The Strategy of Playing Omaha Hold’em Tight and Bankroll. The 1st part

Play bankroll

You’ve already tried playing limit Omaha at low buy-ins and got accustomed to use only two pocket cards and three board cards? We hope that a successful session hasn’t turned your head and you haven’t begun to play at high buy-ins and of course you haven’t sat at a pot-limit table. Or you would have already made the next deposit by now. Such things often happen when somebody plays poker too self-confidently.

While you still learn how to play stay at low limits. If your bankroll is 200 or 300 dollars don’t sit down at a table with limits higher than 1$/2$. On a table with 1$/2$ limits, preflop starting bet will be 1$, flop bet – 1$, turn and river bets – 2$. Moreover sometimes you’ll have to call a raised bet or raise yourself. Having made bets on each street you’ll put in the pot minimum 6$. Before you win a few hands these 200 or 300 dollars may end pretty fast.

Play tight

In process of training try to play tight and make bets only with good hands which have good chances for improvement on the flop and other streets. Don’t get into the pot with weak hands especially when your opponent shows strength and raises. How to play certain hands on each street and when fold them will be described in further articles.

Successful game should begin in preflop. You have to play in Omaha holdem only the hands which will give you the highest chances to get nuts. Each player has four cards not only you. Nevertheless you should aim at all four cards to work for you, though you can use only two.

Forget holdem, it’s Omaha

If you were dealt AK84 don’t play this hand instinctively like you would in holdem, where AK is good starting hand. Of course AK may be used in Omaha as well but it is likely that you are behind already. Having four pocket cards you may form six combinations of two cards. In Omaha a very good hand must have six combinations of two cards which could be played in holdem without supplement. Naturally, you’ll get such a hand quite seldom but we would advise you to try and play the hands with at least four good combinations.

In the given example AK84 how many combinations will you play in holdem considering that a beginner should try and play tight?

AK – is played in any position from the dealer (button).
A8 – a weak hand but may be played in late position (if you bet the last).
A4 – a weak hand but may be played in late position (if you bet the last).
K8 – fold.
K4 – fold.
84 – fold.

Continuation see here.