Fun With PLO Tools

I haven't rounded up charts and numbers for May yet (I promise that report on my mediocrity is forthcoming), but I do have a new tool (Holdem Manager Omaha) and some fun new charts (any old PLO session will usually do)...



Nothing like the ultra-swinginess of a PLO session. That's what makes it such an insane and addictive game. I am getting back into it, and considering splitting time with NLHE (where I continue to tread water). A couple of training videos and a few articles have helped me re-commit to a few important principles, namely:
1) Position, position, position. Play tight from the blinds, looser from the CO (unless Button is decent & aggressive) and Button, and apply tons of pressure from OOP.
2) Play straightforward. No tricks, virtually no slowplays, and give credit when someone is bombing the pot.

It seemed to click, as I have had a couple of decent sessions and am up a little bit in my recent play.

I was feeling quite good about the whole experiment, until I flipped on the All-in EV graph...


No complaining about suckouts here! Just enjoying the good luck while it lasts.

Here's one spot where I played it like a hold-em hand, and learned the hard way how hard it can be to play OOP in PLO against an aggressive opponent...

Villain is running 27/13/3.0 and has been stealing blinds at a high rate.

Full Tilt Pot-Limit Omaha, $0.25 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Hero (SB) ($25.61)
BB ($13.26)
UTG ($37.65)
MP ($26.12)
CO ($33.93)
Button ($45.73)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 10, 10, 3, K
3 folds, Button bets $0.85, Hero calls $0.75, 1 fold

Flop: ($1.95) 5, K, 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $1.95, Hero calls $1.95

Villain has a 27% steal rate, so I think I can call here profitably, even with just top pair. Villain is C-betting pretty frequently in this spot, on this board.

Turn: ($5.85) 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $5.85, Hero calls $5.85

This is a good turn card to 2-barrel on, so I make a loose call, hoping to send a message that I like my hand and won't be pushed off of it easily.

River: ($17.55) Q (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $17.55, Hero folds

Third time's the charm. 3 full pot bullets, after a bad card comes on the river, and I'm finally surrendering.

Total pot: $17.55 Rake: $0.87

So many mistakes here, where do I begin? This is an OK hand to defend with, but against a competent opponent, I can get myself in loads of trouble, just as I do here. So I'm better off just folding PF.

On the flop, if I really want to send the message that I like my hand and apply some pressure, I should be raising the flop, not calling. Calling just doesn't signal the same level of strength in PLO that it does in NLHE. But the real problem is that, if I really want the pot, I should be trying to take it down now, as my hand doesn't improve very easily with this board. Basically, I'm stuck knowing that I'm never going to be thrilled about my hand, and really just hoping my opponent gives up.

On the turn, when he doesn't give up, I should be done. The turn call is a pretty big spew, just overly hopeful thinking.

One thing that my opponent can take advantage of is the tendency for PLO players to bet their strong hands, and rarely slowplay. So even if the villain hasn't connected by the river, he can continue to apply pressure, knowing that if I would almost never be checking 3 streets with a hand strong enough to call a big river bet.