Moving from Hold’em to Omaha

If you’re bored of playing Texas Hold’em poker and are looking to try learning a different form of the game, Omaha might be an interesting place to start. Many players that are looking to broaden their poker horizons start out with Omaha as their first alternative to Hold’em, due to the similarity in structure, but don’t be fooled into thinking that the game requires similar tactics.

Let’s start with the basics. Omaha is played the same way as Texas Hold’em – the cards are dealt, there is a round of betting, the flop, turn and river all follow, each with another round of betting and the ranking of poker hands is just the same. The only difference is the number of cards dealt at the start – four, in standard Omaha games, of which two must be used.

Many inexperienced Omaha players fall into two traps, because they are still playing Hold’em in their heads, but with extra hole cards. The first common mistake is forgetting that two cards must be used from your hand – if there are four diamonds on the board and you hold one, you haven’t made a flush, because you must use two from your hand and three community cards. The second mistake is to play too many poor hands.

Because Omaha provides players with so many hold cards, basic strategy needs to be far tighter than in Hold’em poker. It is rare to see a pot won by a single pair, or two pair and there is almost always a straight or flush draw out there. Patient players will soon find themselves rewarded, as those players moving from Hold’em to Omaha find themselves unable to let go of a flopped set, or chase draws to the third or fourth nuts.

The best Omaha starting hands contain high, connecting cards. Connecting cards are important, to increase straight opportunities. Players must be wary when drawing, as it is rare to see non-nut flushes and straights taking down pots, particularly at full, low limit Omaha tables. Pocket pairs are not nearly as strong as they are in Hold’em poker and anything below two kings should be mucked, unless it is something with strong supporting cards, like AKQQ double suited. Try not to view hole cards as two separate Hold’em hands, rather than four cards that all compliment each other.

Psychology is less of a factor in Omaha. Well timed bluffs still have a place in the game, but at a beginner’s level, in the lower stakes arena, bluffing is almost pointless. A more mechanical, ABC approach will pay dividends, as there are simply too many players chasing draws and an outright bluff is bound to be called.

You can play Omaha at these great poker sites:

1		888Poker	9.7
2		bet365 Poker	9.5		bet365 Poker Review
3		Titan Poker	9.3		Titan Poker Review
4		Ladbrokes Poker	9.3
5		Betsson Poker	9.2		Betsson Poker Review
6		Pacific Poker	8.9		Pacific Poker Review
7		Betway Poker	8.8		Betway Poker Review
8		Cake Poker	8.6		Cake Poker Review
9		Intertops Poker	8.3
10		Sportsbook Poker	8.1		Sportsbook Poker Review

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Tuesday 30 March, 2010, 10:44 | Category: Poker Tips
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