A Few Omaha Principles

Tuesday, December 6th., 2005 (By the PokerStrategyKing)

I would say that about 90% of my columns deal with Texas hold Em, limit and No limit. The reason for this is simple, Texas Hold Em is my specialty and is the game where I make most of my money. But it is not the only game I play believe it or not. I enjoy playing Stud and Omaha Hi as well. So for today’s article, I thought it would be a good idea to give you, my loyal readers some basic Omaha principles so that this game can be a good one for you as well. I will keep it simple, I will state a principle followed by a brief explanation for each. To me, these are the most obvious things to keep in mind.

Top pair is not at all a strong hand

In Texas Hold Em, many times, substantial hands and pots are won with a pair and only a pair. Guess what? This is almost NEVER the case in Omaha. Think about it. You and your opponents all have 4 cards to work with. This means that someone always has at the very least a very powerful draw. If on the flop all you have is a pair with little chance for substantial improvement, be wary and prepared to get away from the hand. You will thank me for this. Believe me.

If there are 3 cards of a suit on board, someone has a flush

You’ve played enough poker to know that players love to play suited cards. This holds true in Hold Em so this holds doubly true for Omaha. Double suited hole cards are nearly always playable. This means that if there are 3 suited cards on board, the chances are probable that someone at the table, if not multiple players have flushes. Don’t get caught by this.

Weak full houses are not that strong

Say you are holding Q-5 and the board reads K-K-Q-5-5. Yes you have a full house. But guess what. You are probably sunk. In Omaha, unless you hold the nuts, you probably have lost. While you may call a bet on the river here, don’t be too overconfident in your holding. You will save yourself some money. Trust me.

If the board pairs, beware of quads and a full house

The board reads 6-7-7-8-9 and you have the 4-5d. Guess what, you probably are sunk. Let’s see all the reasons why. Yes, you have a straight. But you have the bottom end of it. J-10 or 5-10 are higher straight that beat you. As for full houses, 6-7. 7-8, 7-9. pocket 8’s and 6’s and 9’s all beat you. Plus if someone is holding 2 sevens, you also lose. Your hand can’t stand much heat. Get out of the way before you go broke.

If your starting hand is not double suited, fold it

If you don’t have double suited cards, unless 2 of them are a high pocket pair, it is nothing but a trash hand. More money is lost on poor hand requirements that any other factor playing Omaha. So, you hit your straight…Is there a flush possibility on the board? If so, your hand is worthless. Fold it and move on.

If your starting hand contains a set or Quads, fold it.

This principle should be apparent as to the reason why it is true. If you have a set or quads in your hand, your hand will not improve. Period. While it may look cool to have Quad Aces dealt to you, your hand just will not get any better. The best you can do is 2 pair which in the game is not a strong hand at all. Psychologically, it may seem like a difficult fold, it really isn’t. Just muck them and save your money.

I hope you find these tips useful. Let me know how your Omaha game is going. Info@pokerstrategyking.com .

Until next time, may the chips fall your way.

(For more poker strategy and tips, please visit the PokerStrategyKing’s website at www.pokerstrategyking.com )

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