Omaha Poker

History of Omaha

Very little is known for sure about the exact origins of Omaha. It is a variant of Texas Holdem , infact it is also known as Omaha Hold'em. Omaha was introduced to the Las Vegas casinos in 1982 and was well recieved by the regular Texas Holdem players, for many years it was the game of choice among the top players in Europe. Although Texas Holdem has captured the market somewhat, Omaha remains the second most popular poker variant played today.

Understanding Omaha

Omaha is considerably slower than Texas Holdem , dealing half as many hands per hour typically. Despite this, there is more action in an Omaha game which in turn means the pots are larger. Patience is a must; it is a myth that you play more hands in Omaha than Texas Holdem . Tight aggressive poker can be a rewarding approach to this game as it takes a stronger hand to win in Omaha; a typical winning hand would be 3 of a kind or better more often than not and usually a straight, flush or full house.

Omaha is more about playing patient poker, waiting for a monster draw or very strong made Poker Hands and then betting them aggressively. There is'nt as much finesse as Texas Holdem and far less opportunity for creative post flop play. The main benefits are that you can win more money per hour than Holdem typically, and with less variance once a decent level of proficiency can be achieved.

Another contributing factor to why there is currently a good opportunity to profit from Omaha is that the competency of the majority of poker players is generally lower than with tesas holdem poker players, thus there is a greater opportunity to hold an advantage in this area. A more skilled Omaha player may hold a bigger advantage, although this could change as more and more tesas holdem poker players make the transition over to Omaha after learning the Omaha Poker Rules.

Omaha Tips

Although Omaha is derived from Hold'em, they play like two very different games. Omaha is about showing the best poker hands in a showdown and making mathematically correct decisions. Bluffing plays a much smaller role as good poker bluffing opportunities arise less frequently in Omaha. If you don't have the nut hand or a draw to the nuts, consider folding.

Choice of poker starting hand selection is important; you are looking for 4 cards that offer six good combinations of two card hands, maximising your drawing potential i.e. connecting cards and suited aces.

Raising before the flop is much less important in Omaha, other than the very few times where you have a realistic opportunity to reduce the field while holding a hand with considerable potential. Only raise with your very best starting hands. Calling a pre flop raise with a weak starting hand in Omaha is much more of a mistake than in holdem.

By the flop, you have seen 77% of your hand, you should have a reasonable idea whether your hand has the potential to continue; use maths aswell as experience to guide your post flop decisions. Typically, if you have'nt flopped at least two pair or better, or, a monster draw, consider folding. If there are bigger draws on the board, such as a flush or full house, consider folding three of a kind and a straight, use the betting action as a guide to whether a good hand could already be drawing dead.

Knowing how to read the poker game is a huge skill to possess in Omaha, you must be able to understand which poker starting hands would make the nut hand in relation to the texture of the board, specifically the flop though. Save yourself money in the long term by making the right decision on the flop; if your hand does'nt fit with the board on the flop, consider folding.