Omaha is, in certain ways, similar to Texas Hold 'Em. The rules and sequence of play are exactly the same except for a couple of very important differences. The first is that each player has four hole cards instead of two. The second is that he must use exactly two of those hole cards to make up his hand (In Hold 'Em, of course, each player can use one, both or even neither of their hole cards to make up their hand).
Basic Strategy for Omaha
Starting Hands: Because you must use exactly two of your hole cards, there is little point in having four aces as your four hole cards. Your might possibly win simply by ending up with a pair of aces or having a pair on the board that no-one can make trips out of, giving you the best Two-Pair. However, you can't possibly get a flush because you do not have two cards of the same suit. You also can't possibly get a straight because you must use exactly two of your hole cards. You can't get a third Ace on the board because you already have all the Aces.
A good hand in Omaha is one that has a lot of possibilities.
- You could pick up a third Ace and get Three of a Kind or a Full House if the board pairs.
- You could pick up three hearts or three spades and get the nut flush.
- You could get the nut straight with 9 Q K, 10 Q K, J Q K, Q K A, 8 9 Q or 7 8 9 on the board.
- You could win with Two-Pair (using your aces) or even just a pair of Aces if you narrow the field down with an early bet.
When it comes to playing on the flop and onwards, you should be constantly aware that someone out there may well have exactly the two cards that gives them the nuts at any one point in the hand, especially at a full table of ten players. For example, if the flop shows 5 6 7, there is a good chance that someone at the table has 8 9 and therefore the nut straight. Even when you have the nut straight, for example, if a third heart comes up, it will be highly likely that someone has a flush, possibly the nut flush. If the board pairs, a full house is likely to be out there somewhere.
Therefore, you generally want to be playing mainly when you either have the nuts or a good chance of getting the nuts. The best hands to play are those where you have the nuts already and you also have a draw to an even better hand. For example, you might have the nut straight and a draw to the nut flush. Or perhaps you might have the nut straight and also a set, giving you the posssibility of a full house if the board pairs.
Omaha is usually played as a pot-limit game. This means that it is important to remember that when you place a bet, you are increasing the amount by which your opponents can raise.
By it's nature, Omaha is a riskier game (even for the best players) than Hold 'Em and is likely to involve larger swings in your bankroll. This is because players often have a much better chance of outdrawing you than they do in Hold 'Em. For example, you may have a set, but another player may have both a straight draw and a flush draw. Often when you are a favourite to win the hand, you will only be a slight favourite and will lose the hand nearly as often as you win it.
The best thing about playing Omaha, however, is that you will sometimes be playing people who really have no idea how to play. Novice Omaha players will often forget that they can only use two cards in their hand or forget that they must use two cards in their hand. They may also be prepared to call big on the end when, for example, they have a straight but not the nut straight or the flush but not the nut flush. A favourite is when they can't resist calling with any full house, despite the fact that you are clearly likely to have a far better full house.
Let's look at a quick example. Suppose that with several players still in the hand, the board is as follows
A player with 66 in the hole (along with 2 other cards, of course!) has a full house, sixes over nines. (This is what is known as an "underfull" since the set of sixes he is using is lower than the pair on the board.) An experienced player knows that this full house is probably not worth very much if anyone else puts in a big bet or raise. It is all too likely that someone has AA, QQ, A9, Q9 or 96 in their hand, giving them a better full house. (If someone has AA or QQ, they have an "overfull" since their set is higher than the pair on the board.) Someone may even have two nines in the pocket to give them four of a kind. A novice player may well call or even raise a big bet with the underfull not realising that it is just too likley in omaha that he is beaten. After all, what can he beat? He can beat a set of nines but that is just not good enough in Omaha when the board is paired.
