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The road to being a poker pro or at least an overall solid player is long, exhausting, and can't be rushed.
That's why one of the first goals for every aspiring poker player should be to make sure they can consistently beat low/mid stakes online (or the average live games running nearby).
What does it take to outsmart your average opponents at low/mid PLO in 2025? Let's look at a few concepts you should consider to best your opposition.
Understand your equity at every point in the hand
Since PLO is an equity-driven game, having a good feel for your hand's equity across different board textures is crucial for making firm decisions.
While estimating equity is pretty simple with top pair top kicker hands in No Limit Hold 'em, when you have two more cards and the backdoor draws/blockers to the opponent's continuing range come into play, the equity assessment gets more tricky.
Subsequently, you should:
- know how much equity your hand requires to continue in certain situations
- be able to estimate your hand equity vs your opponent's range
- be aware of how much equity you will be most likely able to realize
On our blog, you'll find an article about equity realization that sheds some light on the above matters.
Be patient and play proper ranges
Poker, and PLO especially, is a game of patience.
Poker, especially PLO, is a game of patience. Low- to mid-stakes games of any poker variant tend to be full of unusual and illogical plays, and PLO is no exception - if not a prime example. Most players are impatient and overvalue bad hands - the game attracts them with a lot of action and the apparent playability of the average hand.
Since the preflop and sometimes postflop equities run so close, people can get away with playing too loose for quite some time, but bad preflop hand selection will sooner or later take its toll.
Folding marginal preflop holding will save you many tough spots and avoidable disasters, often happening to less patient players.
We get it; playing only ¼ of your hands is not necessarily sexy, but sticking to proper ranges will give you a significant advantage over the field.
That's where PLO Genius comes in, which is a tool designed to teach you the proper ranges.
Be aware of stack sizes
Many solver simulations or coaching sessions focus on theoretical scenarios (assuming all players have 100BB). While it is a good way to learn the game while playing, you should be able to adjust to the ever-changing situation on the fly.
Sometimes, people will get very deep (especially in live games), making playing out of position against them more complicated; other times, some people will sit on short stacks, impacting your ranges and somewhat limiting your postflop manoeuvrability.
If a hand is a marginal GTO open UTG on 100 BB, you'll likely be better off folding with call-happy, deepstacked players behind you. Playing (and realizing equity) out of position, while deep stacked and with poor hands, is usually a nightmare.
Analogically, suppose you are opening into a shorter stack unwilling to 3-bet. In that case, they will likely let you realize more equity than you theoretically should be able to.
Think ahead
One of the things that can help you decide whether you want to bet is anticipating how your opponent would react to a bet and how you would like them to respond!
If you consider c-betting, ask yourself: How will you react if your opponent check-raises you? Do you hate the idea of bet-folding your hand? It can be an argument for checking back.
On the other hand, would you be happy to win the pot right away? That might be a benefit of c-betting. If you would like to force a fold or get a call but do not get a check-raised, consider whether you block the potential check-raising range.
Be mindful. Whenever you're debating whether to c-bet or not, consider how many turns out there significantly improve your hands (do you have many nut outs?) and, as a result, how badly your hand would like to see the next card. Or are you happy with winning the pot here and there, or are you just happy bet-folding it?
Be patient and study
There are many things to consider when you want to improve at PLO.
Luckily, if you're willing to work on your game, it's easier to learn winning strategies than ever before. At the same time, we live in a culture of hurry, which is especially apparent in live games, where people are impatient and lack discipline.
It's up to you to focus and take advantage of that.