Omaha Poker is a tough game to gauge before the flop as the greatest of starting hands is often turned into instant mush once the flop hits.  For this very reason, many people recommend that you never raise before the flop.  While the general consensus is that this is the way to go, there are a few occasions where you will want to throw out a raise.

The first situation is when you have AA and you are the first or second to act.  In order to have a shot at winning the hand, you are going to need to eliminate some players and the only way to do that is to get some money in the pot.  When you are first or second to act, it is early enough to dissuade callers from getting into the pot with a marginal hand.

You are also going to have a better idea of where your stand against your opponents if they are getting into the pot. As it is unlikely for someone to call you with a marginal hand, you can count on the fact that you are sitting across from a hand that has a high pair in it.  If the board flops babies, you can continue to be aggressive with a little more confidence that you are still sitting on the best hand.  If a K or Q hits the board and you fire with them coming right back over the top, you are probably better off letting the hand go as they will more than likely be sitting on a set and you are reduced to 2 outs.

The second situation where you can throw out a raise is when you have a lot of limpers already in and you are in late position with a drawing hand.  The reason for this is to build up the pot on the hopes that you hit the flop in a big way.  The beauty of this move is that most inexperienced players will check it around to you regardless if they hit or not.  They will hope to hit you with a check raise and if you don’t hit, you have the ability to get a free card on the turn.

Raising here is very effective over the long run as the odds that you are generating off of the initial raise are rather large when compared to the overall investment that you are seeing back on your hand.  If you manage to hit one out of about 8 hands, you will be at the very worst even.  If you can hit two of these hands, you are going to have a very profitable session.

Raising in Omaha is a true weapon and you have to use it wisely.  Don’t abuse it and after you hit a few hands you will be able to pull off a bluff every now and again.  You of course need to mix up your game a bit so you don’t become predictable, but stick to these guidelines for the majority of your play and you can turn profitable sessions when you are raising before the flop.

Omaha Poker is an action game and even the best of hands can turn into complete rags once that flop hits the board. This is one of the primary reasons that you will only see marginal raises before the flop and you will also see a lot of callers. The problem is that it is extremely difficult to get people out of the hand unless you are in position and playing PL Omaha.

Under the Gun
This is the most brutal position to be in with a big hand, especially when you are playing Pot limit Omaha Poker. You look down and see AdAsKdQs and you want to slam the pot, but you are only going to be getting a marginal bet in and you are not going to scare anyone. In actuality, you are only going to serve the complete opposite and make them very much aware of what you are holding. You are going to have to show some restraint here and limp in hoping for someone else to at least double the blinds and give you a real chance to hammer the pot.

If everyone else just falls in line, you are going to have to see how the flop plays out. Remember, you are not playing hold’em here and AA is not as big a hand as it is in that game. The ideal situation would have a couple of callers and then someone making a small raise with all of those players in. This is when you come right over the top and make a pot limit raise. You will chase all of the other limpers and if the raiser does call you, you have a very good chance of having 2 of his outs sitting in your hand. You definitely want isolation here if it all possible and that pot limit raise should get it for you.

Middle Position
When you get a big hand here, you are going to have to play it much the same way as you did in early position unless you get a couple of limpers in front of you. One is really not enough to get enough money into the pot to scare a marginal hand, but if there are two in there, you can absolutely let the raise fly. Again, you are basically showing your hand, but you have to scare some players out and deal with the callers on the flop.

Late Position
In an un-raised pot and several limpers, you are in a strong position to take this hand down pre-flop with a nice raise here. If there are no callers, you should still fire at the pot to make the blinds at least think about it before they get to limp in for free. Your hand is also not so obvious as you could just be looking to steal and may even see someone play back at you. That is a dream circumstance because now you can really lay into the pot.

You do have one other option when there are a lot of players in the pot, but it is a dangerous one. With that many players in the hand, you can limp in and see how the flop hits. You risk losing all of those blinds, but you also could hit along with someone else and have a totally concealed hand. This is something you may do when you are ahead of the game and can afford to throw away a possible pre-flop scoop. This will also give a little variance to your game and have them guessing the next time around.

Remember, you can never play the hands identically time and time again. If you don’t change up your style, you are telegraphing your hand to everyone as the table. When you are running good, you can make a move in middle or late position with lesser cards to represent a hand that you don’t have. You may even choose to show one of those when everyone folds to you to set them on tilt. Once you get them guessing, you hold an extreme edge and can set trap after trap.

If you mention that you play poker to the average person on the street, they will almost always assume you mean Texas Hold’em. Tournament Texas Hold’em was accepted as “the poker game” when the poker boom hit the United States in 2003, after Chris Moneymakers historic World Series of Poker Main Event victory. Millions of college students, middle aged men and women, and retirees began playing the game which was made famous through ESPN’s coverage.

Many people inside the game of poker only play Texas Hold’em and many of these people do not even understand the other forms of poker that are our there. I recently hosted my weekly home poker game and decided to make it a dealer’s choice game. I selected Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, and 7 card stud as my dealer’s choice games and had to explain the rules and concepts of the games numerous times. A few of my friends, who are quite talented Texas Hold’em players, were not big fans of these new games, as they did not fully understand the strategies to excel at the new games and could not be bothered to apply themselves. A few of the other players at the game, loved the new additions. They liked the added action created in Omaha, as well as the new information and betting rounds created in Stud and Razz.

There are so many different and unique caveats of each game, that it creates new and different challenges amongst each game. I, like many, first learned how to play Texas hold’em competitively. I got into Omaha by playing online and reading books such as Super System. At the time I first got into Omaha, I was a bit burnt out on Texas hold’em. That’s what really got me interested in playing Omaha competitively. Learning the nuisances of this game type and the different strategies involved with Omaha brought back my passion for playing poker. I became a student of the game again, studying and learning everything I could about the game. In the end, I became much better at Omaha, but these strategies and new thought processes also helped me in my Texas hold’em game as well.

Some sites do not offer every form of poker or have as high as volume of games in these different games that they do in Texas hold’em. However, most of the large sites and many medium sized sites have many game types. Full Tilt, Poker Stars, and Ultimate Bet all offer games in Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha H/L, Razz, 7 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud H/L. Just like Texas Hold’em, these sites offer micro stakes, .01/.02, low stakes, $1/2, medium stakes, $10/$20, and large stakes, $50/$100 and above. I would suggest starting at very low stakes for Omaha if you are just learning the game. It is a very fast paced game and you don’t want to blow your whole bankroll before you even understand the game.

Throughout the next few weeks, I will take you on a journey through the various forms of Omaha and the challenges with each form and game stype. I will not only give you a better understanding of Omaha Hi and Hi/Lo, but I will teach you some proven winning strategies for each form of Omaha and the various opportunities involved with each game.

If you can play Hold’em, you know how boring grinding out a session can be.  Unless you are a loose player, you spend more time folding hands than you do anything else.  When you are looking for something with a little more action and that is a lot more fun to play, Omaha is the perfect answer.

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.

Omaha Poker is a game that is played very much like texas holdem poker but has two unique differences in overall rules.  First, each player is dealt four cards.  From that point, the game is played much like holdem with a flop, turn, and river.  Betting occurs after each round as in holdem.  At showdown, players must use two cards in their hand and three cards on the board to make their best five card hand.  The best hand wins the pot.  Omaha is primarily played in two forms, limit and pot limit.  Pot limit Omaha is the most popular form and the form we will use for this article.

Omaha is a game of big cards and big draws.  The best starting hands are those that include two aces in them.  You also would like one or both of the Aces suited with other cards.  For example, the best starting hand in Omaha is A-A-K-K double suited, which means that one A-K is of one suit and the other is of another suit.  Not all hands with Aces are created equal.  Hands with two aces but two cards that do not coordinate are speculative hands at best.  Ac-Ad-8h-5s would be one such example.  You have aces, but nothing else really.  There are a couple of straight draws, but ones that can easily be outdrawn.  Hands such as A-A-K-Q, A-A-Q-10, A-A-J-10, etc are all fantastic starting hands.  Not only do you have a pair of aces, but you have multiple straight draws. If your cards are suited as well, especially suited with the aces, that gives you even more outs to win.  Most of the time you will raise the pot pre-flop when you start with a hand containing two aces.

Other great hands include hands with two kings and two queens as their top pair.  The same holds true for hands with big pairs as it does with aces.  Not all hands are equal and the hands with straight and flush possibilities are superior.  Hands that contain two pair are also strong hands.  Again, the higher the two pair and the more coordinated they are, the better.  For example, Qs-Qh-Js-Jh is much stronger than Qs-Qh-7c-7s.  Both are playable, but the bigger the cards, the harder your opponents fall.  These are hands that are can also be brought in for a raise pre-flop, but only call if someone else has raised.

If someone says that they have a wrap in Omaha, they are not talking about their lunch.  A wrap in Omaha is four consecutive cards that can make a straight.  The strongest wrap is J-10-9-8 double suited.  This hand will allow you to make any straight from a 9 high straight to broadway.  That is six different hands.  Lower wrap straights need to be played with caution as they can be trap hands.  A hand such as 3-4-5-6 can be easily outdrawn.  While you are learning to play the game, these are limping hands.  You can typically call a raise pre-flop with these hands, but I wouldn’t recommend calling more than one raise.

Not all coordinated hands should be played, at least not while you are learning the game.  Hands with two low pair (3-3-2-2), low wraps (A-2-3-4), two medium cards and two low cards (Q-J-5-6) , and suited hands with medium suited cards and two low suited cards (Qc-Jc-5h-4h).  Also, large unsuited wraps and hands with two pair that are totally unsuited are hands that can be potential losing hands.  I would recommend only playing unsuited wraps and big pairs either in the blind or in a very loose game.  If the flop does not improve your hand, get out.

Betting in Pot-Limit Omaha is a little different in most games.  First, the first player to open betting can raised up to seven times the small blind.  In a $1-$2 blind pot limit Omaha game, the player can raise to $7.  After the initial raise, each subsequent raise is the amount of the pot.  While other bet amounts are allowed, a lot of times players will tend to bet the full amount of the pot to either protect their hand, or to get more money into the pot.  Also, you will find that Pot Limit Omaha is an action game.  Due to the drawing nature of the game, many people will see a flop and stay in a pot after the flop due to the different possibilities their hand possesses.  In fact, more money typical goes into a pot in a pot limit Omaha game than does in a No-limit holdem game.  In many part of Europe PLO is more popular than holdem.

You need to pay careful attention to the board in Pot Limit Omaha and know where you hand stands at all times.  If you flop a set, is there a straight or a flush draw out there.  When you are on a straight draw, is it the nuts and are there any flush draws?  The board just paired.  How does that change the hand dynamic?  In Omaha, you need to be drawing to the nut or holding the nuts or you will typically be the loser, especially in lower limit games where fewer people will fold pre-flop.  If you hold a straight and there is a potential flush, get out.  If the board paired and there is more than one opponent in the hand, then it’s typically time to get out.  When your hand is 2nd nut or lower, you need to consider getting out of the hand.  Obviously, there are exceptions to this, but as a beginning player, you need to start paying attention to other possibilities.  This will save you money long term.

Omaha is a high action game that is not for the faint of heart.  The swings in this game are unlike any game that you will play, including No-limit holdem.  Developing a solid strategy is imperative to maximize your winning and to minimize your losses when you have a losing session.  With the above tips, you should have a great start in learning pot-limit Omaha.  Now it is time to go out and put these tips to use.  Good luck and I hope to see you at the tables.

In a previous article, you were introduced to Omaha 8 or better poker.  You learned the basic rules of how to play the game as well as common terminology and some various situations that you will encounter in the game.  For this article, we will go over some basic strategy on how to play Omaha 8 or better for those just learning the game.

Omaha 8 or better is a game where starting with strong holdings is of utmost importance.  Playing speculative hands will lead to large portions of your bankroll disappearing quicker than any other poker game you will run across.

Let’s talk a moment about starting hands that include an ace.  The ace is the most powerful card in the deck in Omaha 8 or better due to the fact that it is the only card that plays both ways.  Obviously it is needed to make nut straight and flushes, but it is also required to make nut lows.  In Omaha 8 or better, you will need to holding or to be drawing to the nuts in almost all cases.  If you are not, most of the time you will lose.

The strongest hands in Omaha 8 or better are hands that have an A-2 and two coordinating cards.  Ideally you want an A-2 with another wheel card and a card above 9. You also want your hands to have at least two cards suited, preferably with the ace.  The strongest hand in Omaha 8 or better is A-A-2-3 with both aces suited.  Hands with A-3 and two coordinating cards are very strong as well.  These types of hands are generally raising hands pre-flop.  A-4 and two coordinating cards can be played, but should be played somewhat cautiously while you are learning.  A-5 and two coordinating cards I would only recommend playing from the blind to no raise.  A-6 and two coordinating cards should only be played from the big blind to no raise.  A-7 and A-8 hands should not be played as they will make the worst lows possible and will be outdrawn a high percentage of the time.

Hands starting with a 2-3 can be played profitably but can also become trap hands if you do not pay careful attention to the board.  First, an ace must hit the board on the flop to be able to play most hands starting with 2-3.  A low draw flops on the board without an ace; your hand is next to worthless.  While you are learning the game, you will only want to play the 2-3 either from the blind or in a very passive game where 4 or more players limp in to see a flop.  Even in those games, an ace must hit the flop in order to continue.

High hands in Omaha Hi-Lo are tricky to play and in most cases can lead to you only winning half the pot.  The problem with playing high cards in 8 or better comes when the board comes low or is drawing low.  At this point, you are drawing to half the pot if you are lucky.   While learning, you should probably only play high cards in one of two scenarios.  First, if you are in the blind to no raise, then you may see the flop with high cards.  Next, if you are in relatively tight game and multiple players are seeing the flop, then there is a high chance a lot of low cards are being held by your opponents.  This is one time where you can speculate with high cards.  If the flop comes low or middling, then it is time to fold.

Some of the biggest trap hands are hands that include the 7, 8, and 9.  Hands such as 6-7-8-9 and 7-8-9-10 can be very powerful in Omaha Hi, but in 8 or better, they are long term losers.  The main reason by now should be obvious.  6-7, 7-8, and 6-8 will not win the largest majority of the time.  Also, in most cases straights including the 7-8-9 will not be the nut straight and will just cost you money.  I cannot recommend a good time to play a hand such as this while you are learning, so the best thing to do is to avoid them.

Be careful when playing hands that are unsuited.  Hand such as A-2-3-K unsuited look great, but leave you drawing to just lows and straights.   You cannot make a flush and a flush is a common high hand.  A hand that is unsuited, even when strong, will usually wind up as a one way hand.  Even a hand such as A-A-3-4 unsuited can win up as speculative.  I’m not saying not to ever play this hand, but pay close attention when you do play the hand.

Let’s talk a moment about keeping players in the pot in Omaha 8 or better. In many poker games, you will try and push out opponents when you have the nuts.  Omaha 8 or better is a little different.  In many cases, you will be splitting the pot with another player and in some cases with more than one player.  When you have one side of the pot locked, you do not want to drive out the other players in the pot.  You want as much money contributed to the pot as possible.  In many cases, you will just call when you have a nut low on the flop instead of raising which is the instinct of many players.  Astute players will be able to place you on hands relatively easy when you raise with certain boards.  This may cost you money in the long run.

Omaha 8 or better is hand driven game that rewards solid play.  It is no surprise that the winner in most Omaha 8 or better games is typically the tightest player.  Most of this is due to their ability to get away from mediocre hands and capitalize on weak player.   While learning the game, you need to stay to a tight strategy and stay away from mediocre cards if you want to hold onto your chips.  The prior two articles should have given you a solid foundation to begin playing and should start paying off dividends immediately.  Good luck and I hope to see you at the tables.

Omaha 8 or Better is a split pot version of regular Omaha Poker.  The rules are the same as Omaha High but with one difference.  In Omaha Hi-Lo, a qualifying low hand will take half the pot.  A qualifying low hand is a five card hand of five unique cards eight or below.  Straights and flushes do not count against low hands.  Aces play both high and low in this game, so the best low hand is the wheel.  (A-2-3-4-5)  Omaha hi-lo is typically played in either a limit or a pot-limit fashion.  For sake of this article, we will focus on limit Omaha hi-lo.

First, remember that in Omaha poker, you must use two cards in your hand and three from the board.  The same holds true in hi-lo, but there is one difference.  You do not have to use the same two cards for both high and low.  For example, let’s say you have A-2-K-Q and the board ran out 3-6-7-K-Q.  You can play your K-Q for two pair to take high, and you can play you’re A-2 to give you the nut low.  Nut low is the term used for the best possible low for a given hand.

Whether you are a beginning player or an experienced poker player, quality starting hand selection is the key to long term success in Omaha hi-lo poker.  The object of the game in Omaha hi-lo poker is to scoop pots.  Scooping a pot occurs when you win both the high and low sides of the pot, and when there are no qualifying lows.  As a result, you need to play hands that give you a decent chance to scoop pots.  You really want hands that have an ace and preferably one or more wheel cards.  Hands containing A-2 or A-3 are best.  A-4 and up start to become a little more tricky and should be played only in the blinds.

In addition, you are looking for cards that are suited and connected in your hand.  In regards to suited cards, you really want cards suited with an ace.  Don’t get in a habit of playing any two suited cards.

Omaha hi-lo is a drawing game.  You will constantly be drawing to either a low, a straight, flush or full house.  As a result, you need to be constantly aware of what is possible on the board.  A rule of thumb in Omaha is that when you are not drawing to the nuts in one or more directions, then you need to get out of the hand.  If you are drawing to a straight and there are three suited cards on board, get out.  If you are drawing and the board pairs, then a full house is likely and you will want to get out.  If you have only 2nd or third nut low and more than one opponent is in the hand, its time to fold.  Playing second best hands will only cost you money.

Let’s talk about the subject of quartering.  When a player is quartered, that means that they have tied another player for one side of the pot.  In a lot of instances in Omaha hi-lo, this tie will occur on the low side of the pot.  When this happens, a player will receive only one-third of the total pot.  When only two or three players are in the pot, a player will actually lose money in a quartered pot.  As you gain experience in hi-lo, you will be able to recognize situations of potential quartering.  I will point out a couple of situation that you will typically encounter.

First, when there are more than three players seeing a flop, there is a higher than normal chance that at least two players are holding an A-2 or A-3.  When the flop hits making A-2 the nut low and multiple players stay in the pot, slow down.  Another instance of quartering will occur when there are four wheel cards on the board.  If you are in a hand with three or more players and the board holds four wheel cards, you are looking at a potential quartering situation.  In some cases you will chop the pot with one or more wheels, but you will likely run into a higher straight or a flush along the way.

Another term you will encounter quite often is the term counterfeited.  When a player is counterfeited in hi-lo, this means that a card has fell on the board that eliminated the ability for the player to make low.  For example, if you hold A-2-10-J and the flop falls A-7-8, your low is counterfeited.  You can only make a low if a fourth low card falls, and it will not be a nut low.  This term can also apply to players whose nut low was eliminated but they were left with a weaker low.   If you held A-2-6-K and the board fell A-7-8, then your nut low would be counterfeited, but you would still hold a weak low.

I mention counterfeiting due to the fact that many beginner players will hold on to their hands after getting counterfeited hoping to hit a second pair or draw to a weaker low.  While you are beginning to learn the game, you need to abandon the hand when you become counterfeited unless you have a redraw to the nut low or a nut high.  A redraw is the term used when referring to a hand that has a possibility to draw to another hand if one hand is counterfeited or a potential higher hand can beat it.  An example would be if you held A-2-4-Q and the flop fell A-5-6.  In this case your nut low was counterfeited but, you also flopped two pair and a three will give you a wheel and a six high straight.

Omaha hi-lo is a little more complex than most game starting out due to the various combination of starting hands and the nuisances of the game.  A solid player will be a lifetime winner at the game, but they need to have a solid understanding of the game.  This article hopefully has given you a solid introduction to Omaha Hi-Lo.  In my next article, I will go over hand values in depth and offer tips to help you learn the game.