why is Omaha played PL?

[captain2man]

Not really an Omaha player....in my home game tonight, the bust-outs started up an Omaha tourney....having no experience whatsoever with it - they played it as they play hold 'em - as a no-limit game.

Is Omaha ever played as a no-limit game?? Why does pot limit seem to be the standard?

I mean - just by observation - it seemed apparent that the pots got much bigger much faster than with no-limit hold 'em....I'm just sort of looking for the whys.

Thanks.

[techrush47]

I think the reason that PL is the preferred method to play omaha is that generally speaking omaha is a higher variance game. I read somewhere (probably this site):

"in omaha you can flop the nuts and end up with the 3rd or 4th best hand by the river the majority of the time"

Now in my opinion you wouldnt want to play a game with those traits NL because you end up an extremly volatile variation of poker.

Perhaps some others can fill in any blanks i left out or correct me if im wrong [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[SheridanCat]

Bob Ciaffone addresses this on page 50 of Pot-Limit & No-Limit Poker:

"Omaha is a good example of a game that is better played at pot-limit betting. There are four betting rounds, and as soon as the flop is spread, someone can have the (temporary) nuts. A player with that holding has a tendency to want to overbet the pot by a ton, enough to shut out the opposition. The intricate play as a pot grows with each betting round will be gone."

So, what he's saying is that by allowing overbets, you're often taking the play out of the game and keeping the action down. I believe somewhere else in the book he points out that the preflop you usually want your opponents to all fold in Omaha. By allowing overbetting, you make it easier for this to happen - thus killing action.

Omaha can be a great action game, and the PL betting structure helps preserve that action.

[sfgiants]

I suppose the same logic can be applied to limit as well, then? Or is there a separate reason why Limit Omaha Hi doesn't work out well?

[SheridanCat]

Omaha high can be found played using limit betting structures. I don't think there's really a problem with that. You'll get a LOT of chasers in limit and the action should be pretty good. The thing about limit is going to be that people will often be right to chase, unlike in pot-limit where they've been denied proper pot odds.

Limit is historically found in the American South and I'm pretty sure there's a game that spreads at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas.

All that said, I've never played a live game of limit Omaha high.

[gotmarc]

I'm reading Pot-Limit & No-Limit Poker, by Stewart and Ciaffone. On the next page, page 51. What does a $5-$10-$25 No Limit Hold 'Em game mean?

[reno expat]

3 blinds instead of 2. This is often done in pot limit games to help simplify the opening raise. I have played pot limit games that are $2-$3-$5 so the opener could just make it 20 to go. Here, you can open for $90, but I'm not sure why thats any easier than the $85 you'd do without the $5 blind.

[zycon]

OK...I don't really understand how the "pot" is calculated in pot limit. Can someone plz explain?

For example $2-$3-$5 the opener can make it 20 to go. So is that calculated as 2+3+5+5(for the blind the opener has to contribute)+5(for the raise from the opener)?

Then what would the next pot raise be, say from a late position raiser ($45)?

[DWarrior]

In a 2-3-5 game, the pot starts at $10. When a person wants to open the pot in any game, technically he first calls the bet that's already to him and then raises on top (though you don't say "I call and raise", you just say "I raise")

So what happens when a player wants to open, he first calls the $5 that's to him. Now the pot is $15, and he can raise up to the size of the pot, so another $15. So he'll be putting in his $5 call and the $15 raise, or a total of $20. He actually raised 15, but it's "20 to go", because everyone who wants to play has to put $20.

Now if someone other than the blinds wants to re-raise the opener, they'd call the $20. Now the pot would be 2+3+5+20+20 ($50), and they can raise another $50 on top. So they'd make it $70 to go.

EDIT: to use an online poker example, notice how the Bet Pot button works on FTP pre-flop: .5/1 NL game, you want to open and hit the Bet Pot button. Your total raise would be $3.50. You call the $1 that's to you, and now the pot is $2.50 and you can raise up to that amount. So the total money you'd be putting in is $3.50.

[AngusThermopyle]

[ QUOTE ]


For example $2-$3-$5 the opener can make it 20 to go. So is that calculated as 2+3+5+5(for the blind the opener has to contribute)+5(for the raise from the opener)?

Then what would the next pot raise be, say from a late position raiser ($45)?

[/ QUOTE ]

Imagine calling the bet(s) first and then raising the amount of the resulting pot.

An unopened pot is 2+3+5 = 10. Add the openers 'call' of 5 to make it 15 and so the opener can raise the size of the pot after his call, which is 15. 15+5 = 20 total.

Next player would have a pot of 2+3+5+20= 30 and needs to call 20 to stay in the pot. That creates a pot of 30+20 = 50, so he could then raise 50. His call of 20 + his raise of 50 = 70 total.

All fold back to opener. His call of the 50 raise would create a pot of 10 (blinds) + 70 (his) + 70 (opponent) = 150, so he could raise 150, to 220. (he actually puts in 200, his 50 call and 150 raise).