When to Raise Before the Flop in Pot Limit Omaha
Over the course of the many years - in truth, I could even use the term decades - in which I have been both playing and observing pot limit Omaha, there have been certain factors of the game that have always stuck out as being unusually fascinating to me. Perhaps it is the unique levels of skill and psychology, and the ways in which they are intertwined, that make this game unique in the world of community card poker variants.
One issue that seems to crop up regardless of the environment in which a game of pot limit Omaha is being played, is the wisdom (or lack thereof) of raising before the flop on any given hand. I have found, both through my own observations and from talking to other experts in the arena, that there seems to be no presiding wisdom which novices can draw upon to guide them through a tricky situations such as this.
However, novices should not tremble with uncertainty, because as with every other aspect of pot limit Omaha, there are certain distinctions (if not actual bedrock guidelines) which can be looked to in order to glean an intelligent response.
Generally, when I play drawing hands in pot limit Omaha and am trying to determine whether or not to raise before the flop, I must take a serious and sober look at my hole cards. This may sound like an obvious rule of thumb, and indeed it is, but I will never cease to be surprised by how often the fundamentals are overlooked when people get overly excited about promising cards in their hands.
Basically, there is little to no chance that I will raise before the flop unless I am looking at a very strong starting hand. In pot limit Omaha, this would mean suited and preferably consecutive cards. Of course, some allowance always must be made for less strictly mathematical aspects of game play. For example, how have the cards been running at this particular table? How have my opponents been betting, with what the level of aggressiveness, and to what degree of effectiveness?
It is very possible that I will be seduced into betting with a starting hand at that does not meet my normal requirements, provided that the flow of game play up to this point seems to be in my favor.
So, if the requirements that you look for in your hole cards are not met on any given hand, before deciding not to raise always be sure to consider the other less tangible factors that have defined the round of play up to that point. You may be pleasantly surprised how often rules can be broken, provided that you are sure exactly why you are breaking them.