Basic Strategy of Hold'em Poker Versus Omaha Poker

Texas Hold'em is generally played with nine or ten people at a table. This is the same for Omaha, a variation of Texas Hold'em but with four hold cards distributed at the beginning of the game per player as opposed to two cards. There is the major difference. Even though you must use two and only two of the four hold cards in Omaha, this slight difference makes a big difference as far as developing a winning strategy.

Mathematics Of Texas Hold'em Poker

If there are nine players at a table then 18 cards are distributed on the first round. This is about 1/3 of the deck. When the flop happens each player can see his two pocket cards and the three cards of the flop. Even after the river card is turned more than half the cards remain in the deck. This is true with 10 players as well.

If you have an ace and another ace flops the odds of someone holding the third and/or fourth ace is less than 50/50. In a truly random in a well shuffled deck. You can feel pretty secure that your aces will be good as long as your kicker is good. Of course if there are three spades on board you can be pretty sure someone has at least two spades which will trump your aces or even aces up. If there is a rainbow flop and no three straight flopped, and no pairs flopped you can be pretty sure your aces will hold unless someone has flopped a set (three of a kind) or two pairs. An un-raised value bet will tell you if someone has the trips or two pair and you better leave at that point.

Mathematics Of Omaha Hold'em Poker

Dramatically different than Texas Hold'em, Omaha has 37 card distributed in a nine player field and 40 cards given out in a ten player game. With the five board cards dealt virtually the whole deck is in play (45 out of 52 cards). So the question of are there one or two aces left in the deck becomes mute. They have probably been distributed. The question then becomes who has them and what are they using them for. Aces as a pair generally are not a winning hand in Omaha Poker. However, they are great if no pair has been dealt on board and you have the ace suited in your hand. With a flush or a four card, flush draw on the flop. Going in with two suited cards without an ace of that suit may lead you to a flush which is beaten by the nut flush with someone holding the ace and another card of that suit in their hand. Therefore always remember that when you play Omaha, don't count on a card still being left in the deck. It is most likely out there in someone's hold cards.

The Best Omaha Hand in a Omaha High Only Game

In my opinion AAKQ is the best pocket cards if the king is suited with one ace and the queen is suited with the other ace. This gives you two nut flush draws, a nut straight draw and a pair of aces which may become as set on the flop. Remember, in most Omaha games you must use two cards from your hand to make your final hand. If you have the ace of spades but no other spades in your hold cards, you cannot make a flush even if 4 or 5 spades fall on the board. That is because you must use two cards from your 4 hold card to make a hand. If you have one spade in your hold cards you cannot make a spade flush no matter how many spades fall on the board.

Best Omaha Hand in a Hi-Lo Game

In my opinion the best Omaha hand in an Omaha Hi-Lo game is AA23 where the deuce is suited with one ace and the 3 is suited with the second ace. You may win both high and low hands if a tree cards to a wheel (a straight of 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5) or a nut flush with a good secondary low.

Good luck and have fun. Omaha is so interesting and complex that one day it may overtake Texas Hold'em as the game played in the main event of the World Series of Poker.