Omaha Strategy

Pot-limit-Omaha

Pot-limit Omaha is the only poker game in which you might throw away the nuts on the flop and be correct in doing so. For example, suppose you flop top set, but two suited cards and two connectors are showing on the board. Although you can still play the hand, you could easily lose with it, especially against aggressive opponents with drawing hands.

Some of the best starting hands in pot-limit Omaha are aces with two high connecting cards, such as A-A-K-Q and A-A-J-10 double-suited; A-A-K-K and other hands with aces and a big pair; rundown hands that have four connecting cards (such as J-10-9-8); two bare aces without connectors (for a minimum bet); two bare kings without connectors (for a minimum bet); and three rundown cards with a pair (such as 7-7-6-5).

Many expert players believe that almost no hand is worth raising preflop in tournament play because of the large amount of tournament chips you must commit before you see any board cards. Also, your opponents will know that you have a strong hand and will play accordingly, while you won't know for sure where they're at.

Generally speaking, no one comes in for a raise that is less than the size of the pot. You don't see $500 in the pot and bet $100 at it. In other words, don't make a small bet to try to pick up a big pot. In pot-limit Omaha, it is okay to simply announce, �I bet the pot.� Then the dealer counts it down for you.

On the flop

Once the flop is dealt, you have seen seven of the nine cards from which you will make your final hand. Therefore, your big decisions are made on the flop, even more so than in two-card hold'em games, because you have much more information in front of you. With four cards in each hand, you'll find more multi-way pots in Omaha than in hold'em. In pot-limit, multi-way pots are usually three- or four-handed.

A lot of people will call a modest preflop raise and then fold on the flop. This often happens when three or four people call the raise and create a big pot. You have to flop a big hand to be able to afford to continue; you cannot play a marginal drawing hand. In other words, more players may see the flop in pot-limit Omaha, but a lot fewer players stay to see the river card.

A Second Draw

Ideally, you either flop the nuts or have a draw to it, especially in multiway pots. For example, suppose you have 10 10 9 8 and the flop comes 10 7 6. This is a huge flop: You have the nut straight and top set. You could fill up and win if someone else has a lower set.

The action usually thins down to two or three players on the turn. If you make the nuts on the turn, you bet that too. And if anyone bets into you, you usually will raise. If you make your draw on the turn, you bet it. Just as you don't usually give free cards on the flop, you don't give them going into fifth street either. If you make it, bet it.

On the river, most players will shut down if they have been betting a big hand and the river card makes a better hand possible. It isn't a good practice to have to fold on the river, but you might have been drawing to a monster double-draw and missed everything at the end. In that case, most experts agree that the best play is to simply fold against a bet rather than try to bluff.

Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8-Or-Better-Strategy

With both a high half and and low half to go after, many players stay interested in the pot, and will chase hands right to the river since the last card dealt can so dramatically change the complexion of a hand. Be careful not to get sucked into the loose betting that often occurs in 8-or better unless your hand is worthy of all the action. Speculation and loose play can lose you a bunch of chips in a hurry in this game. Here are four key concepts to keep in mind:

1. Scooping

In hi-low games of any type, one guiding principle is the foundation of all winning strategies: play hands that have a chance to scoop the pot, that is, win both the high and low half of the pot. This is especially true in Omaha, particularly pot-limit versions.

2. Aces

The best card in Omaha 8-or-better is the ace, and generally speaking, if you don't have one, you're best off not getting involved in the pot. While there are hands that have good potential without the ace, if you're a beginner, you can get away without playing any of them and still play a pretty solid game.

3. Play Good Starting Hands

The best starters in Omaha 8-or-better have both high and low possibilities, so along with an ace plus a 2 or a 3, and a third low card, you'd like another ace (A-A-3-5), or two suited cards, preferably led by the ace, so that you have a shot at a nut flush. A king is a good card to accompany the ace, for example A-2-5-K, because it's the top kicker to an ace hand with nut-high and nut-low straight possibilities.

Four low cards such as A-2-3-4, A-2-3-5, and A-2-4-5, with two suited cards give you a decent chance of making a wheel, A-2-3-4-5 (the perfect low hand), or making a flush for a strong high hand.

When competing for the high end of the pot, hands with A-K and A-A have more strength against fewer players and less value against more players, because straights, flushes and full houses are more common when more people stay to the end. You can start with some high-only hands, but if you do, all four of the cards must be coordinated, that is close in rank to one another. Thus, a hand like K-K-Q-J would be good, but K-K-Q-7 would not. The 7 is a "dangeler" that dosen't coordinate with the other cards.

The Flop and Beyond

The more players who see the flop, the better your hand must be. In particular, you either need to have the nuts or a draw to the nuts, because with the loose action common in many games, that's what it's going to take to win.

When making your decision on how to play a high hand, you must consider that the pot is only worth half of what you might normally expect if a low possibility is on board. The dilution of the pot is something that regular high or low players often overlook, but it affects betting and playing strategy. That is why hands with the strength to go both ways are so valuable in hi-low games.