Omaha Poker Strategy

In the following article, a general introduction to good Omaha Poker strategy is presented. A few variations of Omaha Holdem Poker are listed. Lastly, we give a few tips for a novice poker player.

 

How does Omaha Poker strategy differ from Texas Holdem strategy?

If you are familiar with various poker card-games, then you are most certainly familiar with Texas Holdem and its usual strategic maneuvering. But in the case of Omaha Holdem Poker, the Omaha Poker strategy is quite different; and yes, unlike what some are saying, the Omaha Poker strategy does exist.

While in a Texas Holdem game a lot of uncertainty is involved and a pot sometimes can be won with a pair or a high card, Omaha Holdem Poker offers many possibilities to make a strong winning combination. You will be holding four cards, any two of which can form a hand with the community cards. Do not be alarmed if you are getting cards of low value: what you need to pay attention to is the number of options they offer. For example, if you hold 6 of spades, 6 of hearts, 7 of spades and 8 of clubs, you have the potential to make a set, two pairs, flush and several straights, ranging from 7 high to Jack high. Starting hands with a lot of potential are the key to the successful Omaha Poker strategy.

However, many players make the mistake playing almost every hand they get, dazed by the impressive cards they get. Your Omaha Poker strategy must depend on calculating the chances of combining whatever you hold with the board. If you have 4 cards of the same suit, your chances of making the flush are much lower. If you get 3 or 4 cards of the same value, you will probably not hit anything higher than two pairs. Always keep in mind that you are not playing Texas Holdem and that only two of your cards participate in the final combination.

 

Omaha Poker strategy for several variations of the game

There are more than one Omaha Holdem Poker games in existence, each with its own Omaha Poker strategy. The variation described earlier is called Omaha Hi, since only the highest hand win. Omaha Hi/Lo is an Omaha Holdem Poker is which half of the pot is awarded to whoever holds the lowest hand, with ace being the lowest card, 8 being the highest possible card and straights and flushes ignored. It is advisable that you hold in your hands A-2 or A-3 if you are trying to hit low. The best Omaha Poker strategy is to try hitting both high and low, thus sweeping both halves of the pot. Which is why you should strive making a "wheel", an ace-to-five straight which is also the lowest hand possible and the best hand in an Omaha Hi/Lo Holdem game.

Omaha Holdem Poker games also vary in their betting structures, and therefore in their Omaha Poker strategy. A Fixed Limit game is a relatively safe one; it does not leave much room for big raises and bluffing, so just make sure that you have the best hand if you wish to proceed until the river. On the other hand an Omaha Pot Limit game might be the most dangerous one among the poker card-games, because the pot size only keeps growing and it costs a lot to make it to the showdown. Be flexible with your Omaha Poker strategy and don't rush into the Omaha Pot Limit game unless you have enough strongly potential cards to beat your opponents.

 

A few tips for the Omaha Holdem poker novice

• Don't chase after a good hand until the river, if you only have a valuable card or two, hoping to hit a top pair or two pairs. Your opponent might have already hit a flush or a straight.

• Don't chase until the river after the card that will complete your low; this might not be a successful Omaha Poker strategy. The odds are might not be in your favor, and even if you get it, you receive only 50 percent of the pot.

• And finally, if you hit a full house or even a four of a kind, play them extremely slowly, encouraging your opponent to chase whatever they need until the river. This is where the Omaha Poker strategy is similar to the one employed in the Texas Holdem.