Pot Limit Omaha, commonly known as PLO,
is a modality of traditional Omaha poker in which the maximum raises are
conditioned by the size of the pot.
As its name indicates, the limit of the bets
and raises is fixed by the size of the pot, which takes into account the
sum of the active pot at the moment of making the bet, plus all the bets on the
table, as well as the amount that the player must call before making the raise.
Pot Limit Omaha preflop bets must meet some
unique characteristics in order to be valid. The minimum bet must be at least equal to the big
blind bet, and the maximum bet, as we have just explained, is in the pot.
Minimum raises must always be equal to the
immediately preceding raise made in the round, with the pot also being the maximum cap for
any raise.
A crucial aspect of Pot Limit Omaha is that it
is not advisable to have half-rounds when raising or betting. If the bet
is raised, it must be raised up to the maximum limit of the amount allowed,
which is the amount of the pot at that moment.
As we have just explained, when we talk about
the pot limit, we are not only talking about the active pot, but also about
the rest of the active bets and our call. The concept of "pot
limit" must be handled thoroughly to make our calculations properly.
Otherwise, we will end up handling numbers that do not correspond to the table.
No, with nuances. Raising preflop is not at all
advisable, and to understand this we have to talk about the strength of the
hands. Two normal hands usually have an equal or approximately equal balance of
strength. We can be talking about a 60-40 or 55-45 balance, as you can
see, values that are quite close. Making a preflop raise is absurd because the
amount you are betting for your hand does not really correspond to the real
strength of your hand.
A preflop raise, besides inhibiting the
potential of your play because the pot is still too small for a re-raise to
make any sense, leaves you exposed because you will be giving away your cards,
but wait, because you also risk not being able to connect anything with the
flop and being forced to go on the flop.
If you have raised preflop, you are not going
to fold on the flop,
that would be even more absurd. So what do you do? Go ahead, but by the time
you realize the mistake, you've already messed up and you'll be in a lot of
trouble.
Suppose you raise preflop, the flop doesn't
favor you, you are forced to go to the flop, you bet the pot and they go and
re-raise. It's anything but good, right? Moral: forget about preflop raises.
When can a preflop raise work? When you play from
late positions. Then it makes sense, but you will also expose your cards
because only someone with a good starting hand would raise preflop. The
difference is that it is in your favor to increase the pot from Cutoff or
Button.
Another aspect you should keep in mind about preflop
bets and raises: you will never be able to bluff enough to kick an opponent
out of the hand, you can only do that on the last streets, with a bigger pot
and with a more translucent game.
The ideal scenario is that you make a standard
preflop bet and get a double pair on the flop with premium cards. You will
have a strong hand and keep your game opaque, but be careful with the high
cards connected and what the flop gives you.
It is also advisable to pay attention to the
type of table you are playing at. If the game is more loose-passive, the
speculative hands have more weight; on the other hand, if it is more
tight-aggressive, it is better to be selective with the hands and get involved
only in the OOP hands, increasing our involvement as we approach the last
streets.
In Pot Limit poker modalities, the limits of
maximum bets and raises are fixed by the size of the pot, understanding the
concept of pot limit as the sum of the active pot, your call and the
rest of the bets on the table.
As we said at the beginning, in Pot Limit
games, every time you raise the bet you have to push it to the limit of what is
allowed. You also have to be consistent with every preflop bet you make;
for example, a preflop re-raise forces you to play the flop; a call on the turn
is not consistent with a fold on the last street.
If you don't know how to take a bet to the end,
you will give away your game and get into trouble. The key in Pot Limit
games is to know when to call and when not to call, always keeping in mind
that you can never make a bet or a preflop raise big enough to knock an
opponent out of your hand.
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