Omaha is a game that requires more precision and dare I say grace than Texas Hold ‘Em. Your timing has to be tighter and while bluffing is still something you can do, play is much more based on the strength of your actual hands. I’ve sorted through a lot of notes made while playing and writing the game and this article is going to be the first in a series to help the average Omaha poker player become a winner.
Out Of Position? Play Tight.
When you play out of position you have the massive disadvantage of acting first on every street after the flop. It took me months of brutal experience to make the shift from how I’d play in Hold ‘Em to Omaha to discover just how just how big of a disadvantage this really is but for now I’ll just say this: respect the power of position. You don’t want to just be tight out of position; you want to be very, very, very tight.
Be Careful With Reraises
Although it’s generally true that you can call a re-raise (3bet) before the flop if you’re in position, I recommend taking a good look at your hand first. If you’ve got two face cards and two unconnected side cards, for instance, and they re-raise to you, it’s likely they’ve already got a pair and things can only get better for them.
Small Pocket Hands? Drop Them.
If you’re holding a hand like 2345 and only two of the cards are suited, I’d just walk away. New Omaha players get excited about these sorts of hands because hey, they’re holding a straight! The problem is, if just one of your opponents has a pair and two higher connectors, they’re ahead of you because you can only play two of the cards. In fact, right from the shot, they’re at least 70% favored. Don’t let your Hold ‘Em brain take hold when playing Omaha.
On The Other Hand…AA Is Not Your Best Friend
Probably the number one mistake players making the transition from No Limit Hold Em to Pot Limit Omaha make is overplaying AAxx hands. It’s an understandable problem. AA is the crown jewel of Hold ‘Em pocket cards and it’s easy to get excited but it should be considered weak the second you come across a three-bet, especially if the board is showing anything like a straight or flush draw.