Omaha

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Omaha Strategy

Three Top Omaha Poker Strategies

You've seen those large, multi-way pots at the Omaha table and you're drawn to the action. Maybe you've even played a bit, but you can't seem to take much money away from the game, at least not as much as you'd like.

Still, Omaha appeals to you. It's easy to understand the maniacal tendencies of players when they're holding four hole cards and you thank these players for helping to generate the large pots that you do win while playing Omaha.

If only those large pots came around more frequently, now this would really be your game.

If this thinking sounds vaguely familiar, here are a few strategies to focus on while playing Omaha high only:

1. When drawing, draw only to the nuts.

Because there are so many possible combinations for players to hit a good flop, you will see many more multi-way hands in Omaha. Many players will continue drawing to their straights or their flushes, or perhaps will have already made them.

Quite often the players drawing are trying to make hands that won't win at showdown time. This is one reason why Omaha is such a great poker game is because there ends up being a lot of dead money in the pot. Players, often more than one of them, are drawing dead and don't even realize it, they just like their hand and think it should win.

Don't be that guy using the word "should" and relying on hope!

Suppose, for instance, that you have a starting hand of 9-9-8-8, and the flop is 7-8-J. You may be excited to see such a flop; however, you may also be drawing dead to an 8. Think about it: only one card in the deck, an 8, is likely to improve your hand significantly.

A 10 falling on the river will give someone holding a Q-9 the nut straight over your second-best straight. You could already be up against a higher set (of Jacks, for example), or now a higher set of tens, making your potential full house no good.

With everyone holding four cards, it is much more likely than in Hold'em that someone will have the best possible hand, a.k.a. "The Nuts."

It is your job to be that person, and to not be the person betting against that person.

2. Learn which starting hands are most likely to make the nuts.

Starting hands such as A-K-5-5 have value, sure, but what are you hoping to hit with them?

If you do hit a 5 on the flop, yes you now have a set of 5s, but this 5 as a community card also makes a straight more likely for someone else (remember that without a 5 or a 10 in play it's impossible to make a straight).

Also, someone will almost certainly have a pair higher than your 5s and you are susceptible to a re-draw, or you may already be beat by a higher set. You may be the player drawing dead and putting more and more bets into someone else's pot.

Regarding the A-K, if you do happen to hit your top two pair on the flop, it is almost a guarantee that if a Q, J, or 10 come, you will be beaten by a straight. Never mind the fact that someone may have a KK, or an AA, and you are hopelessly behind.

The hands that are most likely to make the nuts are the same hands as in Hold'em. The AA, KK, J-10, A-x suited, etc. are the hands that you want to get involved with in Omaha. Be sure that all four of your hole cards work together in this way.

Also always remember that in Omaha many players will keep drawing, and often times they will be following rule #1 of drawing only to the nuts, so if they do hit their draw, one of these maniacs will beat you if you are betting a second-best hand.

3. Pay attention to the flop.

Omaha, again like Hold'em, is a flop game. Let's look at an example.

You've figured out which cards to play and you've varied your pre-flop raising a bit so the table doesn’t put you on A-A-K-K every time you bring it in for a raise. And now you do have A-A-K-K so obviously you are looking to win a big pot with this hand.

However, the flop comes and misses you completely.

Yeah, you have a pair of Aces and a pair of Kings, but we've already determined that a five-card hand is the big winner in this game. Still, you feel good about your Aces and your Kings so you make a continuation bet.

You get raised.

Believe it not because oh how beautiful those As and Ks are, you cannot stay in with this hand in the face of much action. Someone has most likely hit a set, or will hit a much better hand than yours by the river.

With so many cards out there, are you really looking to hit one of only four cards in the deck to maybe win the hand?

Fortunately, because you receive four hole cards in Omaha, there are many good quality starting hands. Learn to recognize them and by all means see flops with them. But be prepared to toss those great starting hands away if the flop doesn't hit you hard. Often enough for you to walk away a winner, the flop in Omaha will clobber you over the head and you will find yourself taking the money from those players that haven't followed the nuts-centric advice annotated above.