Omaha Guide

You should be aware by now that there are a number of poker variations to play and the Omaha poker game is just one variation. In fact, there are a number of different Omaha games to play and different casinos may favour one type over the others. This is why it is important to know the difference between the different types of Omaha games. There may not be too many differences between the different games but there are enough differences and a playing style or strategy that brings success in one type may not be as great in another.

The most common form of Omaha is Omaha Hold ‘Em, which is run along similar lines to Texas Hold ‘Em. Every player is dealt four cards and they need to make the best possible hand with two of their cards and with three of the five community cards.  Once the first round of betting has been concluded, three community cards are placed on the board and then the flop takes place. Another round of betting takes place and then another community card is placed, which is the turn. The third round of betting takes place and then the river, the final community card, comes into the game and then the last round of betting takes place. For every betting round, players have the opportunity to check, call, bet, raise or fold.

There is a lot of debate about the origins of Omaha but there is agreement that a casino executive, Robert Turner, was the first person who brought the game of Omaha into a casino setting. This occurred when he showed the game to Bill Boyd, who started offering Omaha, at the time called Nugget Hold ‘Em, as a game at the Las Vegas Golden Nugget Casino.

Limit

As the name would suggest, Limit Omaha games have a structured betting agreement where players are only able to bet and raise in the agreed increments. This can mean the games go slowly and it can be difficult to win large amounts of money but equally, this structure can prevent players from losing a large amount of money.

No Limit

It would be fair to say that No Limit Omaha is not as common as Limit Omaha or Pot Limit Omaha but it is still a relatively popular choice for many players. No Limit Omaha can be played as High or Hi/Lo Omaha and the big issue from the game is the fact that there are no betting limits. This enables players to bet any amount they wish, limited to the size of their chip stack.

As with other forms of No Limit games, this can lead to a more aggressive style of play which can reap dividends for a successful player but also cause a great deal of trouble for a player who gets their tactics wrong and ends up losing a lot of money.

Pot Limit

The Pot-Limit Omaha game, which is commonly referred to as PLO, is extremely popular in Europe and has also become very popular in the online era. There is no doubt that the emergence of the internet and online casino playing has had a huge impact on poker and has helped increase the popularity of poker and Omaha Pot Limit has been at the heart of much of this development.

The game is commonly played high only but it can be played in a high-low fashion. PLO is considered to be a game of drawing and primarily to the nut hand. A casual observer watching a number of PLO games would pick up on the fact that second best flushes and straights are commonly defeated. Another issue surrounding PLO, related to the fast and high growth of the pot, and the size of the pot, is that playing a hand through to the end can become very expensive while carrying big reverse implied odds.

In this game, the betting levels are limited to the current pot size. As an example, if the pot was set at $200, players would only be able to bet up to $200 at the time. This tends to see PLO games having a number of post-flop actions and the pot size can invariably become rather large.

Omaha Hi/Lo

While Omaha Hi/Lo, sometimes referred to as Omaha Eight or Better or PLO8, is similar in style to other Omaha games, it can be a bit harder for new players to pick up. This is down to the fact that Omaha Hi/Lo is a split pot game, which may be confusing at first to some poker players. In essence, this style of game sees the best high hand and the best low hand triumphing and splitting the pot when the hand is over.

When playing Omaha Hi/Lo, it is important for players to understand that a low hand can only be created if the five card poker hand holds knighting higher than an eight (which is where the name Eight or Better derives from) and the hand should also contain no pairs.

There are a lot of strategies surrounding the Omaha games and to go into great detail on any of them would require in-depth analysis. Any player that is serious about playing Omaha games would be advised to carry out a good level of research about the strategies. Many people get themselves tied up with the belief that Omaha is a complicated game but there is no need for it to be, it is just that many people make it overly complicated for themselves. Whether you want to play for fun or to be a winner, do your research first about Omaha and things will fall into place.