Going after draws in PLO poker is not always a smart idea
One of the main characteristics of a game of Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) is the fact that the game is strongly driven by draws or chasing draws. However, some players can easily get out of line and the draw chasing part becomes unprofitable. It is never a good idea to shove all-in on the turn with a lone flush draw or a paired board.
The structure of an Omaha game can bring many situations where your draws can be either crushed with ease, have few outs, or become a losing hand regardless of what comes later in the hands. This is where careful play comes in hand, especially when playing PLO that has so many draw situations. No matter how big or small, draws are always a temptation, so you need to know what hands are worth chasing.
It doesn’t come in a list of specific hands you can fight for, but, of course, the bigger hands will also be worth chasing over the smaller ones. The actual value of the hand will be directly determined by what your opponent is holding, unless you are confident you have something better at the time of the showdown. Quite often, a player moves along with a big hand that will be good only part of the time.
Ultimately, the main point of even chasing draws comes from the possibility of making money out of it, so there is no point in doing so unless that’s an option. The idea is to make the most out of large hands and avoid losing too much when playing with weaker ones; your first mission before deciding on anything will be to figure out if your opponent is likely to pay you.
