Tips on Omaha Poker

Omaha is thought to be a game with small edges that must be pushed. While it's true that in PL Omaha, it's rare for one hand to be as huge of a favorite over another preflop as matchups that you see in Holdem, the beauty of the game is evident after the flop. In PLO, there are plenty of hands that when they connect just right can leave your opponent drawing slim to a split. What other game can you be a huge dog after flopping the nut straight?

And in Omaha/8, your equity as a good player will be even bigger than PLO. The split nature of Omaha Hi-Low gives the game a much lower variance than Holdem or Stud. Take a look at the following tips and hopefully they'll give you the edge you need to break away from the standard Omaha masachists playing these variants and become the Omaha poker shark you are meant to be!

1. The more players in a pot, the more importance hand value gains over position.

2. Play only starting hands with four related cards.

3. After the flop, get out if you do not have the best hand or nut draw.

4. After the flop, ideal hands have not only top value but a draw.

5. In high/low, hands with 6-9s are longterm losers.

6. The best hand in high/low is AA23 double suited.

7. In high/low, raising before the flop rarely limits the field.

8. Your low set is beat more often by a higher set in Omaha than in Hold'em.

9. Drawing to the second nuts is an amateur's method for destruction.

10. With the nut low but no chance to scoop, betting in a high-action multi-player pot could lead to getting quartered, or worse, counterfeited. Count your opponents. If there are more than three, bet away. Less than three, take it slow.

11. Hand value holds more importance than position in multi-player limit pots.

12. Due to multiway action of the game, and each player having four cards, the nuts is usually out there.

13. Playable starting hands are in categories of big pairs with connectors, rundowns, and three-card rundowns with a pair.

14. In high/low, a naked ace-deuce (meaning no backup low card, like a 3) goes from the nuts to nothing when one of your cards is counterfeited (the board pairs your low cards). Always have a backup.

15. Two aces are part of the best starting hands in Omaha, but if a low board makes straight, flush, and two pair possibilities (that don't match up with your other two cards), you will probably never see any money that you keep putting in.

16. There are times you simply will find yourself against the true nuts. Your full house might lose to quads, probably costing you a lot of money. Look for any signs you may have missed, but don't get discouraged... part of poker is losing, and it happens to everyone on occasion.

I'm almost finished sharing my poker tips with you... do you feel your poker game rising to a new level? Good! Now you're ready for our most advanced poker tips section where we examine poker tells and look at our top poker tips on reading players at the table!