- Updated: January, 2024
- Bartek
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- Torunaments
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Table of Contents
Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) is the second most popular poker game after No-Limit Hold ’em. It’s a complex, demanding, and full-of-action game.
The PLO games are much softer than NLHE games.
Many Players move from NLH to Omaha out of pure curiosity and the similarity between the two games.
The players who move from NLH to PLO lack experience and basic knowledge. They make many beginner mistakes and often need to learn the basic strategy and even rules.
If you want to avoid being one of those losing players, study the game before you sit at the Omaha table.
The best Omaha books for beginners
The Pot Limit Omaha Book: Transitioning from NLH to PLO
Transitioning from NLH to PLO delivers what the title guarantees: a comprehensive introduction to Pot-Limit Omaha, presented at a pace and level suitable for a poker player with a reasonably advanced grasp of No Limit Hold ‘Em.
About Tri ‘SlowHabit’ Nguyen
Tri ‘SlowHabit’ Nguyen, a very successful online poker professional, transformed his passion for poker and education into a prominent coaching career, earning recognition for his ability to explain complicated principles in simple, easy-to-understand language.
Main themes
The author attempts to make the transition as smooth as possible by emphasizing and contrasting some essential Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha principles.
Prominent topics featured:
- How to dominate PLO games with fewer players
- Which combination of opening hands to play
- The best way to play aces without blowing your bankroll
- Tips for three- and four-betting like a PLO pro
- How to pull a huge bluff and be paid for it
- How to prevent typical errors like blinds play and not planning ahead
The introduction promises to:
“teach you the complexities of PLO and what factors you should evaluate during hands to turn yourself into a more lucrative player,” with the end objective of the reader “beating small and mid-stakes PLO.”
Although the book helps No Limit Holdem players transition to PLO, it should be valuable to any serious player.
Furthermore, there are many instructive parallels in which Nguyen explores similarities and contrasts in how certain concepts interact in the two games or argues that having X hand in PLO is equivalent to holding Y hand in No Limit Holdem.
Recommendation
Transitioning From No Limit Holdem to PLO is an excellent book. I strongly recommend it to any seasoned No Limit Hold’em player who wants to devote significant time to mastering Pot Limit Omaha.
Pot Limit Omaha: Understanding Winning Play
Positives
- Excellent material for a broad range of styles
- Post-flop play is broadly covered.
- Easy to read
- Great for Omaha beginners
- A good number of sample hands for illustration
- Easy to understand
Negatives
- There are plenty of editing errors
- Mostly focuses on short-stacking
- Over-emphasis on a conservative playing style
This book is about winning play and, more critically, great thinking on all streets. It should be helpful to novice Omaha players.
The author has made every effort to provide you with the best information.
Who is William Jockusch?
William Jockusch did his Ph.D. in math at MIT.
In contrast to his love of poker, William’s enthusiasm for games inspired him to develop a passion for game design. William worked with Wizards of the Coast for seven years, where he assisted in creating and improving new Magic: The Gathering cards, a card game invented by fellow mathematician Richard Garfield.
What is ‘ Pot-Limit Omaha: Understanding Winning Play’ about?
This book begins with the basics of hand valuation and proceeds to advanced principles. Topics covered include :
- Strength of hands before the flop
- Executing short stack strategy
- Adjusting the size of the pot
- And much more
This book will save you from losing a large sum of money.
Instead of providing a plethora of sterile hands, it clearly describes the circumstances that might cause you significant problems, as well as how to play:
- the flush draw,
- board paired,
- flop,
- turn,
- river, and so on, with some basic odds.
Who can benefit from reading this book?
I recommend this book to beginners, especially players transitioning from no-limit hold’em. It complements rather than competes with other PLO books on the market. The author presents intriguing concepts in a novel manner that will help you in mastering pot-limit Omaha.
Pot-limit Omaha Poker: The Big Play Strategy
Positives
- Well written
- Easy to understand
- Well organized
- Clear illustrations and enough examples
- Free preview on Amazon
- Covers hi-lo
- Teaches the basics to novice players
- Cheap
Negatives
- Some information in the book is outdated
- Not recommended for experienced or intermediate players
- Not enough after-flop play
Whether you play for fun or a living, live or online, this book will give you a profitable big-play technique that is simple to learn even if you have no plo experience.
You’ll know the intricate details that elevate this game above other games.
About Jeff Hwang
The author of the book Jeff Hwang works as an investment analyst, gaming consultant, and semi-professional player and often writes about the gaming industry.
Book review
It’s a well-organized book and covers all you need to learn about the game. Important topics entail:
- The major play goals
- The massive draw influence
- Opening hands formation and straight draws
- Playing in position
- High and low limit
This book has nine chapters packed with data, illustrations, and win-lose combos.
Beginners should begin with “Basic Play and Essential Concepts.”
“PLO Big-Play Concept #1: Flopping the nut straight doesn’t necessarily entitle you to the pot.”
The Big Play Strategy teaches the reader how to play:
- tighter,
- reduce variance (as much as feasible in a game where edges are sometimes razor-thin at best when the money goes in),
- and generate a long-term profit.
Who is this book for?
I strongly recommend this book, particularly for beginner players. However, if you’re a seasoned player, you can use it as a reference guide. It will assist you in your quest to become a better player.
If you are interested in Omaha hi-lo this is the best book for you.
Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha: How to Win Big, Both Live and Online
Positives
- Well written
- Fun writing style
- A unique approach to the game
- Covers short stacking
- Free preview on Amazon
- Has hand examples to help with understanding
Negatives
- Could be outdated for expert players
- It only covers the short-stack technique.
- It doesn't help you beat challenging PLO cash games.
If you want a new twist on PLO and are worried about increased variance, Slotboom’s Pot Limit Omaha book is for you.
It is a great book that doesn’t even hint at its age, whether you want to become a short stacker or learn to spot one and modify your technique appropriately.
About Rolf Slotboom
Rolf Slotboom, the author, is a long-time accomplished PLO cash game player. Slotboom focuses on a short-stacking approach that he has successfully used for years and provides his expertise, ideas, and experiences.
Overview
Below is a brief overview of a few topics this book covers:
- A groundbreaking short-stack technique
- Modifications for big-stack gameplay
- An analysis of the optimal bet amount
- Advantage of playing in position
- And others
Finally, the practice hands and the chapter on hand combinations provide abundant theoretical and practical guidance.
It is the definitive book on Omaha short-stacking. Short stacking is a method of entering a game with the absolute minimum amount and profiting from modest mathematical advantages.
Short stackers often enter a game, build their stack quickly, and then leave.
My Recommendation
I recommend this book to those searching for a low-risk approach to playing and learning the game.
Rolf has created a novel and constructive approach. It requires a genuine dedication to his method to succeed, but I am confident it will do so in the long term.
Best PLO books for advanced players
Mastering Small Stakes Pot-Limit Omaha: How to Crush Modern PLO Games
Positives
- Free preview on Amazon
- Good for experienced players
- Well organized
- An excellent approach to ranges and preflop PLO assessment
- Valuable tips on how to study to develop your games
Negatives
- Only discusses 6-max
- Too complex for amateurs
- Limited tournament strategies
This book is unquestionably necessary for a seamless transition if you consider switching to PLO as your main game.
Mastering Small Stakes is a comprehensive tutorial that will provide you with all the techniques necessary to achieve a significant advantage at low stakes.
Who is JNandez?
Fernando “JNandez” Habegger is a top PLO coach and accomplished high-stakes professional player with his training website, PLOMastermind. He has coached hundreds of players to become successful in this game variation.
JNandez has traveled and recorded the journey to becoming a PLO crusher, and he now gives his blueprint for getting started in Mastering Small Stakes.
What is the book about?
Mastering Small Stakes is a 332-page book divided into two sections: Pre-flop and Post-flop play.
- Preflop play is explored by establishing nine distinct hand types and analyzing how to play hands within each category.
- Postflop analysis revolves around the effective strategy of the Four Pillars of Postflop Play.
The combination of these two results in a formidable game plan that provides a quick path to dominance at lower stakes. Other topics include:
- Learning live gameplay
- Tourneys
- How to handle variance
- Bankroll management
- Creating the Right Learning Practices
Since it is comprehensive, the reader should devote time and effort to grasp the techniques and information in the book. However, only a few people can learn something worthwhile quickly and effortlessly.
My Advice
I’d recommend this book for intermediate to advanced players. If you’re new to omaha strategy and have never played it, you should start with an easier-to-understand book like Potlimit Omaha Poker: The Big Play Strategy.
Advanced PotLimitOmaha Volume III: The Short-Handed Workbook
This book lets the PLO player visualize how hands will play out. Furthermore, it allows players to evaluate their play to make things move more smoothly at the tables. It is the perfect finish to a four-book series.
Book Outline
This book concludes Hwang’s three-volume series and is the most comprehensive, with 656 pages of PLO theory and over 160 full practice hand tests. This “Workbook” is focused on short-handed play and is intended to assist you in fixing leaks and mastering this aspect of the game.
Key topics include :
- Exam your understanding of PLO abilities and concepts with this diagnostic test
- How to play before the flop
- Detect flaws in your opponents’ games
- Hand Quizzes for Training
So you’ve finished reading The Big Play Strategy and Volumes 1 and 2 of Advanced Pot-Limit Omaha. You grasp the principles, but can you put them into practice?
Hwang accomplishes just that in Volume 3. The first segment serves as a diagnostic test to determine whether you have absorbed the material and poker theory that Jeff has gone through since The Big Play Strategy.
When you have finished, he doesn’t hold back, even asking, “Are you trying to lose?” if you scored less than 75% on the first 50 questions.
If you understand how Mr. Hwang processes hands while outplaying his opponents, you will better understand your game and where you are missing. It is not so much about how well the author plays his hands or bluffs a large pot; it is about what you learn from the book and effectively sealing the flaws in your game.
Who needs this book?
Reading Jef Hwang’s books is one thing, but Jeff puts his theories to the test in the workbook by giving you real-practical scenarios that *will* challenge your comprehension and redefine your PLO strategy. I recommend this book to players at the intermediate and advanced levels.
Top PLO books for intermediate players
Advanced Pot-Limit Omaha Volume I: Small Ball and Short-Handed Play
This book effectively advances the strategy and explores uncharted territory. It will be a gold mine for those in the know, but if you want to gain a head start on your rivals, you must move quickly.
Author
Jeff Hwang is a semi-professional player and investment analyst who often writes on the gaming sector for the Motley Fool, a well-known financial website.
Overview
Volume I: Small Ball and Short-Handed Play is a comprehensive 532-page book. The book contains several sections, which players can read in any order. Most topics, such as the Stack-to-Pot ratio, have been thoroughly explored.
Among the main points discussed are:
- Floating is a sophisticated bluffing strategy that is essential for complex play.
- Stack-to-Pot Ratio (SPR), deep stack advantage, being in and out of position, and other sophisticated techniques
- Leading techniques include check-raising, the bluff raise, three-betting postflop (without the best hand), value-betting on the river, and spotting bluffs.
- Small Ball: A cutting-edge tactic for taking advantage of our rivals in pots with fewer players.
- Aggressive style: Use loose-aggressive (LAG) tactics where appropriate.
- How to play games with six or fewer players using the Small Ball and 3-Betting techniques.
Pot-Limit Omaha is the book’s primary subject, and all his concepts support this game as inspiration. There are several different examples of hands supplied for analysis and hand selection overview.
As the headline indicates, the book focuses on small ball and short-handed play.
Hwang writes in a conversational tone that draws the reader into his discussion. It makes the book simple to read and intriguing enough to keep reading.
Who should read it?
I recommend this book to intermediate or experienced PLO players. Overall, this is an excellent book and an enjoyable read. Undoubtedly, as any poker player, any Omaha player would benefit from it.
Advanced Pot-Limit Omaha Volume II: LAG PLAY
Volume II: LAG Play continues where Vol. I: Small Ball and Short-Handed Play left off. With almost 300 hand walkthroughs devoted to short-handed online play, Volume II: LAG Play improves Omaha’s strategy and will broaden your game like before.
What is this book about?
The book covers a broad range of subjects. The main themes encompass:
- The central principle that defines our continuation betting frequency is variable ratio reinforcement.
- The essential principle that underpins our LAG strategy is C-Bet Frequency.
- The cornerstone of our loose-aggressive (LAG) preflop playing strategy is pulling the trigger on the blinds.
- Going for the Limper: Unprincipled LAG method
- Small Ball vs. Three-Betting: The correct times to three-bet and the scenarios to flat call and employ Small ball
The author tells you:
- When to limp and when to punish limpers.
- About broadening your range of hands on the button and, to a lesser degree, the cut-off.
- How and when to open fire on the blinds. Very much the overwhelming majority of the time when folded to you on the button).
Jeff does not favor one method over another (Small Ball in Volume One or LAG in Volume Two) but instead employs both to become a poker conundrum.
Who is it for?
I recommend this book to low-stakes 6-max PLO players, especially intermediate players. It is a book of great value, and you won’t be disappointed.
Conclusion
Pot Limit Omaha is an exciting game.
The options for each hand are almost endless. In Omaha you will face situations that no other game can offer.
To be ready to approach those situations, you need to study the game.
Reading a poker book won’t make you an Omaha WSOP champ, but it will definitely give you an advantage over your opponents.
