and then going too far with them after the flop.
Giving free cards or-under betting the pot (risking a lot to win small/not protecting your hand).