The main difference between Omaha Poker and Texas Hold’em is that each hand is dealt four cards (instead of two). In addition, in Omaha, you must use your own two cards, regardless of the common card.
Understanding Omaha is not difficult, but as in any field, becoming an elite player requires constant study and practice.
We will discuss in this article：
Omaha Poker Basics
Like Texas Hold’em, Omaha Poker has multiple positions such as small blind position, big blind position, and button position. The players are dealt four cards before the first betting round. This is followed by the flop round, where three public cards are dealt. The turn and river rounds will then deal the fourth and fifth public cards. After each round of cards is dealt by the dealer, the players can make a betting round until the cards are dealt. Bets in Omaha poker are always limited to the size of the pot.
In Texas Hold’em, a player may choose to play two, one, or none of the bottom cards to make the best possible hand. In Omaha, however, each player must use exactly two undercards and three community cards to form the best hand. For example, in Texas Hold’em, if there are four spades on the common, and a player holds the Ace of Spades, he will have an Ace high flush. However, in Omaha, if you don’t have two spades on the board, you can’t make a flush with just an ace of spades.
Types of Omaha Poker
There are two main forms of Omaha poker.
- Pot Limit Omaha
- Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
● Pot Limit Omaha
In Pot Limit Omaha (PLO for short), a player can bet from 1BB to the pot size on each betting round. If a player chooses to raise, he must raise at least the amount of his previous bet. The maximum raise limit is the pot size, but there is no limit to the number of raises.
● Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low
Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low (PLO8 for short) is the second most popular form of Omaha poker today. In this form of play, the basic play remains the same, but the pot is divided equally between the best high and best low cards. However, a name player can win two and a half pots with a good hand, i.e., he has the sole possession of the bottom pot.
Omaha High and Low Cards
A low hand must consist of cards no larger than 8. While high cards still follow the traditional Texas Hold’em ranking system, low cards follow the A-5 lowball ranking system, where the ace is considered the smallest card and straights and flushes have no effect on the ranking of low cards.
The low card is usually read from back to front, and the lowest numbered card wins. If two players are holding the same low card, they will split the low pool equally. Thus, 5-4-3-2-A is the best low card, while 8-7-6-5-4 is the worst low card. Interestingly, both of these hands are good high cards (a straight).
Omaha Basic Strategy
Because the player has four undercards, Omaha has more volatility. As the hand progresses, the two undercards used by a player may change. Many Omaha beginners prefer to play too many starting hands. As in Texas Hold’em, choosing a starting hand is very important in Omaha.
Perhaps the most important skill to become a successful Omaha player is to identify the nuts, accurately evaluate your own cards and determine the probability of improving your hand.
Another key skill is knowing which starting hands to play and which starting hands to discard. In Omaha poker it is very important to get high cards with an Ace flush, as these cards may form a nutty flush. In PLO8, the bottom cards that include an ace and a two are very strong because they have the best chance of winning the entire bottom pot.
Many Texas Hold’em poker players struggle when they transition to play Omaha poker. Many novice Omaha players like to chase cards that they should have folded preflop. In Texas Hold’em, a player who sees the flop sees five of seven cards (70%); in Omaha, a player who sees the flop sees seven of nine cards (80%). Therefore, in Omaha, if we see the flop, we have more information. Because many inexperienced players like to blindly chase the listening cards, Omaha is very lucrative.
Learning and practicing is the key to improving your Omaha skills. Lastly, good luck! I hope you enjoy the fun of Omaha!