Until yesterday. I don’t mind a bad beat. Honestly, I don’t. I realize how good it feels to be on the other end, so I embrace the fact that every once in a while, you’re the one giving the joy. BUT NOT 3 IN TWO MINUTES IN 3 FREAKING TOURNAMENTS ALRIGHT!

T1: 10$ 180players S&G NLH. Pick up AQs, raise 3BB get called by two people. Flop comes two spades, all unders. I bet 2/3 pot, one fold, one call. Turn makes my nut flush. I bet 1/2 pot, BB shoves, i call — he has made his second pair on the turn. River makes his boat. GRRR.

T2: 24$ Pot Limit Omaha. I’m in second chip position when I pick up AAKJ, two diamonds (AJ). The flop comes Ace and two diamonds. I mean that’s the ultimate flop right there. Turn Q, river Q, woozaaa aces over queens. Opponent takes two queens out of the hole. ASSWHIPE was the only one in 65 people left who had me covered. GO FIGURE.

T3: 10$ KO NLH — 600 players. I pick up KK in the VERY FIRST HAND. I raise, I get re-raised, I re-reraise — he shoves — I call. He shows AA. I don’t suck out.

I mean

If you have a hand (no not top pair, you need at least top or second set) it is nearly always better to bet than check-call. Why if your hand is worth calling did you not bet? Your decisive bet can knock out weak draws and the just plain pre-flop hopeful. It also means you are in control of the pot. As with most poker games your non-nut hand will stand up better against fewer players so try to thin out the pot with aggressive play. If you have a draw and it checks round to you, look to bet the pot in late positions, even with relatively weak draws.

Make notes on the hands people are showing down. Remember whatever the maths says you have to base how you play on your opponents and adjust accordingly. In Omaha more than Hold’em the most observant player often is the most profitable player. Take notes on betting patterns. Most online sites will let you attaché notes to a player to help you remember when you come up against tem again. Make use of this facility. If you fold your cards watch the rest of the hand closely to see how it plays out.

Let’s start with the basics. You are dealt four hole cards and there are five community cards.

Phase 1 – Each player is dealt four cards (Hole Cards)
Phase 2 – A chance to bet
Phase 3 – Three community cards are dealt face up on the table (The Flop)
Phase 4 – A chance to bet
Phase 5 – One more community card is dealt face up on the table (The Turn)
Phase 6 – A chance to bet
Phase 7 – The final community card is dealt face up on the table (The River)
Phase 8 – A last chance to bet.

You must make the best hand you can from two hole cards and three community cards.

The pot limit game limits betting and raises to a maximum that is currently in the pot. If the pot holds $100, you can not bet more than $100. If you are raising a player’s bet, your call is included in the pot already. So the pots can get very big very quickly and if you don’t know what you are doing it can be a costly mistake. Three raises in a row can turn a $1 pot into an $18 pot so think before you pot your bankroll at risk.

Trying Pot Limit Omaha without first understanding the game properly could be a costly mistake but with less really skilled Omaha players than Texas players you may just make a killing.

Bet the pot. No seriously. Bet the pot 90 – 95% of the time. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly it makes it very hard to put you on a hand. Better players will spot your betting patterns very quickly. If you don’t think you have the best hand or your draw is weak, fold. Messing about with small bets that you are going to fold later means you will leak money like the Northern Rock. Secondly, it will give people the opportunity to draw cheaply. The dodgy hand they had on the flop my turn into a blinder by the river if you let them get in too cheaply.

Bet on a draw. If you have a fantastic draw that has at least 10 outs to give you the nuts then bet. (Yes bet the pot). If you are first in then be aggressive. Do NOT slow play your hand. Just don’t do it. Omaha is game of draws and redraws and if you have the best hand by the turn, it could be all over by the river.

Finally watch what others are doing around you. If a tight player suddenly bets and then re-raises then get the hell out of dodge. If a big gambler raises pre-flop don’t give it as much weight. You’ll find more bluffing with the betting here than with Hold’em.

You want starting hands that hold straight, flush and set potential, two pair is just not going to cut it in PLO.

The top 10 starting hands are below.

1 AKsAKs
2 AJsATs
3 AQsAQs
4 AJsAJs
5 ATsATs
6 A9sA9s
7 AxsAxs
8 JTs98s
9 KQsKQs
10 KJsKJS

Although even in the very best heads up hand in the game, AKsAKs, is only 65% favourite against a random 4 card hand. There are some quidelines to playing a starting hand. All four cards need to work together in some way. AKsAKs can lead to a straight, two nut flushes and two different sets.

It is better to learn to look for features in your hand that could lead to the nuts than learning by rote all the PLO starting hands. Look for cards that run together, high pairs and flush cards. I would favour a card with straight or flush potential over any set. Unless you are very lucky trips are vulnerable to straights and flushes.

The truth is PLO is a post flop game. The most important decision you make is whether to play on the flop. Looking for info on Omaha players? The biggest name is Sam Farha!