Let me tell you something about high-stakes competition that applies equally to the poker table and professional sports. I was watching the recent golf tournament where Robert McIntyre led for 61 holes only to collapse under Scottie Scheffler's relentless pressure, and his post-game comment struck me: "Right now, I want to go and smash up my golf clubs, to be honest with you." That raw frustration after dominating most of the tournament only to lose at the finish line? I've seen that exact same emotional devastation at the PLO tables when players who've been winning for hours make one critical mistake and watch their entire stack disappear. The psychological parallels between tournament golf and PLO poker are absolutely fascinating to me.

Having played Pot-Limit Omaha professionally for over twelve years, I've come to appreciate it as chess compared to Texas Hold'em's checkers. The four-card starting hand creates exponentially more possibilities, and frankly, that's what makes it so beautifully complex. Where a Texas Hold'em player might see three possible hands, a seasoned PLO player sees thirteen. The mental shift required is substantial, and I've watched countless talented NLHE players struggle with the transition because they approach the game with the wrong mindset. They treat it as just another poker variant rather than what it truly is: a completely different game that shares only the basic rules with its more popular cousin.

Position in PLO isn't just important—it's everything. I'd estimate that proper position play accounts for at least 40% of my long-term profitability. When I'm in late position, I can play about 35% more starting hands profitably than when I'm under the gun. The ability to see how the action develops before I have to commit significant chips changes the entire mathematical structure of the hand. I've developed what I call the "positional advantage multiplier" in my own game—for every position closer to the button, I add roughly 12% to the expected value of my playable hands. This might sound overly technical, but it's this kind of precise thinking that separates consistent winners from recreational players.

Starting hand selection represents the foundation upon which all PLO success is built. I'm extremely selective with my starting hands, probably more so than 90% of the players I encounter. The temptation to play any four cards that look decent is the single biggest leak I see in developing PLO specialists. My general rule—one I've refined through tracking over 50,000 hands—is that only the top 20-25% of four-card combinations are genuinely profitable in full-ring games. Double-suited hands with connectivity dramatically increase your win rate. I'd estimate that double-suited hands generate approximately 65% more value than single-suited ones, and connected cards add another 30-40% to a hand's baseline value.

The concept of equity realization in PLO still fascinates me after all these years. Unlike in Hold'em where premium hands often maintain their value from preflop to showdown, PLO hands are constantly changing in value with each new community card. A hand that's 80% to win on the flop might be down to 20% by the turn. I've learned the hard way that in many spots, folding the mathematical favorite on the flop is actually the correct play if the board texture suggests your equity will diminish on future streets. This fluidity of hand strength is what makes PLO so beautifully complex and frankly, more intellectually satisfying than other poker variants.

Bankroll management in PLO isn't just a suggestion—it's survival. The variance in this game can be brutal, with even top professionals experiencing swings of 200-300 buyins over their careers. I maintain a dedicated PLO bankroll separate from my other poker funds, and I never play at stakes where a single buyin represents more than 2% of my total roll. This conservative approach has saved me during inevitable downswings that can last for weeks or even months. The emotional toll of PLO variance is something I don't think players appreciate until they've lived through a proper downswing—it can genuinely test your love for the game.

Reading opponents in PLO requires a different approach than in Hold'em. With four cards instead of two, the hand range distributions are much tighter and more predictable. I focus heavily on betting patterns and timing tells rather than trying to put opponents on specific hands. After tracking thousands of sessions, I've found that most PLO players have tells in their bet sizing that reveal their hand strength more clearly than in Hold'em. A player who consistently bets 75% of the pot on draw-heavy boards usually has a very different hand than one who bets 50%, and recognizing these patterns has added significant value to my game over the years.

The mental game aspect of PLO cannot be overstated. McIntyre's golf club-smashing impulse after leading for 61 holes only to lose mirrors the tilt I've seen at PLO tables when players lose massive pots after dominating most of the hand. Emotional control separates the professionals from the amateurs more than any strategic knowledge. I've developed personal routines between hands—breathing exercises, momentary glances away from the table, even keeping a stress ball nearby—that help maintain equilibrium during turbulent sessions. This might sound silly, but these small habits have saved me thousands in tilt-induced mistakes.

Multi-table tournament strategy in PLO requires nuanced adjustments that many players miss. The escalating blind structure changes hand values dramatically throughout the tournament. Early on, I play considerably tighter than at a cash game, focusing exclusively on premium hands since stack preservation is paramount. During the middle stages, I expand my range to include more speculative hands that can win massive pots. And in the late stages with increasing antes, I become significantly more aggressive, stealing blinds with approximately 40% more frequency than during earlier levels. This phased approach has consistently produced better tournament results than any static strategy.

The future of PLO excites me tremendously. As more players seek greater challenges beyond Hold'em, the games are getting tougher but also more rewarding for those willing to put in the study time. The mathematical depth of PLO means that dedicated students will always have an edge over recreational players, perhaps more so than in any other poker variant. I'm convinced that within five years, PLO will comprise at least 35% of all high-stakes online poker action, up from its current estimated 20% share. The game's complexity creates a sustainable skill edge that prevents it from becoming solved in the way that some limit games have.

Ultimately, mastering PLO requires embracing its inherent variance while maintaining disciplined decision-making through the inevitable swings. That golfer's frustration after dominating most of the tournament only to collapse at the end? I've been there emotionally after PLO sessions where I played perfectly for hours only to lose my entire profit in one unfortunate hand. The key is recognizing that in both golf and PLO, consistency comes from process rather than outcomes. Focus on making mathematically sound decisions repeatedly, manage your emotional responses to short-term results, and the long-term success will follow. That perspective shift alone has added more to my win rate than any specific strategic adjustment over the past decade.