1-2 PLO, Live. The floor wasn't certain how to handle this, and players weren't at a consensus.

Situation A: Folds to the SB, SB announces Pot.

Situation B: Folds to the SB, SB Flats, BB announces Pot.

SB:

1 more to call makes pot of 4.

"Pot" makes 4 more.

BB:

Pot is already 4.

"Pot" makes 4 more.

Usually it's a $5 bring-in for 1/2 PLO and all PLO games will have an initial pot bet regardless of what's going on with the blinds (like if you have a single big blind). I'd assume it would be $15 for both situations if you have a $5 bring-in or $7 if you don't. From there, any pot calculations are handled like you'd expect.

In both scenarios, the bet is $6 all day. Usually (if you are raising from outside the blinds) a pot sized open is $7.

The formula is 3x the bet + everything else. So if you are opening from the CO (or any other non-blind position) you do 3x the bet, with the bet being the big blind, and then add the everything else, which is the small blind. But if you are in the small blind then your small blind isn't counted because you are counting two for your bet already, having matched the big blind prior to raising. And if you are in the big blind then the small blind has already called two, and of course you only count your big blind one time.


In the scenario where you are raising from the big blind, it is easy enough to visualize. You raise pot, well the pot is $4, your $2 and the SB's $2, so it is $4 more.

The big and small blind aren't restricted from potting the same amount as under the gun. You're correct that the bet in front of you doesn't count in the pot bet but preflop, if UTG can pot it to $7 so can the small and big blind.

OP didn't say if it was a cash or tournament; in a tournament it would be $8 as the small blind is counted as $2, not $1.

Not entirely sure what is difficult in calculating the amount to put in if you were just calling and then the amount that is in the pot after that, barring any strange house rules re: rounding pots up/down or similar

Incorrect, because of how the 3x rule works. The 3x rule is that you first match the bet, then you count the bet and your match of the bet. When the raise comes from outside of the blinds, there is an extra $1 from the sb, but when SB is raising this $1 is incorporated into the 3x function where you are matching the bet. When the BB is raising the SB's $1 (now a $2 call) is again calculated by the 3x matching function. There is no stray $1.

Or, to put it another way, the formula is 3x the bet + everything else. If it is just the blinds, there is no everything else. So the raise is to $6.

He’s not saying the 3x rule works differently, but that in his experience players can open to $7 from any position regardless of the fact that it would be handled different if the casino followed the 3x rule in that situation.

I am not sure if I’ve ever played in a 1/2 PLO game where it folded to the blinds, but I would assume the majority of casinos use the same “pot” raise from any position because nobody wants to deal with the BS of varying amounts.

Same as on the flop where “pot” is $25 no matter if there are $21 or $25 in the pot. That’s just how live poker works, simplicity is king for good reason.

Rounding up to the next BB is pretty standard in live PLO and not a strange house rule. I’ve never played anywhere that rounded down though.

If other positions are opening for $7 then it is clear that there is no rounding going on, instead the rule is exact bets, in which case the raise is to $6. If rounding is going on then anyone can open to $10 from any position.

I think you misunderstand on purpose, but OK.

Postflop, pots in live PLO are rounded up. At least (almost?) anywhere I played, in the US and Europe, casino and non-casino games. Preflop, DisRuptive1 says that in his experience “pot” means the same amount from any position and I think that sounds very reasonable because the casino has exactly zero interest in any discussion/controversy about that.

OP is a good example for that. Player asks floor, floor is like “hmmm” and players think “OK, that floor knows jack”. That’s undesirable for a card room. Easy solution: player asks dealer or floor, response is “$7 from any position”, player asks “but from the SB? Why?” and floor answers “because that’s how we do it here”. Problem solved.

I'm not saying the 3x rule doesn't exist, I'm saying it doesn't apply for the first player to raise pre-flop.

And I'm saying you are wrong.

The blinds do get jipped in PLO so to speak. All the other Players get the benefit of having two 'bets' in play, thus the max opening pot bet is 4x the BB or bring-in, which ever may be the case, for UTG through B.

However since you don't count the chips in front of the raiser/potter when calculating 'pot' using the "3x + trail" method the total bet is 'reduced' to 3x for the SB or BB. Certainly the house can take exception to this and have a 'standard' PF pot bet of 4x.

Using the direct method of pot calculation, remember that a Player is raising 'the pot' so they first must call the bet they're facing to create a proper pot. So no matter which blind 'pots it' the pot is only 2BB, which makes the total bet 3BB.

In both spots the total bet is the same, whether it be $6 or $15. GL