Playing Two Pair in Pot-Limit Omaha

Two pair is one of the toughest hands to play in pot-limit Omaha. It’s right on the borderline of being crappy enough to fold and good enough to risk a bet with. How you should play two pair on the flop depends on a bunch of factors: previous action, the number of players in the hand, what two pair you have, what kinds of draws are possible, other draws that you have, stack sizes, etc. However, there are some general guidelines that should help you save some money.

The most important factor is which two pair you have. Bottom two is garbage, top and bottom is usually worthless, but top two can be played much more often. The only time you might make a play with bottom two is when you’re last to act and everyone else has checked. It’s worth making a play at the pot, but this is pretty much a bluff. With top and bottom pair you might risk a bet if you’re second last to act (or playing heads-up). Still, the key is not to get carried away with this hand. Top two is a different story; you still have to be very cautious, but there are a few more situations where it might be playable.

Even top two isn’t worth playing if the board is coordinated. By coordinated I mean there’s the possibility of straights and/or flushes. So if you have top two on a board like QJT, it’s basically garbage, don’t even think about making a play (except maybe heads-up). Even on a flop like JT5, where there’s only a straight draw, top two should be played cautiously. When I say cautiously, I mean that it may be worth taking a shot at the pot and making a bet, but you should fold to a raise, and you shouldn’t think about calling if someone else has already bet.

That’s one of the general rules for two pair: don’t call bets with two pair. If you play a big pot with two pair, even top two, you will lose the large majority of the time. Pot-limit Omaha is a game of draws, and with only 4 outs to a full house, two pair is one of the worst draws possible. The exception to the no-big-pots-with-two-pair rule is when you also have another draw. For instance, if you have KQJT, and the flop is JT5, you have an extremely strong hand. There’s no reason to avoid big pots with a hand like that.

In conclusion, two pairs, especially top two, can be played on dry boards when you’re the first person to bet. Unless you have other draws (good ones) to go with it, avoid playing two pair in big pots.