Omaha differs from Holdem in two ways.
Firstly, each player is dealt four hole cards
instead of two. And secondly, you must use
precisely two of these hole cards when
making your final hand.
The good news is that you can make use of
six different combinations of hole cards
when making a hand, providing a greater
degree of certainty as to whether your hand
will be a winner. Unlike Holdem, which is
a game of random accuracy, Omaha is a game
of the nuts. When youre dealt your hole
cards, remember that you can win money with
both the best high hand and the best low
hand. But because of the range of hands that
can be formed, you should be selective and
play very few hands, that is an important
point, so get used to folding,
folding and folding some more. Playing with
hands other than those suggested here will,
in the long run, land you in the mire.
Conversely, if youre only playing
starting hands with a high chance of paying
off, youll want to raise when you do play
a hand to get as much money into the pot as
possible.
Strong starting hands
that you should look to play on all
occasions
AA23
AA2x
AA3x
A23x
A2KK
A2QQ
A2KQ
A2KJ
A345
A346
A356
A3KK
A3QQ
23QQ
23KK
Starting hands to play
up to one raise
A2xx
234x
AKQJ
KQJ 10
KQJ 9
KKQQ
KKJJ
KK24
QJ 10 9
AAxx
A3xx
KK 10 10
Unlike holdem, in which theres an
inherent degree of randomness, Omaha is more
a game of certainties where the outcome of
most hands is known on the flop. If the flop
comes down and you dont have the nuts
or are drawing to the nuts then get the
hell out of dodge.
The Flop
As mentioned earlier, if you dont have
the nuts or a draw to the nuts, then get
out. Dont spend time, or even more
importantly your money, playing or chasing
second best
itll only end in tears.
Heres a piece of useful advice; watch
out for The Straight on Flop Trap (or SOFT
for short), as these hands can be pure
evil
you have been warned. Lets
illustrate by example. The flop comes 6d,
7d, 8c and youre holding 9c, 10h, Ah, Kc,
so whoppee-do youve hit the straight. But
before you chuck your car keys into the
middle and risk the shirt off your back
because youve hit the nut straight, think
about it. Any diamond will give someone a
flush, and any 9 or 10 and its odds-on
that someones going to have a higher
straight than you. Also, its almost a
certainty that someones made the low
hand, which means you only stand to win half
the pot anyway. And you could end up losing
that too, so be careful.
Low draws on the flop can equal high
hopes. If youre holding a hand such as
A234 and only one low card appears on the
flop, unless you have a draw to a decent
high hand too (such as an Ace high flush),
then its probably best to bin it.
Conversely, if two low cards appear on the
flop, pump your money into the middle,
especially if you hit the nut low and have
redraws to a strong high too!
Similarly, if you have a high hand with
no possibility of a low and the board looks
like its giving a low, then only stay in
if your high hand is exceptionally good. If
its not, or youre not sure, then get
out.
The turn
Come the turn, you should have a very
good idea as to whether or not you still
have the winning hand, so its a simple
matter of now betting accordingly. For
example, if you have the nuts then dont
hang about, get your cash in the pot. If you
dont, be very careful indeed.
The river
Now excuse what may be an unfortunate
turn of phrase, but if you dont have the
nuts then dont act all macho. If
theres action on the river and youre
not holding either the nut high or nut low,
then nine times out of ten it pays to bin
it. Dont let your commitment to the hand
convince you that you have a chance of
winning. Be brave, throw it away and live to
fight another day.
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