Omaha Poker Strategies

If you considering yourself to be a strong and agressive player, Omaha Poker might be just right for you. It is the most famous type of the Seven Card Stud, but it provides more betting rounds. Therefore, more chances to try your luck and leave the game winning a great deal. Professionals believe that the greatest sole ingredient for a good Omaha Poker game lies within aggressive betting of the player: active bluffing, raising, re-raising on a strong hand and the analysis of each opponent at the table.

The main ingredients of an effective strategy

1. A strict selection of played out hands: if you want to play successfully, it's vital to fight for the pot only with a strong combination at hand or a potentially strong draw hand with a high probability of the completion.
2. Self-control matters: this small rule may seem fairly simple to follow, but in reality it's of an exceptional importance. NEVER bluff if you have a weak card combination at hand. It isn't easy to make your opponents fold just like that. Remember about the aggressive style of the game and its high pace. Therefore, if you choose to play Omaha Poker, be very patient: the ability to wait for a favourable situation advantageous to your hand is crucial.
3. Analyse your opponents: always pay attention to what is going on around you. Pay attention to your opponents: micro-expressions, the body language they use. Anything can and should be used as a clue. Keep your cool and observe.
4. Remember the disclosed cards of your opponents: always pay attention to the disclosed cards, in particular, check if any of your opponents' cards are the missing ingredients to your strong combination at hand? Is there anything more to it to enhance your combination?

Avoiding mistakes when playing Omaha Poker:

• Fight for the pot only when you're 100% sure that you are in possession of a strong card combination. Never fight if you think otherwise. Remember the high pace of the game and its aggressive nature.
• Never continue the game when your opponents are announcing a raise and your combination is not getting any better.
• It is a huge mistake to act as if you live under a rock without paying any attention to what's going on around you. Especially when you don't have a tendency to look and memorise your opponents' cards that they disclosed.
• Leave the passive outside.

As we stated before, the passive style of the game will bring you nothing but loss. Only aggressive and a high pace rthythm will provide you with a control during the trades and enchance your chances to win.

• Never risk with a weak card combination at hand.

It's simple. Avoid bluffing when your combination is weak and you're trying to oppose it to a strong one your opponents may possess. Be wise.

The key strategy / bets and raises with a draw hand

One of the most effective strategies in Omaha Poker are bets and raises with a draw hand combination. What is a draw hand?

A draw hand (unfinished hand) is a collection of your cards that can potentially increase the overall distribution of the cards. The stronger your draw combination, the better your position in comparison to the others. The most important elements of the strategy are: a bet, a raise and even re-raise on a draw hand. In some cases that can easily 'squeeze out' the opponents out of the game for good.

There are two things to consider when you use this draw hand strategy: what part of your card combination is open for your opponents to read and which part remains closed?

Let's take as an example the following situation: Sixth Street, an unfinished Flush in your hand, 4 cards of the same suit, and all that is needed to complete the draw is the one and only card of the same suit. 3 cards from your Flush draws are open for your opponents' eyes. In this case make a bold bet and raise. By adopting such an aggressive style of the game you are increasing your chances to 'squeeze out' your competitors because they would see a potential danger in your strong card combination. So they will have nothing better to do than to fold and go home…

Now it's time to take into consideration a reverse situation where 3 out of the 4 cards in your Flush draw are closed. So the raising strategy here is pretty much pointless. In this case, a more suitable thing to do is to hold your capacity for bluffing to its minimum. Remember that there is no need to declare a call if you have no good reason to do that.

Analyse your own card combination

It's important to analyse your own card combination and its potential and monitor the cards of your opponents. The choice of a further strategy game in Omaha Poker is based on a single principle: only potentially profitable are a true value.

The most profitable starting combinations played even during a very aggressive game are the following (in descending order of priority):

• Sets (Three): any combination of 3 cards of the same rank, three aces and below.
• A pair of high suited cards: 2 aces or 2 jacks. Another important thing is the highest card (kicker) to play a hand with a pair and an ace is far less risky than with a pair and 2.
• High cards of the same suit is a potential ground for the future Flash. For building a draw, you would need aces, kings, queens and jacks.
• Pairs of middle cards: tens, eights.
• A combination of medium suited cards is also a good basis for a potential Flush, but it's considered much more risky. A fairly good starting hand combinations are like jack + 10 + 9, 9 + 8 + 7.

Opponents' actions analysis

The most important basis of any Poker game is the art of observation which allows you to get as much information on the current situation as possible in order to make more accurate conclusions.

Behaviour of your opponents may differ greatly depending on their starting hands and combinations that they are collecting during the game. Conventionally, all variants of hands can be divided into several major categories:

• A Top Hand: usually a combination of three (sets) and above. It's fairly easy to recognise this opponent's combination, especially if he's a newbie. A strong hand gives confidence vitally needed to your opponent in order to bet and announce a raise (often instead of declaring a call).
• Draw Hands. Unfinished combinations that can be increased with the help of 1 or 2 cards from the general distributions. This may be a Flush, a Straight, etc.
• Weak combinations where a player uses bluffing in order to gain confidence.

The main questions to be answered:

1. Always analyse the behaiviour of your opponents. How often do they bet and raise or just have a tendency to call? What's the style of the game they favour: a passive or an aggressive one?
2. Observe the frequency of drawing opponents' hands. How often do they do that? If your opponent is inclined to play his combinations more often, it means that he's more likely to take the unnecessary risk and bluff. Therefore, he's an easy target to be squeezed out of the game.
3. Never underestimate the position of your opponents in relation to the dealer.

Good Luck!