Every texas hold'em player has some kind of habit or addiction when they start playing omaha. Among these, we can mention the act of overvaluing some high pocket pairs and/or top pair situations.
In this article, we're going to talk specifically about AA in omaha, a hand that looks strong but will rarely win at showdown.
Omaha is a post-flop game, and it will be difficult to get to the showdown with aces. It's even harder to win with them.
Playing aces can be tricky, but following these tips will make your life easier with the bicudos.
Your goal is to commit to the pot
Aces in PLO work best when the stacks are shorter or when you can get a good portion of the stack in pre-flop.
With aces your aim is to commit to the pot, no matter what the flop is.
How to commit is another matter. This will depend on the stacks, the number of opponents and their tendencies.
Be careful, you need to be sure that your bet will really commit you. It would be very bad to make a big bet pre-flop and get lost on the flop.
If you realise that you won't get enough to commit, it's better to just call and take the aces to the flop to play a cheaper pot or even try to hit a three-bet.
Not all aces are equal
Just as some boards are better than others, aces also gain and lose strength depending on the cards that accompany them.
Let's look at some examples of good aces in Omaha
The best ones will have more than one way to win at showdown, and won't just have to rely on top pair or three of a kind.
Examples:
:Ah :Ad :Th :Jd
:Ac :As :Ks :Qc
:Ad :Ac :5s :5c
To gain strength, aces need to have some extra potential, such as flushes or straights.
Bad aces
They are the exact opposite of those seen above. The 4-card hand is extremely dependent on aces, and probably won't make any play without them.
Example:
:Ad :Ah :7s :2c
These aces will be very difficult to play and will rarely win anything.
Case study:
PLO Cash Game, with blinds $1/$2 and effective stacks of $400. Two go in clean, and the button makes it $6.
You have :Ad :Ac :4s :9h in the SB.
What should you do?
In this spot, this hand is almost always a call, for the following reasons: the aces are bad, you're out of position, and the stacks are too deep.
Different situation: Let's think about the same game as above, but now the effective stacks are $50. What should I do?
In this case, you can compromise by putting more than 50% of your stack on the table. Pre-flop pot-raise your opponents and put the rest on the rails on the flop (regardless of which one it is)!
Summary
Aces in PLO are on a line that separates an excellent hand from a very bad one.
They get novice players into trouble almost all the time.
However, if played well, they can certainly be a profitable hand in your Omaha game. Study up on pot commitment, understand the good and bad combinations of aces, and go for it!
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