Pot Limit Omaha: How To Profitably Play 3BET Pots
3BETS in PLO
One of the most powerful things you can do in PLO. Dominate all 3 bets.
Benefits of 3b’ing:
1. Isolate yourself with weaker opponents
2. More flexibility and more chances to get into a pot heads-up. Remember that the more players there are in the pot, the less poker you will end up playing. Everyone plays very easy in the 3BET jackpots. In HU Pots you can bluff less, semi bluff less and value bet less. Sometimes hands play better in multiple ways, so you should just call (which is the same in the course of Hold em od).
3. People throughout poker are poorly adapted to aggression. The more opportunities you have to annoy an opponent into making a mistake, you should take that line. Most players will not adapt to your aggression. They will most likely play fit or fold or over-fit 4 betting you are light or under-accumulating.
4. Big Pots IP=+EV
Features that make 3BETTING more profitable
1. Gross Equity – Indicates the strength of the flop versus other hands in play. Raw equity hands are big pairs and broadways. Remember, when SPR drops, we want to dominate our opponents’ stack ranges. Pure equity hands often dominate our opponents’ stack-off ranges. The flop has a lot of combined draws. For example, pair+FD, higher straight draws, etc. The Broadways also have cooler hands.
2. Even Equity Distribution – The SPR in 3BET pots generally ranges from 2 to 5. If players are getting it lighter in 3BET pots, we want hands that have equity on the flop more often. So we can stack properly and pick up the big jackpots more often. We also have more options on later streets. In 3BET pots, if we check back into position, we can get more equity on the turn a higher percentage of the time. More polarized hands do not give you this opportunity. Barreling also becomes more profitable on later lanes.
3. Lack of nuts: It does not mean that nuts are bad. The nut matters less at HU Pots. If you have 2 hands of equal strength, it’s often better to 3BET the less nutty hand because it will help clean up your non-nutty draws. When you 3BET with wacky hands, you are sacrificing some of their implied odds value that comes from chilling someone with deeper stacks. If 3BET has a hand that isn’t crazy, they can promote their higher worth components at shallower SPRs. Most of the time in PLO you will come across hands that should be 3 = bet or fold due to lack of insanity.
Hands that are good at 3BETTING fall into 3 categories:
1. Bonuses: Good for 3BETing almost any pre-flop scenario to get value and push an edge. Good post flop playability because equity distribution is very fluid.
2. Pool Playability – Same as premium pool, but doesn’t necessarily have a raw equity advantage, but makes up for it in post-flop playability. Flops strong combined draws which is the easiest way to win heaps in 3BET pots. These hands are good for 3BET against players who lose before and after the flop in 3BET pots. He usually dominates his stack off ranges. Very important considering that people do not like to withdraw in 3BET pots.
3. Widening the pool: Doesn’t play well in multi-way pots with a single raise. They play better against opponents who fit or fold. We must 3BET them as much as possible. Good enough to extend with these hands because they are soft enough to provide playability in a post flop HU pot.
Who do we owe 3BET more to?
2 key factors to consider
1. PFR – Extend your 3BETTING value range to opponents who don’t fold enough to 3BETS. Or widen the 3BETTING bluff if they fold to 3BETS too much. You want to target more aggressive openers with 3 BET. The narrower someone’s opening range is, the less likely they will need to use their widening range to 3BET. Always looking for excuses to play HU with bad players. If you’re undecided about 2BETTING and a weaker opponent opens, you should probably 3BET to get HU.
Answers to CBETS in 3BET pots
2 big mistakes you should try to fix.
1. Punish opponents fit or fold. For example, anyone playing fit or fold can bet 3 with any of the 3 categories discussed. They’ll C/F on a ruff, C/C a medium-strength hand, and C/R the nuts. The quickest way to lose money in poker is to build pots only to give them up on later streets. Don’t pay 3BETS and C/F flops. It is very easy to bleed money this way.
2. Punish players who hoard too lightly. Limit yourself to 3BETTING bonuses.
Who should we avoid extending our 3BETS against?
1. Clever Openers – Opposite of the players we most want to 3BET. Create inverse implied odds situations. Also remember that a HUD is an average of all the hands that have been opened. So a 30VPIP works out to be a 10% UTG opening range. Don’t confuse them.
When is it better to call?
1. Push Hands: Benefit from knocking players out of the pot. Most of its value is in combo projects that aren’t crazy.
2. Attract hands: The value comes when more players are attracted to the pot. More wacky and polarized. He wants to dominate the projects and accumulate ranks. Ask yourself if your hand plays better HU or multiway. Also consider calling when there are fish in the blinds or when stack sizes are awkward. Don’t always consider immediate equity. Think about how much equity you will create after the flop. All about how to dominate your opponents after the flop.
Patrik Antonius Wannabe-Player who is very aggressive before and after the flop. Usually players open 40% and 4BETTING is the most. You should make 3BET less than the pot against them. Maintains positional advantage. Remember that the lower the SPR, the lower the advantage IP. The higher the SPR, the higher the advantage IP.
If he 4BETS, then you have implied bids and a cheaper price. Cheaper to get batteries. Smaller 3BETTING is also good against opponents’ ranges heavily tilted towards AAxx in 4BET pots.
What hands do we make 3BET smaller than the pot? Flexible and multi-component hands. On the flop, a lot of medium strength and weak draw combos are thrown, which is perfect when the SPR is 7. CBETTING is more powerful against the C/Ring range than when it is 4. You can also check a lot of hands and make your equity with 2 streets. play. Don’t 3BET small with big pairs against maniacs. You don’t want dry big pair with an SPR of 7. You just want to try to get stacks with dry big pair.
3OOP BETS? It can also be profitable. It allows you to get stacks of chips quickly after the flop.
1. Reduce SPR. This lessens your mistakes instead of magnifying them.
The same principles apply when playing OOP as opponents and equity distribution.
The Fit: You should play significantly tighter than IP just like Hold em but even tighter. Remember that players don’t fold as much at 3BETS and this is even more true when they are IP. When OOP you are going to 3BETTING with a higher percentage of pots. The main hands of 3BET OOP are singles and doubles of the same suit with a high card value. Mostly hands in the premium and gameplay groups, they are ahead of opponents’ opening ranges and get equity on many different boards. You can represent a wide range of hands and stay ahead of opponents after the flop.
3AAxx BET:
Ragged KKxx plays very similar to dry AAxx on certain boards. Remember to always consider the hands in how they will create profitable scenarios after the flop, not your immediate equity.
You want to 3BET these hands and commit 40% of your stack so you can send on any flop. You should also consider opponents’ tendencies when thinking about calling or dry-raising AAxx.
Calling 3BETS Important considerations:
1. Opponent Tendencies: Make Them Prove It
2. Stack sizes: IP can call more 3BETS deeper. When stacks become shallow, it becomes more important to consider OPP stack ranges.
3.IP/OOP? It should be much stricter OOP – people call OOP based on their immediate odds. Think about post-flop profits. C/F’ing is an easy way to bleed money.
Hands to avoid calling OOP
1. Paired Hands- They want soft equity and these hands don’t have a very soft flop.
2. Axxx moderately connected. Most 3BETTING ranges are heavily weighted against AAxx
3. Low suited hands and rainbows. Don’t play well in 3BET pots because they dominate the draws on the flop