Sometimes switching things up playing some PLO is a good way to keep things from getting stale playing online poker. However, this PLO 500 session on Ignition Poker was brutal. Let me break down exactly what happened.
Quick Answer: PLO 500 on Ignition is aggressive, high-variance, and expensive when things go wrong.
My PLO 500 Ignition Poker Session
I bought in for $500 and stuck to playing 1 table at a time so I could focus a bit more. When you play PLO, it becomes a bit harder to scale beyond playing 3 tables mainly because of the decisions and math you need to run in your head holding 4 cards instead of 2. I like to keep it at max 2-3 tables when I play PLO because it’s just easier to make a mistake.
But after sitting down for only 15 minutes or so I was already put in the blender with a hand I probably should have just folded. Prior to this hand I really wasn’t getting much and taking tiny losses hand after hand which led to this impulse call with a super mediocre hand.
The Hand That Made Me Regret Playing PLO 500
The hand that led to me getting in trouble was not as bad as I was making it sound. I had pocket tens with a KQ of hearts. And in a way you can say I flopped the world. Open ended royal flush draw with some straight draw combos that could easily let me take down this pot.
However, I could be up against a lot of 2 pairs in this situation or sets so nothing is guaranteed going to the turn and river, but it’s not like I was ever folding in this spot. It wouldn’t have made a difference if I had $1000 plus behind or even more than that. You just can’t ever fold in this spot.
Turn and River
When the turn paired the board, it didn’t even matter at that point I knew I was most likely losing. River pretty much sealed my fate when my opponent turned over a full house. But once again it’s not like I could ever fold this hand in a spot like this.
Is PLO Tough on Ignition Poker?
It’s not so much that it’s tough there is just a lot of variance that comes with playing pot limit Omaha. For example, you can get it all in ahead 5 out of 5 times and end up losing everyone of those situations. That’s not ever for sure going to be how it is, but you should expect the variance to playing this format to be more severe than just playing no limit holdem.
But even at these stakes you still see a lot of opponents making the wrong decisions like overvaluing low pocket pairs or smaller flushes only to lose to higher flushes and sets. That’s a common theme playing PLO and some people just never learn that folding marginal hands will serve you much more long term than trying to force action playing them. Personally, I always try and fold pairs under pocket 5’s because I can’t tell you how many times Ive lost set over set. Ive probably lost track. And the pain of losing only makes you a stronger player later.
PLO 500 vs Lower-Stakes PLO
The biggest difference I noticed between PLO 500 and the lower stakes is how quickly mistakes become expensive. At PLO 25 or PLO 50, you can make a questionable call or get involved with a marginal hand and the damage is usually manageable. At $2.50/$5 PLO, that same mistake can easily cost you $500 or more.
The games also felt more aggressive. I encountered more 3-betting preflop and more pressure after the flop. You can’t just wait around for the nuts every hand and expect to print money. Better players understand ranges, position, blockers, and when to put maximum pressure on you.
That doesn’t mean everyone playing PLO 500 on Ignition is a professional. I still saw questionable plays and spots where players appeared willing to gamble. The problem is that PLO naturally creates huge swings, so even having an edge doesn’t guarantee a profitable session.
For me, PLO 100 and below feels considerably more comfortable. Moving up to PLO 500 isn’t simply playing the same game with bigger dollar amounts. The decisions become more expensive, the aggression increases, and losing two or three buy-ins can turn into a painful session very quickly.
Would I Play PLO 500 on Ignition Again?
Of course. You can’t really base how you’re doing off one session. What you need to do is look at a much larger sample size of 50,000 to 100,000 hands even though more is always better. The reason is simple. Variance is going to play a big role in the short term and that might make it look like you’re not doing well, when you might be playing well and making the right decisions with things just not going your way.
It could also be that maybe the competition at the stake you’re trying to play is more skilled than you, which could also influence short-term results. But I would still look at the bigger picture and put in enough volume to see how you are really doing. I know that even thought I lost this one session I am still a pretty good PLO player overall at this stake.
Final Thoughts
Even though this PLO session was a loss for me I still think I played the hand correctly. It didn’t help that I started the session down around $200 to begin with, which was another flip situation I couldn’t have planned for.
I do think that if you approach PLO with the mindset that there will be more variance to playing it, but also that most players are going to be a lot weaker sitting at the table compared to no limit holdem games at the same stake you can get an edge playing this format on Ignition Poker.
I would just learn the ins and outs to playing PLO and understanding what hands make the most sense to play pre flop and how to navigate different flops without getting yourself in trouble like I did in this session.
Edward Pao is an online poker and casino affiliate marketer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. He has referred over 30,000 players to major poker platforms and specializes in reviewing the best online poker sites and casino bonuses.