In Omaha, aces are more difficult to play than in Texas Hold’em. A pair of aces will often be the best hand at showdown in Hold’em. This is not the case in Omaha, the two additional cards dealt preflop allow players to make strong hands at a much higher rate. There are 6 combinations of 2 card hands vs only 2 with Hold’em. Many players will overvalue aces and take them to showdown too frequently. Understanding the concepts of pot-commitment and effective stacks will help you play your aces correctly.

Understand Effective Stacks

If you are playing in a $5/$5 PLO game and you have an $800 stack and your opponent has $300, the effective stack is $300. The effective stack refers to the maximum amount of money either player can risk.

This can be a little confusing with another player in the hand. Let’s say you are in a $5/$5 PLO game with $600, opponent two has $300 and opponent three has $900. Your effective stack is $300 versus opponent two and $600 versus opponent three.

Try to Get Pot-Committed

When you are dealt aces, trying to get pot-committed preflop is usually the best course of action. Being pot-committed means that you will be shoving all-in or calling an all-in on the next street regardless of what happens. A good rule of thumb is that you are pot-committed on the flop if you or your opponents only have a pot-sized bet or so left. The less connected your hand is, the more you should be trying to get as much money in preflop as possible. If your hand is extremely strong meaning well connected, it is still good to try to get as much money in as possible, however, you can be more lenient and sometimes see a flop for cheap or as a friend says “sweeten the pot” a bit.

All Aces Are Not Created Equally

When you are dealt aces, the other two cards you have are very important. The more connected your hand is, the better you should feel about seeing a flop without being pot-committed. The best hands will have nut straight or nut flush potential. Having another high pair is also good, as it doubles your chance of hitting a set. Some examples of excellent hands with aces are:

• A♥ A♦ T♥ Q♦
• A♣ A♠ K♠ K♣
Some examples of hands that are good, but not great are:
• A♥ A♦ 3♥ 3♦
• A♥ A♦ 8♥ 4♦

The first hand has the potential to make nut flushes and strong broadway straights. The second hand can make a set of aces or kings, a nut straight and two nut flushes. The third hand is a little weaker because it can make a set of aces or threes plus a low straight. A set of threes will often be beaten by someone with a higher set; these hands can be dangerous because you can lose a lot of money with what you think is the best hand. The fourth hand is not connected at all, except for the flush and poor straight potential. The first and second hands are examples of hands that you can feel comfortable with playing either way; typically your decision will be influenced by your opponents tendencies. If you have the last two hands, the optimal play would be to try to get pot-committed or see a flop for cheap and try to hit a set or flush.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can’t go wrong with trying to get as much money in the pot as possible with aces preflop. However, sometimes you won’t be able to get enough money in preflop to be pot-committed. In these situations, you should just limp or call a raise and see a flop. Don’t put too much money in postflop unless your hand improves or you have a draw to the nuts, as aces are often beaten at showdown.

One last thought is that often players automatically pot it with Aces regardless of stack size considerations. This is a major hole in their game. I love playing against these players as their hand is now marked. If you have nice hand such as a run down you should look to call preflop to crack those Aces. That marked player will often pot it after the flop giving you a nice chance to take their stack if you connect with the flop.

Good luck!
Steve Krex
K-REX