Omaha is an exciting and engaging form of poker that rivals Hold’em in playability and potential profit. Though less strategically complex than its No-Limit Texas counterpart, Omaha poker has its own intricacies that create a uniquely challenging yet deceptively simple game for players of all levels.
Being Dealt Four Cards Instead of Two
First things first, Omaha is played with four, as opposed to two, hole cards and five community cards known respectively as the flop, the turn, and the river. Four hole cards provide players with several more possible hand combinations pre and post flop.
The catch to all these extra possibilities is that when it’s time to show down the winning hand players can, and must, use only two of their hole cards. This rule can be difficult to remember for new players and Hold’em converts where the possibilities of using only one hole card or playing the board exist.
Basic Omaha Strategy
Once the flop is dealt, Omaha is essentially played like Hold’em, just with unique strategies because the game is played in different variants. While Hold’em is played in all varieties, Fixed-Limit, Pot-Limit, and No-Limit, Omaha is played strictly with Fixed and Pot-Limits.
With players unable to bet all of their chips on one particular hand, Omaha poker rewards patience where Hold’em rewards aggression. Patiently playing strong starting hands generally result in winning sessions for capable players, and playing good cards makes you fully capable.
Bluffing is less of a strategic play in Omaha than it would be in No-Limit Hold’em, and is often ill advised. A good rule of thumb when playing Omaha is that players who stay in till the showdown often have made their hand, and bluffing with a busted draw on the river is like throwing away chips. In poker, your chips are your weapons, don’t waste your ammunition.
Omaha High/Low Split or Omaha 8
Where Omaha truly sets itself apart from Hold’em is that it can be played as a High/Low split game with an 8 qualifier. What this means is that “made” hands such as pairs, sets, straights, flushes, and full houses are used to make the winning high hand while the five lowest cards below an 8 comprise the winning low hand.
The intriguing, and often frustrating part of the Omaha 8 variant is that two, or sometimes more, players often have to split the pot. This factors in considerably when determining pot odds and potential risk in each possible situation.
Starting hand considerations for Omaha High are equivalent to strong Hold’em starting hands, big pairs, and high suited connectors. Omaha 8 opens up the selection a great deal as big pairs and suited connectors are still valuable, suited or connecting low cards are added to the equation. A-A-2-3 double-suited is considered the “holy grail” of Omaha 8 starting hands.
Strong Cards for Omaha High
- A-A - 9-9
- A-K - J-10 suited
Strong Cards for Omaha 8
- A-2
- A-3
- A-A
- Any suited Ace
Interesting Omaha Side Notes
- The World Series of Poker did not introduce Omaha until 1983
- Top professionals Phil Ivey, T. J. Cloutier, Howard Lederer, and Scotty Nguyen won their first WSOP bracelet in an Omaha event
- Omaha events (11) were the second most contested poker variant at the 2009 World Series of Poker
