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Omaha

31 March 2009

A game of Omaha is very similar to that of Texas Hold’Em accept you are dealt 4 pocket cards instead of 2. Betting rounds are the same and there is a ‘Flop’ ‘Turn’ and ‘River’ card.

A qualifying hand has to be made up of 2 of the 4 cards from the players pocket and 3 from the 5 communal cards. The player has to show all 4 of the pocket cards or it is deemed a fold.

You cannot play the communal hand as in Texas Hold’Em (even though the best this could be would be a split pot), therefore if the communal cards make a flush of hearts you have to have at least 2 hearts in your pocket cards to qualify for a flush.

Omaha Hi/Lo
Omaha Hi/Lo is slightly different with a lot more thinking involved. With Hi/Lo two players can win, the player with the best hand wins but the player with the lowest qualifying hand takes half the pot. A qualifying Lo hand is anything 8 or lower. Once again you have to play 2 of your 4 pocket cards with 3 of the 5 communal cards.

If there is not a Lo player that qualifies the Hi player takes all the pot.

If a player has a Hi hand and a qualifying Lo hand he/she does not have to decide which they want to play; they will both be looked at for the best win; if the Hi hand doesn’t win then the Lo hand may.

(The 8 qualify rule differs from casino to casino).

Hands are the same as in any other poker game in terms of strength.
Types of Betting Hands – Worst to Best
1. High card (where the highest card out of the 5 wins)
2. 1 Pair (if two players have a pair the highest pair wins)
3. 2 Pair (if two players have 2 pair, the highest pair out of the two wins, if they are the same the 2nd pair involved that is highest wins)
4. 3 Of A Kind (similarly to 2 pair, highest wins)
5. Straight (a run of 5 consecutive cards e.g. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, the player with the highest card in the straight wins)
6. Flush (5 cards all of the same suit, non-consecutive, highest card wins)
7. Full House (a pair and 3 of a kind together, e.g. 3, 3, K, K, K, highest 3 of a kind wins )
8. Four Of A Kind (four of the same card e.g. 5, 5, 5, 5, highest 4 of a kind wins)
9. Straight Flush (5 cards all of the same suit that are consecutive, highest card wins)
10. Royal Flush (similarly to a straight flush although the hand starts with an A and descends, e.g. A, K, Q, J, 10 all Hearts)

Omaha Strategy Tips

1. If your Hi hand is not a certain winning hand you should probably fold, unless you may be able to win the Lo hand, but if your Lo is quite high (somewhere in the middle eg. 7,6,5,4,3) again you should probably fold.

2. Early raises can be very risky (it’s not like A,K pocket in Texas Hold’Em) anything can happen after the flop. Unless you have something after the flop which can’t lose avoid early raising.

3. It makes sense to avoid playing cards which cross the 8 card; this will often put you far away from winning the Hi card hand and disqualify you from winning the Lo card hand.

4. Look out for consecutive flop cards, eg. 6,7,8; this can make your Hi hand of 3 of a Kind lose.

5. Similarly look out for suited flop cards, eg. 8H, 4H, 2H; this can make your possible straight lose.

6. Watch for all-in bets, more often than not if the player has little chips left it’s a desperation bet and you would most likely win.

7. Watch your opponents carefully for how they bet, if they bluff, if they are calling-stations or very tight. This can help when you are not sure if your hand is good enough or can suck opponents in if it is.

8. Bluffing can help you, for one it can win you money when you don’t have anything and if you get caught then players will call you with poorer hands in future, meaning when you have an unbeatable hand you can take a lot more money. Bluffing can be your friend or enemy depending on the game. Knowing the game and playing cleverly is key.

9. Pay very close attention to your cards; Omaha Hi/Lo can get confusing with so many cards and combinations of hands to look at. You may think you have the ‘nut hand’ (best hand) when you don’t.

10. Practice is important; so much more is going on in Omaha Hi/Lo checking and re-checking your hand, being aware of betting, watching how you opponents are playing, they are all important.

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