Evaluating Four-Card Combinations
Hand selection in PLO requires analyzing how all four cards work together rather than focusing on individual card strength. A hand gains value when each card coordinates with multiple other cards to create possibilities for straights, flushes, and full houses.
The strongest PLO hands feature double-suited cards with connectivity. AAKK double-suited combines premium pairs with two flush draws, creating multiple ways to make the nuts. Similarly, JT98 double-suited offers straight draws to the nuts along with flush possibilities that work together for massive drawing potential.
Single-suited hands lose significant value compared to double-suited versions of the same ranks. AKQJ with only one suit plays weaker than the double-suited version because you have half as many flush opportunities. Rainbow hands perform even worse, relying primarily on making straights or sets without backup flush potential.
Connectivity & Gaps
Connected cards that work together to form straights add significant value to starting hands. High Broadway rundowns like KQJT create numerous nut straight possibilities on various boards. Medium rundowns like 8765 also connect well, though they risk making second-best straights more frequently.
Gaps between cards reduce hand value substantially. A hand like AKJ9 has more gaps than AKJ10, making fewer straight combinations possible. The ten fills the gap and creates wraps on many boards, while the nine leaves holes in your straight potential.
Dangler hands contain three coordinated cards plus one unrelated card. KQJ3 offsuit exemplifies this pattern where the three adds no value to your hand. These hands play much weaker than four coordinated cards because you’re essentially playing a three-card hand in a four-card game.
Premium Starting Hands
The best PLO starting hands combine high cards, pairs, suits, and connectivity. AAKK double-suited ranks as one of the strongest starting hands because it can flop top set, overpairs, or nut flush draws. This hand has multiple paths to making the nuts and rarely makes second-best hands.
AKQJ double-suited provides another premium holding with massive straight potential and two nut flush draws. This hand connects with many flops and creates situations where you can flop huge wraps with flush draw combinations that dominate opponent ranges.
High pocket pairs with suited connectors like AA109 double-suited combine the value of aces with straight and flush potential. These hands can flop top set or massive draws, giving you multiple ways to win pots against various opponent holdings.
Playable Middle Hands
Middle-tier starting hands include double-suited rundowns and single-suited premium pairs. These hands need to flop well to continue but offer enough coordination to see flops profitably from good positions.
Hands like 9876 double-suited can flop powerful wraps that have more equity than many made hands. While these medium rundowns risk making second-best straights, their coordination allows you to flop huge draws that can crack premium hands.
Single-suited broadway hands like AKQJ with one suit remain playable from most positions. You lose the value of a second flush draw, but the high card strength and straight potential still create enough winning opportunities to justify playing.
Medium pairs with connectivity like 9988 double-suited can flop sets or powerful straight draws. These hands prefer to see flops in position where you can control pot size and see cheap turns when you flop marginal holdings.
Trash Hands to Fold
Many PLO hands appear playable to inexperienced players but actually burn money in the long run. Learning to fold these marginal holdings prevents costly mistakes and preserves your stack for profitable situations.
Hands with three or four gaps like AK94 rainbow lack the coordination needed to flop strong draws or make big hands. These hands connect poorly with most boards and frequently make second-best pairs that lose to better holdings.
Low rainbow hands without connectivity like 7542 rainbow offer almost no value. You can’t make nut straights or flushes, your pairs rate weak, and you have no premium cards to fall back on. Fold these hands regardless of position.
Single high cards with three low unconnected cards like A732 rainbow play terribly. The ace alone provides insufficient value, and the other cards create no profitable combinations. Even from the button, these hands lose money over time.
Position-Based Hand Selection
Early position requires tight hand selection because you face multiple opponents acting behind you and must play every postflop street out of position. Open only premium coordinated hands like double-suited broadway rundowns and strong pairs from seats left of the big blind.
From under the gun, hands like AAKK, AKQJ, AA109, and KK109 all double-suited show your opening range. These hands flop strong combinations frequently enough to overcome the positional disadvantage of acting first.
Middle position allows modest range expansion to include some single-suited premium hands and medium double-suited rundowns. Add hands like AKQJ single-suited and 9876 double-suited to your opening range from these seats.
Cutoff and button positions permit opening significantly wider ranges. Include lower rundowns, suited aces with connectivity, and more speculative hands. From the button, you can profitably open hands like 7654 double-suited and A987 double-suited that would fold from an early position.
Calling Versus Raising
When facing a raise, your hand needs additional strength to call compared to the minimum required for opening yourself. The raiser shows a strong range, and calling out of position puts you at a significant disadvantage throughout the hand.
Calling raises works best with hands that have strong implied odds like medium pairs and suited connectors. These hands can flop huge against premium pairs and high card hands, creating situations where you stack opponents who overcommit to overpairs or top two pairs.
From the blinds, calling raises requires caution because you’ll play out of position. Fold marginal hands even when getting decent pot odds if they lack coordination or nut potential. Hands like KJ95 rainbow should fold even from the big blind because they rarely flop strong enough to win large pots.
Three-betting should focus on premium hands that want to play large pots and can handle getting four-bet. AAKK, AAQQ, and AKQJ double-suited all make excellent three-betting hands. Occasionally include premium drawing hands like JT98 double-suited to balance your range.
Stack Size Considerations
Deep stacks favor hands with high implied odds like medium pairs and suited connectors. When you hold 200+ big blinds, you can profitably call with speculative hands that can flop huge and stack opponents who make strong but second-best hands.
Shallow stacks emphasize high card value and premium pairs. With only 40 big blinds, you lack the stack depth to realize implied odds effectively. Focus on hands like AAKK and AKQJ that can flop top pair or overpairs and get stacks in quickly.
Reading Opponent Ranges
Opponent tendencies should influence your hand selection. Against tables full of passive players, you can profitably play more speculative hands because you’ll see flops cheaply and realize implied odds when you flop strong.
Against aggressive players who three-bet frequently, tighten your opening ranges and fold more marginal hands. These opponents put pressure on your range and force you to play for large pots, making coordination and premium cards more valuable.
Suited Ace Considerations
Suited aces with coordination play much better than suited aces with raggy disconnected cards. A987 suited offers straight potential along with the nut flush draw, while A742 suited lacks connectivity and frequently makes second-best straights when it completes a straight.
Suited aces with gaps play poorly because you can make a nut flush but lose to full houses when the board pairs. These hands also rarely make nut straights, leaving you with only one strong draw that can get counterfeited.
Adjusting to Table Dynamics
Tight tables where players fold frequently preflop allow for wider opening ranges. When opponents give up their blinds easily, you can profitably open more speculative hands from a late position to steal.
Loose tables with numerous callers require tightening your ranges. You’ll play multiway pots frequently, making high card strength and nut potential more valuable. Speculative hands that rely on fold equity lose value when everyone calls.
Learning Through Experience
Developing strong hand selection takes practice and analysis. Review your sessions and identify hands where you played marginal holdings that cost you chips. Over time, you’ll recognize patterns in which hands profit and which hands lose money.
Track your results by hand type to identify leaks in your hand selection. If medium rundowns show consistent losses, you’re probably playing them from bad positions or overvaluing them postflop. Adjust your preflop ranges based on this data.
Study equity calculations for different hand types against various ranges. Knowing how your suited connectors fare against premium pairs helps you make better preflop decisions about calling, raising, or folding.
Hand selection forms the foundation of profitable PLO play. Master which hands to play from which positions, adjust based on opponent tendencies and stack sizes, and watch your results improve as you enter pots with stronger starting hands than your competition.
