Exclusive Netbettor Omaha Article:

Pot-Limit Omaha
Part II: Other Concepts

Last time we took a look at Pot Limit Omaha, and explored some of the concepts that guide winning play. This week we'll take another look at this fascinating game, and look at some of the additional strategies that separate the sharks from the fish at the Pot Limit Omaha tables.

Concept 1: Two Texas hold 'em hands don't make a good Omaha hand
One of the big mistakes that Texas hold em players tend to make is to overplay hands like A T 4 4, or A K 6 5. The trick to Omaha is to have all four cards working together. Any four cards higher than a nine, or a pair of aces with two suited kickers (e.g. A A 7 3) are considered premium hands. Holding like 9 8 7 6, or J T 9 7 are also pretty fair hands. Hands that are double paired, like Q Q 4 4, are also above average, although you'd really like these hands to a) contain a high pair (Q's or higher) and b) be double suited. As your position improves you can deviate somewhat from these standards, although as always you shouldn't get carried away. Any hand that contains three of a kind (or four of a kind) should just about always be folded, and any hand that contains three of the same suit needs to have a lot else going for it.

Concept 2: Pot Limit Omaha is all about position
There is no more intensely positional poker game than Omaha . This is true for two reasons. First, most Omaha players are loathe to check raise. Because of the nature of the game giving a free card in Omaha is almost always a total disaster, since a) hardly any hand you could have on the flop is a 'lock', and b) If the turn card is one that could give someone a draw it's almost certain that someone has that draw. If you have K K T Th in early position, and the flop comes K 8 3, you'll need to be very worried if you give a free card on the flop and the turn is the 7. In Texas hold em that card wouldn't give a set of kings a second's worry, but in Omaha you need to be concerned that the 7 gave someone a flush draw and/or gave someone a big wraparound straight draw. In Omaha there are no 'safe' turn cards if everyone saw the turn for free. Thus, it behooves the Omaha player to bet his own hand, as you just can't risk giving anyone a free card. What this means to you is that you'll usually have a very clear idea as to how strong everyone is after the flop when you're on the button, since it's uncommon for someone with a big hand to lay in the weeds and wait for the turn.

Secondly, you can represent a far greater range of hands in Omaha than you can in hold em. In Texas hold em, if you're on the button when the flop comes 4 2 2, everyone and their uncle is going to figure you for a bluff if you bet. As a result you can expect to get a few players who will call your bet with virtually nothing. In Omaha , by contrast, it's highly possible that you just flopped trip deuces, or fours full, and are simply betting your hand. When you bet this flop you usually won't get any callers unless someone has flopped a monster-and so, knowing this, you can simply back off on the turn and river.

A third-but somewhat less important-reason has to do with the fact that all but your worst hands will have at least something going for them, which means many of your bluff bets from the button will technically qualify as semi bluffs. Example: You have the Q Q T 8, and limp in on the button after two players. The flop comes 9 8 3. All check to you. Now understand here that middle pair in Omaha is no kind of hand. But you do have a gutshot draw to the nuts, a queen or another eight on the turn might give you a winner, and you have a backdoor draw to the third nut flush (true, a queen might give someone a straight, or another eight might fill someone up, but you would expect a hand that included a jack and a ten to bet this flop, and you also would expect top two pair or a set to bet as well). So, both a queen and another eight are probably relatively clean outs. This gives you nine outs to a decent hand, and four of those are to the nuts. Even though you don't have much of a hand now a bet here might take it down, and even if you're called you've still got outs.

How important is position in Omaha ? A while ago I was talking to a successful Pot Limit player, and the subject of hand selection came up. When I told him that evaluating starting hands was harder in Omaha than in Texas hold em he just laughed me off. 'Nonsense,' he said. 'Just play nothing but huge starting hands in early or mid position, and then play any hand on the button'. He was exaggerating, of course, but the point is well taken. If you had the option of holding the button every hand in either an Omaha or a Texas hold em game you should take the Omaha game every time.

Concept 3: You don't need the nuts to bet the river.
I bring this up because many Pot Limit Omaha players only bet the river if they have the mortal nuts, and playing this way will leave a whole lot of money on the table. For instance, say you're in late position with Q T 8 8, and limp in after three players. The flop brings the A 9 4. All check to you and you check. Now the turn is the 8. Again all check, and you bet and get one caller. The river is the Q. Again all check to you.

True, you've only got fourth set-which is about the 10,000th nut here. But I would bet it anyway, and expect to get paid off. If someone rivered a straight you would have expected them to bet it (since they can't be at all sure you'll bet it for them) and there are enough aces-up type hands that will pay you off. You don't need to get married to this hand-if for some reason you are check raised it's probably time to muck-but don't automatically take the free show down in spots like this. Many Omaha players play a buttoned down game on the flop, but turn into real slot machines on the river. If your opponent fits this profile than be sure to extract the maximum from him.

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