The Strategy of Playing Omaha Hi Tight and Bankroll. The 2nd Part

The beginning of the article see here.

So from this all the only strong hand in holdem is A-K. Many tight players will fold any other hand.

Holdem and Omaha are completely different games. A-K is a strong hand in holdem but A-K-8-4, A-K-10-3, A-K-7-5 and similar hands in which ace is not suited with any other card are usually not played in Omaha.

Do you still not get it? A-K in holdem in 50% of cases will improve on the flop and give you top pair with top kicker. In holdem such hand is enough to win. In Omaha a pair of aces or kings is usually hopeless.

In Omaha one tries to get straight, flush or full house. Such combinations win in most cases and sometimes one wins over the other. Even straight is quite vulnerable if there are three suited cards or a pair on the board. A pair often gives somebody full house. At the same time A-A-K-Q where both aces are suited with other cards (e.g. AKAQ) is a strong hand because all six combinations from two cards may create nuts. These are not just high cards but they are also suited. J1098 is also very strong hand because it has good chances of getting straight and flush.

High possibility

Try to play the hands which have high possibilities of improving on the flop. In the given example the A-K-8-4 hand has very low possibilities:

– no possibility of getting flush (we don’t have two suited cards, desirably with Ace for nut flush);

– only two possible straights (we need three cards in line on the board: 5-6-7 or Q-J-10 and only one of them gives us nut flush);

– very small chances of getting full house (pocket pair is better for this instead of two different cards).

Hands weaker than straight seldom win at long tables. So if you don’t have a chance for straight, flush or full house you’d better keep out of the pot. Why lose your money for nothing?

Conclusions

There are a lot of peculiarities in Omaha high and only experience and strategy will open them to you. The only thing you have to remember from the very beginning is how not to lose your money fast. In Omaha more cards are used than in holdem so against you there will play more potential hands. It will not be until the river that your opponents are sure in their victory. Of course sometimes it will cost you a lot but on this account the pot also gets bigger and bigger. And a big pot makes players go to the very showdown.

Try and take pots as effective as possible. And choose starting hands very carefully before making bets. Then they’ll work for you bringing you profit.

And for now just learn, play tight and don’t try to jump over your head!