Top two pair in Omaha

Pot Limit Omaha / Marcus Bateman / 29 July 2010 / 2 Comments

It is critical that you start to think about this genre of hands very differently in PLO than you would in Hold'em.

This hand is one of the key hands in Pot Limit Omaha that weak players and newcomers really struggle with. As it is usually a monster hand in Hold'em, people find it very difficult to adjust their thinking when they hit this hand in PLO, but it is critical that you start to think about this genre of hands very differently in PLO than you would in Hold'em.

The key reason for this is that drawing hand ranges are fundamentally different in the two games. Say you have nine ten in your hand and see a flop of 9c10c4s in Hold'em. Although you could be in pretty bad shape if your opponent had a hand like JcQc, most of the time when you get action on a flop like this it is from people with weaker draws, top pair/over pairs, and occasionally sets. Against this sort of range, you are fine getting it in with this sort of hand in Hold'em against all but the tightest players.

Compare the same hand in PLO assuming you have no draws and just the naked nine ten on the same flop. Here your opponent's likely action range is much, much worse for your hand. At best you will probably be getting it in against a solid draw, at worst you will be getting it in behind a huge draw or a in serious trouble against a set.

Against a hand such as a flush draw and a straight draw, you are usually a 44-47% dog in this spot depending on the exact hand match up, and considering that this is the lower part of the players likely range (very few people are getting it in here with ten four/nine four), it is easy to see why this hand can get people into such trouble in Omaha over time.

However, it is not all doom and gloom with this hand. On extremely unconnected boards, top two pair can become much more powerful. Say you raise and get two callers with a hand like AcKc9sJs and see a flop of Ah9d3c. Here your hand becomes much stronger, as there are much fewer hands in your opponent's range that are ahead of you. Often you will get callers here who hold little more than an ace (putting you on a hand like a big pair as they have a blocker to you holding a set of aces) - a situation ideal to extract value from them.

If you are new to PLO it is critical that you start thinking about hands which are usually automatic all ins in Hold'em in a new context. The monster hands in PLO change a huge amount depending on the board, player type and action, and the prevalence of huge draws and sets makes two pair a hand that can flip from being a solid raising hand to one of the easiest folds out there.

Show me more Pot Limit Omaha Articles

Comments (2)

1. Yorkshire Pud | 30 July 2010

   Marcus,

   Two pair hands are one of the hands I stuggle with so this piece is golden. Could I have your opinion on a hand I played last night where I flopped two pair?

   Six handed and everyone bar the BTN is 100bb deep. UTG limps, MP limps, BTN limps, I complete SB with KdJs3d2s, BB checks.

   Flop comes JdKs4d. I check, BB checks UTG bets $0.50 into $0.50, MP calls and the BTN folds. I then pop it to $2.50 and UTG instantly shoves.

   What's my play now and should I:

   1.) Be completing the SB with that hand?
   2.) Simply call the flop bet instead of raising?
   3.) Am I a fish?

2. Marcus Bateman | 03 August 2010

   1.) Suited king, possible nut straight combos, and a wheel possibility are more than enough to complete in a limped pot.

   2.) Think you need to be leading out as it will clarify your position much better. Fold without flush draw, call with. You have outs against all of their range bar when they have a set and nut flush draw which is not very often.

   3.) No comment (don't tap the glass obv ;p).