Lee Watkinson Short Stacks PLO

Filed in archive Poker Strategies on August 16, 2007

Pot Limit Omaha is my personal choice of game when I logon to either Full Tilt or PokerStars for the evening. Whether it's the split game of Eight or Better or the High only game, Omaha provides a gamble for those looking for one. Along with the gamble comes greater present variance then those who choose to play Hold Em' or Stud games. To play Omaha profitably you must be willing to risk entire stacks on draws and sometimes be behind despite holding the current best hand.

Lee Watkinson, World Series of Poker Pot Limit Omaha champ and Full Tilt.com pro suggests limiting that variance by buying short while playing capped buy in tables. The plan of attack is to put all of your chips into the pot before getting outplayed by a more aggressive player when a scare hits the board. This maximizes your chances of not getting pushed off a pot while holding a winning hand, and getting your money in with the best of it.

Many times in Omaha getting it in with the best of it means a 55% chance to win. This is where the gamble and the excitement of Omaha comes into play, very rarely are you drawing dead/slim as in Hold Em'.

For Lee's take on short stacking PLO, hop over to Full Tilt.com to read the entire article as here's part of it below:

It's amazing the difference that two cards can make. As opposed to Hold 'em where players have two hole cards at the start of each hand, Omaha starts each player off with four cards, which makes both pre- and post-flop play much more challenging, especially for those who are new to the game.

In fact, Pot-Limit Omaha can be so complicated that when playing it in a ring game, I think your best move is to buy in for the minimum - especially if you're not as experienced as the other players at the table. Even if you're a really good player, it's an advantage to buy in short because it will be a lot easier to make a move when you get dealt a big hand.

Let's say you get Aces before the flop. If you've bought in for the minimum, you'll often be able to get most of your chips into the pot pre-flop, which should always be your goal when you know you have the best hand. Once you get your chips in, your opponents won't be able to push you off your hand. You will be able to see all five cards on the board while they'll be trying to bet each other out of the pot. If you're a beginning player, you're not going to get trapped or outplayed because you're already all-in.

Or let's say you flop a set. Once again, if you're short you're going to be able to get all your money into the pot and if a scare card comes - for example, one that could give your opponent a straight - you won't have to figure out what to do with your hand. If you had a big stack in this situation and were playing against a very aggressive player, he might bet the pot on the turn and you wouldn't be able to call... (continued at Full Tilt.com)