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Similarly to No Limit Hold'em, Aces are the strongest hand preflop. However, that's where the similarities end. The fact that every hand you are dealt consists of four cards instead of two drastically changes how you should look at the Aces in Pot Limit Omaha.
In Hold'em, there are 1326 unique combinations of hands, of which only 6 are Aces, and all follow the same preflop strategy. PLO has 270,725 unique preflop combinations of hands, and 6961 of them include AA (and two other cards).
Not all Aces are equal in Pot Limit Omaha
Among these 6K+ combos, you'll find hands as weak as AAAA, AAA2 or AA72r and as good as AAKK double suited, AAJTds or AA87ds. As you can imagine, despite all of them having a similar core, their expected value and playability differ significantly.
In this article, we'd like to share a few tips to improve your AAxx preflop strategy (assuming you're playing ~ 100BB stack)!
Do not limp pocket Aces (unless you're in the Small Blind)
Pot Limit Omaha is a game primarily played in a cash game format. This fact influences the optimal strategy in several ways, but the most important one is the existence of the rake. Since the rake is part of a pot that "disappears" from the poker table, it has two main consequences.
Firstly, you have to play tighter - if the hand reaches the flop, there will be less to play for. As a result, your worst hands at every position won't be profitable anymore because the rake will eat their little potential profit.
Secondly, you have to play more aggressively. Whenever you open raise or 3-bet, you give yourself a chance to scoop the pot before the flop, avoiding the rake being deducted. Winning a 1.5 BB in a hand might not seem like a big deal, but let's compare it to how the overall win rate is measured.
Depending on the stakes, anything between 5 to 10 BB per hundred hands is a great result (BB/100). Every hundred hands in which you win "only blinds" equals 150BB/100! Of course, people won't fold often enough for such a rate to be achievable, but it visualizes why open raising is better than limping in almost any case.
Like in Hold'em, many PLO newcomers like to play pocket Aces "deceptively" and limp them preflop. For your own sake, do not do it. Unless you are on a Small Blind, raise or fold when the pot is unopened. This part of playing Aces in PLO is straightforward; whatever your combination or position is, you should raise into an unopened pot.
Do not always 3-bet pocket Aces in position
While technically, any Aces in PLO should have at least a slight equity edge over other hands, you shouldn't 3-bet all of the AA combos, especially when the stacks are deeper. There are a few reasons, but the most important one is that it protects you from being squeezed out of the pot by the players behind you.
If you flat a UTG open with AAxx, you let yourself call or even 4-bet against a squeeze. By strengthening your flatting range with some combos of Aces, you decrease the chance of other people 3-betting you relentlessly, allowing your weaker hands to realize more of their equity. You'll also make it harder to play against you on board textures with an Ace since you'll have a top set from time to time.
Always 4-bet Aces when you are out of position
Position in PLO is one of the most crucial factors and far more important than in No Limit Hold'em. As a result, a large portion of strong preflop holdings can get very tricky when playing out of position on the flop and the following streets. That's why we - following the solver's guidance - advise you to 4-bet all your Aces combinations out of position.
By doing so, you build the pot, reducing the positional advantage of your opponent, and at the same time, you push your equity advantage. Whenever you 4-bet your Aces OOP, there's a chance that you'll win the pot right away and even if your opponent calls you, the SPR (stack-to-pot-ratio) will be smaller, making it easier for you to choose the correct play (which will often be going all in, not always though).
In Omaha poker preflop has a lot of nuances
It makes the game more complex despite being similar to Hold'em at first glance. That complexity allows you to create a solid edge over your opponents.
Every solid game plan in PLO starts with the preflop, and that's where PLO Genius comes in.
Our tool will help you master reactions to various preflop scenarios, creating a strategy that's a strong foundation for postflop crushing. Check it out here!