Exclusive Netbettor Omaha Article:

Pot-Limit Omaha
Part I: Are You ready for Some Fun?

The Texas hold 'em explosion has been great for poker-no question about that. The games are juicier than they've ever been, and what with the Internet and the proliferation of live card rooms it's never been easier to find a Texas hold em game. Nevertheless, one of the prices we've paid for the recent surge in Texas hold 'em players is that other great poker games have fallen out of favor. In an effort to provide our readers with the strategies they need to conquer all the games we're going to occasionally take a look at some of the other great poker games offered by online and brick and mortar poker rooms. Remember, folks-it's not all about Texas hold 'em!

This week we'll take a closer look at Pot-Limit Omaha. Why pot-limit? Because unlike limit betting Texas hold 'em, limit betting Omaha is one of the lousiest games you'll ever find. The variance is sky high, and there's almost no strategy, which means games typically degenerate into a zoo fest, with the whole table calling to see the flop and (often) calling to see the turn. If brain-damaged chimpanzees decided to play a poker game, it would probably be limit betting Omaha . Yes, the game is just that bad. However, it's kissing cousin Pot-Limit Omaha bears only the slightest resemblance to this terrible game. This game, by contrast, is one of the most exciting brands of poker a fella could ever play. I've played thousands of hours of hold 'em, and at least hundreds of hours of Pot-Limit Omaha, and I can tell you that the latter game is far, far more exciting. If you're the kind of player who gets sick of pushing 3 big bet pots back and forth, and like to get knee-deep in the action, then this my friend is the game for you!

THE BASICS
The rules of the game are essentially the same as those in Texas hold 'em with a few key differences. For one, you're dealt four hole cards instead of two. Second, you must use precisely two of your hole cards, and three of the community cards, to complete your hand. If you're dealt the A A A 7, and the board on the river reads Ad Th 9 7 2, you do not have quad aces-instead, you only have three aces, since you can only use two of your hole cards. Similarly, if you have the A K T 5 in the hole, and the board reads Js 7 7 6 4, you do not have a flush.

Got it? Good. That's really all there is to it. Otherwise it plays the same as Texas hold 'em.

STRATEGY
Here are a few key strategies with which you should familiarize yourself before tackling the table. If you want to read more, I recommend Bob Ciaffone's 'Omaha Hold'em Poker', which has a fantastic chapter on Pot-Limit Omaha.

Rule 1) Don't draw to less than the nuts!
Folks, do NOT break this rule. If you have the Q J 9 7, and the flop brings the A 8 3, you need to fold at the first opportunity. Along the same line, you should never be drawing to a straight when the board has three of a suit, and never to either a straight or a flush when the board is paired. These are terrible plays. Because everyone has four hole cards, the winning hand is usually either the nuts or a close relative of such. This isn't like Texas hold em, where a five-high flush is actually a pretty big hand. Which brings us to our next rule.

Rule 2) This isn't Texas hold 'em!
One of the toughest adjustments Texas hold 'em players have to make is in reconfiguring what they consider to be a big hand. In Texas hold em a guy with pocket aces will feel pretty good about his prospects if on the river the board reads (K 9 8) 6 6. In pot limit Omaha , however, you don't have much of a hand. In this game, overpairs are almost worthless. Ditto for hands like top pair, or bottom two pair, or (to a lesser extent) top and bottom pair on the flop. About three years ago I was in a game where a player remarked that 'if you flop a set, all you really have is a draw'. This is something of an exaggeration, but the logic behind his statement stands. If, for instance, you hold the K K 9 7, and the board reads (K T 6) A 9h on the river, you don't have any kind of hand that's worth investing in. If the ace didn't make someone a broadway then the nine of hearts made someone a flush-I can almost guarantee it. You can always tell who the Texas hold em players are at an Omaha table, as they're the guys who will be the pot with their set of kings here and then whine for twenty minutes about the fact that they were no good. Remember-what you're looking for in pot limit Omaha is a draw to the nuts, and what you're looking for on the river are the nuts themselves. Anything less is unacceptable.

Rule 3) All draws are not created equal!
Check out these two hands. In the first, you hold the T 9 6 5, and the flop comes Q J 2. In the second hand you have the same T 9 6 5, only now the flop brings the 8 7 2. In the first hand you have eight cards that can complete your straight, but a king might give someone a bigger straight.. Also, even if the king doesn't fill a bigger straight your hand is going to be worthless if an ace, ten or nine hits on the river. A seasoned Omaha player would fold this hand on the flop without a second's thought.

But now look at the second hand. Any jack, ten, nine, six, five or four will give you a straight, which totals twenty cards. With a flop like this you should usually be happy to get all your money in on the flop, since you're a favorite to beat any current made hand (you'll make a straight about 70% of the time). Further, since the board isn't two suited you don't have to worry about making a straight while someone else makes a flush.

This is one of the unique features of Omaha -the ability to flop an absolutely monstrous draw. Now and then someone will catch an open-ended straight flush draw with two overcards in Texas hold em, and find themselves a favorite to win the hand. But hands like this are the exception in Texas hold em. In Omaha , however, this kind of thing happens all the time. About 4 years ago I was involved in a pot limit game where I was dealt the As Ad Qd Ts, and the flop brought the A K J. I had the top set with the nut straight and the nut flush draw. Needless to say, you don't get these kinds of hands in Texas hold em.

Are you starting to get it?  Next week we'll dig into some more Pot-Limit Omaha strategy, and take a closer look at starting hands for this game. Until then, aces up!

Return to Exclusive Netbettor Poker Articles