Why Position Matters More in PLO
Opening frequency more than doubles as you move to the Button. The Hijack opens 22% of hands; the Button opens 50%. In PLO that positional swing is even more decisive than in Hold'em.
| Position | Opens |
|---|---|
| Button | 50% |
| Cutoff | 30% |
| Small Blind | 40% |
| Hijack | 22% |
Source: PLO+ solved ranges, 100bb 6-max cash.
PLO equities run close: even a big edge preflop is often only 60/40, and hands realise their equity very differently in and out of position. That makes the right to act last worth more, because so much of PLO is played postflop with draws and part-made hands where position decides who can apply pressure and who has to guess.
The result is a steep positional ramp. Later seats open far wider not because their cards are better, but because the positional edge turns marginal hands profitable. Earlier seats have to tighten because they will play the pot out of position against a field that can hold anything.
The takeaway: respect position more than you do in Hold'em. Fold marginal hands from early seats without regret, and widen aggressively on the Button — the numbers say the seat, not the cards, is doing most of the work.
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