As one dives deeper into the world of poker, one realizes that it isn’t that shallow. The game of poker is massive. Inside the game of poker one will find more and more bifurcations, different types and categorisations that further keep widening the poker tree. And one of the first bifurcations you will come across is the variants of poker that exist.
Although there are numerous variants of poker games, some are more widely played and popular than the others for multiple reasons. The more famous ones are easy to understand and play and they are also exciting. The lesser known ones may either be confusing or maybe they simply lack the fun element.
While Texas Hold’em or No-Limit Hold’em is the most popular poker variant, the variant that can be considered to stand second to it is Omaha Poker. Although it is majorly similar to Texas Hold’em in terms of gameplay, rules and terms, there are some minor yet significant differences that set Omaha Poker apart.
Omaha Poker is yet another interesting and skillful game to play. But what adds a layer of interestingness to Omaha Poker is that it is further divided into three types, namely, No Limit Omaha, Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo.
Among these the most famous one, which is often confused to be synonymous with Omaha Poker is Pot Limit Omaha. Widely abbreviated as PLO, it is the second most popular poker variant after Texas Hold’em.
If you are wondering how to play Pot Limit Omaha, then do not worry, you are in the right place. In this article we will guide you in detail and acquaint you with all that there is to know about playing Pot Limit Omaha.
As the name says, Pot Limit Omaha is the pot limit variant of the poker game. Like other Omaha games, a player is dealt with four hole cards (Yes, FOUR hole cards) and the objective is to make the best possible five card hand using the five community cards and four hole cards. Additionally, the player must mandatorily use two and only two of their hole cards to make the best hand.
Unlike its counterpart Texas Holdem, which has no limits on betting, PLO sets limits on how much the players bet. The key difference that sets PLO apart from other poker variants, or even Omaha variants is that a player can only bet as much as the size of the active pot. Any player indulging in a betting or raising action cannot bet or raise more than the size of the pot. The size of the active pot sets a bar or a limit on how much the player can put in, hence the name Pot Limit Omaha.
If you are already familiar with Texas Hold'em will not find it very difficult to transition to Pot Limit Omaha Poker. Just a little mindfulness and presence of mind should do the trick. This is because the basic rules such as the game objective, betting rounds, betting actions, and the ten hand rankings remain the same for both variants, except for a few key differences. Three to be precise.
The first and foremost differentiating factor that distinguishes Omaha Poker games from Texas Hold’em is the use of four hole cards. While in Texas Hold’em is dealt with only two hole cards, a game of Pot Limit Omaha deals four hole cards. This leads to the formation of bigger pots and complex decisions to be made.
The second key difference is the number of hole cards used to make a hand. In a normal game of Texas Hold’em a player is free to use any number of hole cards. They can use both, one or none of his two hole cards. However, in Pot Limit Omaha, a player must compulsorily use two and only two cards from their hand to make a hand. The minimum and maximum number of hole cards allowed to be utilized is two.
The third and most significant difference is the limit on betting and raising. Players are allowed to make a maximum raise that is equal to the size of the pot. Anything exceeding the pot is not allowed.
Pot Limit Omaha too has a few variants. Apart from the basic traditional PLO, the other variants include Pot Limit Omaha Hi/low, PLO 5, PLO 6, 5 cards Pot Limit Omaha Hi/low, Courchevel, Courchevel Hi/low. Among these the most common ones are PLO 5 and PLO 6.
In PLO 5, the players are dealt five-hole cards instead of four to play with. Similarly, in PLO 6, a player is dealt with six hole cards. The remaining rules of the game remain the same.
The step by step guide to playing PLO is similar to that of No-Limit Hold’em poker. Players must carefully study and be mindful of these steps to play Pot Limit Omaha at all times.
• A game of Pot Limit Omaha starts with the small blind and big blind placing their blinds on the table. Every player on the table is then given four private cards or hole cards.
• A game of PLO requires a minimum of two players and a maximum of ten players at the table.
• The players must make their best five-card hand using only two of their hole cards and three of the community cards from the table.
• Once the players get four-hole cards the first betting round known as Preflop round begins in a clockwise direction.
• In the Pre-flop round, the players have their starting hands and they must bet, call or raise based on this starting gand. Here players must remember that they are allowed to use only two cards in their final five-card hand. So as an example it is important to know that if you hold three queens and one nine they still do not hold a three of a kind since they are only allowed to use only two of those queen cards.
• After the first round of betting is completed, the flop, that is three of the five community cards are dealt on the table and the second round of betting begins clockwise starting with the small blind, the player to the left of the dealer.
• After the second round of betting on the flop is completed, the fourth community card known as the turn opens up. Players now are aware of four hole cards and four community cards to make their respective decisions.
• Subsequently, on completion of the third betting round, the fifth and final community card, the river, is revealed. The players now have all the cards to make their best card hand.
• One more round of betting takes place on the river, and if there are two or more players still active in the hand, there is a showdown.
• At the showdown the players in contention have to reveal their hole cards to decide who has the better five card hand.
• The player having the best five-card hand is declared as the winner.
As mentioned earlier, there is a limit on the betting value size in Pot Limit Omaha. Here are the bet sizing rules players must follow when playing a game of PLO.
Minimum raise - The permissible value of raise in Pot Limit Omaha poker must be equal to the previously placed bet or raise in that same round of betting. The minimum bet in Pot-limit Omaha poker is similar to the size of the big blind. This means that if a player wants to stay in the hand, the minimum they need to put in is the amount equal to the big blind, unless there is a raise. .
Maximum Raise – Similarly, the maximum a player can raise takes into consideration the size of the pot or active pot, as well as the bets on the table and the amount the player must call before raising.
The poker hands in Pot Limit Omaha are similar to those in Texas Hold’em poker game hands. There are a total of ten poker hands ranked based on their probability of occurrence. Here are the ten hand rankings in Pot Limit Omaha.
• Royal Flush
The most premium hand is the Royal Flush. It is a combination of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of the same suit. Owing to its rare occurrence, a Royal Flush is the strongest hand in poker. No other hand combination can beat the Royal Flush. An example of Royal Flush is Ad Kd Qd Jd Td.
• Straight Flush
A straight flush is a five card hand having consecutive ranks and having the same suit. For example 8h 7h 6h 5h 4h is a straight flush.
• Four of a kind
Four of a kind is a hand which includes four cards of the same rank. Here the suits of the cards can be different, however all four cards should have the same rank. 8s 8d 8h 8c Ks is an example of four of a kind.
• Full House
A Full House is composed of three cards of the same rank and the remaining two cards of a similar rank. In a full house the suits do not matter. For example, Qd Qh Qs 6h 6c is a full house.
• Flush
A Flush is a combination of any five random cards having the same suit. The ranks of the cards can be anything, just the suit should be the same. For example, Kh 8h 5h 3h 2h. The ranks of cards come into the picture only when two or more players have a flush.
• Straight
Five consecutive cards of random suits combine to make a Straight. Here the suits have no role to play. For example, Jc Th 9s 8c 7d is a Straight.
• Three of a Kind
As the name suggests, Three of a kind is a hand which has three cards of the same ranks and different suits. The remaining two cards can be any random cards. An example of Three of a Kind is 9h 9s 9d 6s 2s.
• Two Pair
A two pair hand includes two pairs of similar ranking cards each, and one random card. In other words, there must be two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank, and one card of any other rank. For example, Th Tc 5d 5h 4s is a two pair hand in PLO.
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