Have been asked to write a summary about omaha. The best way I can write it for beginners is to write it and compare to holdem. Some of it might sound confusing, but the differences are there, some are subtle some are big. Either way, it is an easy action generating game. But compared to holdem there are a lot more swings. You can have the nuts on the flop, the nuts on the turn, but lose to the nuts on the river.
4 Cards??
Obviously the first difference everyone notices is that, instead of the usual 2 cards in holdem, you get 4 cards dealt to you in omaha. However the big difference in showing down hands to win a pot.
You NEED to use 2 from your hand and 3 from the board. This is the simple most thing that most beginners forget. 2 from your hand and 3 from the board. Keep repeating until even you get sick of saying it, and then say it one more time. If your forget this in omaha, you lose your money. Trust me I have done it before, and I will probably do it again.
. Since we have 4 cards in Omaha, we now have a lot more different starting hands compared to holdem. That is 169 starting hands in holdem, equals 28561 hands in Omaha. Top 20% of hands in holdem equals 34 different starting hands. In Omaha top 20% equals 5712 playable starting hands.
Simply put, Omaha is a post flop game. In holdem, the EV on some hands can be 15-25%, whereas in Omaha you are lucky if you can 5-10%. Seeing the flop and evaluating your hand, is key to making informed decisions about where you are going in the game. Drawing hands make up the majority of winners in omaha. In Holdem, 2pair is the median winner. In Omaha it is trips. One pair, and two pair, aren't always going to win it for you.
Starting hand selection
The key points in starting hand selection is to see how cohesive your hand is as a whole. Not as 6 different holdem hands, but as a drawing hand. The two top hands in omaha are considered to be AAKK and AAJT double suited. (two nut flush draws). However a hand like 89TJ double suited is probably better than AKQJ unsuited.
The differences between the starting hand is to work out what can help you win. With 89TJ double suited, you have two flush draws, and 5 to A straights that you can draw to depending on the flop. With AKQJ, you have no flush draws, and only drawing to the 8-A straight. Still means AKQJ is a playable hand, just means you have to be aware of what is on the flop that can beat you.
Explanation of some terms.
Double suited means, a hand that contains 4 cards of only 2 suits.
Single suited means 4 cards containing 2 or more cards of the one suit.
Nut Flush draw – Flush draw with the ace of the suit in your hand.
Nut straight draw – Drawing to the top end of the straight.
This is just a start for a lot of people. There is an interesting hand that I want to post from the recent aussie millions. Definition of a bad beat.
.
Monster draws with outs coming out the wazoo, makes it easier to call. In holdem 10-15 is good. Omaha 10 outs is bad, 15-20 is good.
