Omaha - Strategy
In the part focusing the rules both Omaha High and Omaha Hi-Lo vas treated. In this section about strategies the focus will rest on Omaha High. However, many of the strategies are working in both variants.
Starting hand – the importance of co-ordination
In Omaha you will be given four cards that should be matched against another five, which are as much as nine cards. In spite of this fact you cannot see at your hole cards as you have abundance. If two of the cards are good it isn’t enough to make it a descent hand.
There’s exceptions, but remember the general rule that all the cards together should form a well co-ordinated hand before it’s suitable to play. How good is for example this hand: A♥A♣4♦7♠? There’s to aces, but not much more. Such a hand is very limited in aspect of development. And a pair of aces will seldom be enough to win a hand in Omaha. The nearest possibility for this hand is that another ace is hit to make trips. But in Omaha are even trips a hand that often lose and the chances for a straight are almost non-existing and a flush cannot be made (see Omaha rules).
The conclusion is that you shouldn’t overestimate hands that contains strong parts, but doesn’t form a strong unity.
Let’s instead compare with this hand: A♥A♣J♥T♣. This hand contains two aces and besides a lot more. Except the possibility of trips there exist chances for a highest possible straight (T-A) plus two possibilities for the nuts flush (hearts and clubs).
What you wish for is starting hands that either includes two pair or offer many possibilities to make a straight or a flush or a combination of these. However, you should be cautious with low pairs and low straight- and flush draws. With a low pair you can lose against higher trips. The same matter is it with low connected and suited, there are risks that you r opponent hits a higher straight or flush. All these situations tend to be expensive.
After the flop – good timing and a minimum of bluffs
There are some fundamental guidelines to be aware of after the flop:
1. Play aggressive when you have the best hand. You make this to prevent player with draws to call or at least you are make them pay more than the odds allow. If you are playing pot limit the best bet is presumably the maximal. There’s of course some exceptions, which are rather obvious. If you hit a full house on the flop it is probably not in your interest to scare away all players from the pot immediately, if not the chances for someone beating your full house is big enough.
2. Only call then it’s fully motivated. Pair and seldom two pairs don’t belong to these categories. When you have a drawing hand that can be beaten if you make the hand, don’t call. For example if you try to hit a straight but there’s possibilities that an other player can make a flush.
3. Because every player has four hole cards there’s often some that have hopes for the next card and therefore will call a bet. These circumstances make the bluff less effective and you should only bluff rarely. As a consequence of this is the bluff maybe most sufficient when all the community cards already are on the table and that your bluff in this stage can represent a straight or flush.
These guidelines have foremost been based on games at full tables. If you play shorthanded is it of course advisable to modify these tips some. In this case you can call some more hands and bluffs can be used more often.
