The basis of Omaha is the same as Hold’em with a couple of small twists; you get four hole cards instead of 2.  You are also going to have to use two cards in your hand at all times instead of using one or none as you can do in Hold’em.  This adds a ton of action to the game and a lot of ups and downs regarding the strength of your hand from flop to river.

Starting cards in Omaha are very important, much more so than regular Hold’em.  You have to realize that just about every card in the deck is going to be dealt out.  That being the case, the stone cold nuts are more than likely sitting in someone’s hands during the game.  On a nine man table, you will have 36 cards dealt out to the players, 3 burn cards and 5 board cards.  That is a total of 44 cards out, so think twice before bluffing.

One huge difference in Omaha and Hold’em in regards to preflop action is that you will not see a lot of big raises going out.  The only time people tend to hammer the pot is if they are sitting with AAxx and both of the other cards are suited to their Aces.  However, what you will see is a lot of people in every hand because of the nature of the game.  Remember, all the cards are pretty much out that means your hand is loaded with possibilities before the flop.

Now while your hand is ripe with opportunities, you are still looking for certain things.  The first is that you would love to have a suited ace in your hand.  On a non-paired board, the flush will be the nuts and that suited Ace could be your ticket to the scoop.  High ranking pairs are also key starting cards, but lower ranking pairs and huge traps that you have to avoid, especially on a paired board.

Imagine sitting there with 44 and the board comes up 774.  In a normal Hold’em game, you would be firing at will.  Even if they had the 7, it is very unlikely they were lucky enough to land that 4th four at the same time.  With close to a full table calling the flop, you are guaranteed that the 7 is sitting in someone’ hand and he now has 3 other cards to match up on the turn and river versus one.  Your full house is basically worthless in this scenario.  In this case, you are actually chasing down that 4th four.  Do you really want to go into the turn on a 5% draw?

The flop is going to see a ton of action, much more so than in Hold’em.  The main reason for this is that if there is not straight on board, the sets are going to want to get people out.  If there is a straight or flush on board, they are going to bet like crazy to get the full house draws out of the game.  Be very aware of the individual that is just calling in these situations regardless of the bet.  They are more than likely sitting on a monster draw and if it hits, fireworks are going to go off.

The best advice you can get when you play Omaha is to have a strong stomach and really learn how to read a board.  You are going to have to break it down from every angle and see what the best possible hand is because more than likely, it is out there.  This is a game that if you play smart, you can win a ton of money at.  Regardless, you are assured of having a great time and a ton of action during the game.