Plan C: Pot-Limit Omaha

Yet another strategic concept from no-limit hold’em is also quite useful in pot-limit Omaha (PLO) strategy. Playing no-limit hold’em, you hold the ace of clubs and a non-club queen. After four cards there are three clubs and a queen on the board. If you make the “come-bluff plus” all-in bet, you will win if everyone folds (Plan A), or if you get one or more callers and you hit your nut flush (Plan B), or if no one improves and your high pair happens to win the pot (Plan C).

I had been having a rather unlucky session at $5-$5 PLO ($500 buy-in) at the huge poker room at the Charles Town Race Track (West Virginia, about an hour from Washington D.C.), when I picked up the A Q J 8 in middle position. The guy in front of me raised it to $15, I just called. Although I liked my hand, I did not want to reraise and fold customers who might pay me off later if I hit. The button then reraised it to $30, and again I just called. I would rather not put up a very large amount before the flop on a hand which needs a good flop. Making a big raise before the flop is most effective when you have a high pocket pair and narrowing the action rates to increase your Plan C potential.

In four-way action, the flop came Q 9 4, so I had flopped a straight-flush draw and top pair. The player in front of me bet $40. I called, and the button raised to $80. The lead bettor and I both called. The turn card was the 3, which gave me yet another flush (nut) draw.

I had started the hand with a little over $300 in chips in front of me, and I now had $110 of that invested in this pot. The player in front of me checked; but I noticed that the button was reaching for his chips and was probably about to make a bet. Since the pot was already larger than my remaining stack, I would certainly call any bet with this hand. So at this point, I decided to seize the initiative and go all-in with my remaining $190 in chips. It was possible that they both would fold (Plan A). But if I was called, I might hit one of my big draws (Plan B). Last but not least was my top pair of queens with an ace kicker, which might improve or somehow back into the pot (Plan C).

The button hand called me very slowly and the other player folded. We both turned over our cards; he was playing with pocket jacks and the A 5 (the nut spade-flush draw and an inside-straight draw). Needless to say, I did not want to river a spade (unless it was the ten).

The last card was the 6, so my pair of queens ended up beating his pair of jacks, and I won this $750-plus pot. Plan C strikes again! Another way of looking at all this is, would I have made that same come-bluff bet without the high pair? If I had, I would have ended up $750 poorer! Surely there is a lesson here.

After the flop, it is difficult to foresee all of the various possible endings. But experience has taught us all that we do sometimes “back in” and win a pot on skimpy values. In Omaha, that occurs most often when we happen to have a high pair that is a bit better than what the other players have. Thus, having a high pair in addition to whatever else you have going for you certainly adds some percentage points to your winning prospects.

So the tip for today is: when contemplating making a big move in pot-limit Omaha, one major consideration should be your chances of winning if everybody misses. Having a high backup pair might just turn into a Plan C win for you. ♠

Formerly a career lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, Mike Cappelletti has written numerous books on poker and bridge, and is considered to be one of the leading authorities on Omaha. Mike has also represented the U.S. in international bridge competition, and he and his wife were featured in a four-page Couples Section in People magazine. His books include Cappelletti on Omaha, Poker at the Millennium (with Mike Caro), and Omaha High Low Poker.