Brad Ruben offers essential advice for those starting out in Pot Limit Omaha (PLO), a game with a steep learning curve compared to Hold’em. Ruben provides three key tips that can help beginners establish a solid foundation and start making better decisions at the table.
#1: Start with the Fundamentals and Play a Tight Range
When you’re new to PLO, it’s crucial to focus on good starting hands. Unlike Texas Hold’em, where a wider variety of hands can be playable, PLO requires more selective hand choices due to the increased complexity and action post-flop.
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Good Starting Hands: Favor hands that are connected and double-suited, like J-10-9-8 (with at least one suit). You should also play most Aces and strong Kings.
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VPIP (Voluntarily Put Money in Pot): Start by understanding what a strong hand is to VPIP (voluntarily putting money in the pot). Early on, it’s better to err on the side of caution and play a tighter range until you get a feel for the game.
#2: Don’t Get Married to Your Hand if It Doesn’t Connect
In PLO, even a good starting hand can quickly become irrelevant if it doesn’t connect well with the flop. Post-flop play is where PLO players make or break their decisions, so understanding when to fold is critical.
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Example: If you have A-A-6-4 (with no suits) and the flop comes J-9-8, don’t be afraid to check/fold. This is a great example of a hand that is no longer relevant after the flop, and chasing it could lead to unnecessary losses.
The key takeaway here is to not overvalue your starting hand and understand when to let go if it doesn’t improve.
#3: Bubble Play – Use Stack Sizes to Your Advantage
Bubble play in PLO tournaments is about leveraging stack sizes and the dynamics of players who are trying to make it into the money.
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Big Stacks: If you’re holding a big stack, you can raise a wider range of hands, especially if smaller stacks are under pressure to fold and conserve their chips to survive the bubble.
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Small Stacks: When you’re facing smaller stacks on your left, you can open more liberally, as these players are incentivized to fold hands (even strong ones like A-A-x-x) and avoid confrontation in order to make it into the money.
Knowing when to raise lightly in bubble situations can give you a significant edge and allow you to exploit the smaller stacks at the table.
