Top 5 Tips for Crushing Omaha Poker
Omaha Poker is a very popular game these days in online poker. The majority of online pokers action is still very much centred on Texas Hold’em, but Omaha and in particular Pot Limit Omaha is catching up everyday. If you want to play Omaha you need plenty of heart for the swings and an open mind to learn. It is the game of choice for players like Patrik Antonius and Tom Dwan, so you are in good company if this game interests you. Here are my top five tips for becoming a shark in the currently somewhat unknown waters of Omaha poker.
1. Know Your Starting Hands
The starting hands you play in Holdem are not necessarily the same in Omaha. Since hands are usually stronger at showdown as players have more cards with which to hit straights, flushes and so on, pocket Aces with no other cards are less likely to win. They look good, but they are weaker than in Holdem. Hands like 5c-6c-8h-10h are a reasonable starting hand because they can connect to well-concealed straights and flushes. As there are more than two hole cards there are far more variety and debate concerning what are strong and weak starting hands. Players are therefore making more errors pre-flop which give the stronger player an advantage right from the start of the hand.
2. Omaha is not Texas Hold’em
I could have made this the number one tip, but at a close number two you simply must appreciate the key differences in the games you are playing. This will earn you money as your excellent Texas Hold’em expert opponents migrating to Omaha will not. AAQQ is a good starting hand especially if it contains two suits. This is because you have two chances at the nut flush, not because you hold two pocket pairs. A Texas Hold’em expert would be rejoicing but in Omaha you see more Full houses and stronger cards at showdown so caution is still recommended. Remember that more players see the flop (they have more cards they can hit) so strong hands win more often.
3. Look For The Nut Hand
As I have previously said the best hands are usually not pairs and two pairs. Even three of a kind is vulnerable. Look for the potential straights and flushes on the board. Because players often struggle to lay down starting hands with low cards, they are likely to hit the miracle straight and flush more often. Watching the flop texture is vital to success in this game. If you hit a flush which is not the nut flush take care, the nut hands are often the winning hands at showdown so know your opponents and their weaknesses before you get your money in with anything like a weak straight or low flush.
4. Remember to Fold Pre-Flop
Because you have four starting hole cards it is easy to create a “decent Holdem hand” from it, a mistake many new players make. You could make a case for playing every hand but this is certainly not recommended. Remember that the Nut hands win more often than not and look for co-ordinated cards. Bleeding chips is bad in any game and you will be doing this if you are liberal with your starting hands. Omaha is a good of big pots, so look for having a strong hand made from a tight starting hand range for when you get your money in.
5. Start At Low Limits & Manage Your Bankroll
Omaha is a very technical game and players who are good at it and fully understand the concepts have a real edge. The game requires a strategy of its own that will take time to learn, no matter how good you are at Holdem. You will need around 400 big blinds to play the game, with possibly 50% more buy-ins than you would at Holdem due to the swingy nature of the game. Mastering this game is really worth it as there is big money to be made from it online right now, but learn it correctly and be humble enough to build from the ground up.
By Malcolm Clarke
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