Good hands don’t always mean you’re holding a winner
Digging deeper into the best hands to engage in action during a Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) game, there are some hands that might seem great but could be still be easily beaten by others. For instance, straights and sets are strong hands; however, they are not unbeatable nor dominant. There are so many factors that can affect your actions with one of these hands, that more often than not, you can end up losing major pots than actually winning one. That’s why it becomes so important to know where you stand when you land a straight or a set.
Of course, most Omaha players will shoot for full houses and flushes, which can easily crush straights and sets. On top of that, straights and sets can be easily beaten by other better straights or flushes. Actually, one common scenario in PLO is a flush-over-flush battle. The only circumstance where you can take action fearless when having straights or sets is when you have the nut flush on an unpaired board.
One tip to stay on your game with good focus is to know from the beginning that deception is always present when playing Omaha. Therefore, what becomes more important, besides worrying about your own hand, is to be aware of what your opponents are standing. One thing to consider is that, if you play major roles during pre-flop action and following the hand with suited connectors, you can end up with a lot of straights. These hands are destined to either make you win small pots or straight up losing major ones. Making a straight will most likely give you the best hand, but the hardest part is to make it to the river with that hand.
