Omaha Poker Strategy

Omaha

Omaha is a game of very strong poker hands and this is largely because every player has 4 hole cards. For this reason you will often see more betting action at an Omaha table then at a regular holdem table. This is because many times in Omaha several players will make very strong hands, and often times it will take the nuts to win a pot. Unless you are playing short handed this is less of a bluffing game than Holdem.

Omaha is a game in which preflop action has far less emphasis they play on the flop turn and river.

Omaha High Starting Hand Advice
Omaha is a game of nut hands. This means in most cases when there is a showdown one player will have a very strong hand, usually the best possible hand on any given board. For this reason you should only play starting hands that will lead to big hands if you hit your draw. Suited cards that don't include an ace are only of value as blocking cards (with them in your hand it is more difficult for another player to complete a flush in that suit) but if you make a flush that isn't the nuts it probably will not win so in and of themselves these cards are of little to no value. Ace high flush draws are playable combinations but here it is better if you only have two of a suit, having three or even worse four of a suit substantially reduces your chances of completing a hand (remember you can only use two of your hole cards). Having two aces with accompanying suited cards is the strongest possible category of starting hands, with two pair double suited being the best, and then one pair double suited with connectors being the secondary category. As in any form of high hand poker the bigger your cards the better.
One important thing to realize in high only Omaha is that there is not a large discrepancy in the strengths of the starting hands. What is far more important is how well you connect with the flop. You can play many medium strength and even weak hands as preflop raises are generally small in Omaha. Once you have seen a flop you can determine how you would like to proceed.

Omaha 8/b Starting Hand Advice
In Omaha eight or better you should be playing hands that are either locks in one direction or have good potential both ways. The most important card in this game is the Ace. Almost any hand you play should have an ace and at least one other card to make a nut low. The best hands in this game are when you have an ace high flush draw and either a pair with 3 cards to an A-5 or 4 cards under 5. In both cases you have a very strong low draw (you may even have a lock from the flop on) and the chance and winning the whole pot. This is the kind of situation where you can play very aggressively with little or no risk. In many cases preflop bets will be small and you will be able to see with flops with all kinds of hands. The one key thing to remember is a great high hand can be okay, a great low only hand can be okay, a hand with some nut potential each way is great, but a hand that is mediocre both ways is the one to muck early. Like any Omaha game in 8/b your going to see the nuts both ways on a very regular basis, as long as you aren't paying people off with second best hands this can be a profitable game.