If you want to play profitable Omaha poker, you have to understand the draw. Drawing hands can be so powerful that you can actually come out ahead, even if your opponent is holding a set. If you’re holding a combo drawing hand such as 7d8dTcQc and your opponent has a killer-looking hand with 6h6dJhJc, a board such as 6c9dJd gives you 66% pot equity, even if your opponent has a top set.
With two sets, a player has two cards removed from the deck that can give them a full house. A combo hand like the one described above gives you a flush draw, a massive straight draw and even a backdoor flush draw. That means you’re 2:1 to win! Let’s break down what two types of hands can make great combo draws and how to play them.
Four Connected Cards
Holding four connecting cards that make chunk of a straight, something like 5-6-7-8 will give you the greatest probability of getting a straight draw on the flop. In fact, it’s possible that you can see a wrap straight draw that gives you the chance to make multiple straights with the hand you’re holding.
Connected And Double Suited
Even stronger than the four connected cards is a connected string of cards that are double-suited. While you do need to hit your draws on the flop to have a strong hand, you’ve got a combination that offers up the nuts more often. The only problem is that you need to be careful with double-suited connected cards: don’t raise with them right off the bat. Yes, a hand like 9dTdJsQs has a good chance of winning, but you need to board to complete what you’re holding.
You Need The Flop
You’re not going to choose which cards hit the flop, but you do get to choose the flops that you’re going to play. If you’re holding 9dTdJsQs, you’re aiming to flop the nuts or hit enough draws that going to the next hand is an easy choice to make. With the hand described, hitting 9dQd3c is near-perfect: you hit the top pair, you have a flush-draw and a straight draw that works both ways. You’ve got a good chance of holding the best hand before the turn and you have a number of redraws open for you.
Even if another player holds KQ and keeps playing, any King they hit completes your straight. You really only need to be concerned that someone has flopped a set or they’ve got the Ace-High draw on the Diamond flush. The key is to make sure that you’ve got as many outs as possible. If you’ve got a single draw, you’re maxing out at nine outs versus holding a combo hand that can increase that number to almost double.