Double Board PLO is Pot-Limit Omaha with two boards dealt at once. Every hand has two flops, two turns and two rivers, and the pot is split between the best hand on each board. Win both and you take it all, which players call a scoop.
How a hand plays
- Blinds. Small and big blind.
- Four cards each. Everyone gets 4 cards face down. Round of betting.
- Two flops. Three cards on the top board and three on the bottom board. Round of betting.
- Two turns. One card on each board. Round of betting.
- Two rivers. One card on each board. Final round of betting.
- Showdown. Each board is settled separately, and each one wins half the pot.
If the pot doesn't split evenly, the odd chip goes to the winner closest to the left of the button.
Making your hand: exactly two and three
On each board, you make an Omaha hand: exactly two of your four cards and exactly three of that board's five. You can use different pairs of your cards on each board.
So with four hearts on a board and one heart in your hand, you don't have a flush on that board. You need two hearts of your own.
Pot-limit betting
The biggest bet or raise you can make is the size of the pot. When raising, the pot counts your call first.
For example: the pot is 100 and someone bets 20. To raise the most you can, first count your call of 20, which makes the pot 140. You can raise by 140, so your total bet is 160.
Pot-limit stops anyone shoving all in on the first bet, and makes pots grow quickly over the streets.
An example hand
You hold A♥ K♥ Q♣ Q♦.
- Top board: Q♠ 9♥ 4♥ 2♣ J♥
- Bottom board: 8♠ 8♦ 3♣ Q♥ 5♦
On the top board, A♥ K♥ with 9♥ 4♥ J♥ makes an ace high flush. Your queens could make three queens, but the flush is better.
On the bottom board, Q♣ Q♦ with Q♥ 8♠ 8♦ makes a full house, queens full of eights. Your A K would only make a pair of eights.
You used A♥ K♥ on one board and Q♣ Q♦ on the other. That's allowed, and it's how most scoops happen.
If both hands are best, you scoop the pot.
Tips
- Aim to scoop. Winning half the pot while putting in a full share rarely pays. Hands that can win both boards are worth much more.
- Look for hands that work together. Connected, double-suited cards give you chances on both boards.
- Count your two cards on each board. It's easy to see a hand that uses three of your cards, and it doesn't count.
Play it
Play Double Board PLO on Bink with friends in your browser, for chips. The table works out the best hand on each board and splits the pot for you. For a bomb pot version, see Double-Board Bomb Pot.