Strategy for playing Omaha 5 cards. Omaha poker online strategy. Strongest starters

Omaha poker is considered the most difficult variety of seven-card stud for beginners due to the large number of betting rounds. It is for this reason that the most important strategy in Omaha poker remains the strategy of choosing starting hands and playing them depending on the player's position.

Top starting hands in Omaha poker

The first thing to remember when playing Omaha poker is that the knowledge used in Texas Hold'em to analyze your starting hand is not applicable to Omaha. Firstly, because in Omaha poker the player receives exactly twice as many cards pre-flop - not two, but four. Accordingly, the number of potential combinations for the starting hand is greater. Secondly, in Omaha poker, such a concept as a draw hand is very important - that is, a hand in which the cards make up an incomplete combination (for example, a flush without one card - a draw flush).

Considering the particular importance of draw hands in Omaha poker, as well as the fact that there are more betting rounds in this type of poker (and, accordingly, the rates grow faster, and the game itself is much more aggressive than the Texas Hold'em), the strategy for choosing a starting hand for further playing in poker Omaha looks like this:

Top 30 Omaha Poker Starting Hands

Symbols in the table:

• A - Ace
• K - king
• Q - lady
• J - jack
• T-ten
• X - any card

An important note - all of the top 30 starting hands that can be played in Omaha poker are hands of only two different suits. A hodgepodge of three or four different suits in Omaha poker should fold right away and don't hesitate.

Newbie Strategy: Choosing Your Starting Hand in Omaha Poker

Of course, it is difficult for a beginner Omaha poker player to remember thirty starting combinations at once - therefore, when starting to get acquainted with this type of poker, you can be guided by a simpler strategy for choosing a starting hand.

The guaranteed profitable hands in Omaha poker (especially if you are not yet confident in your abilities) are as follows:

1. Three high cards of the same rank - sets (threes): aces, kings, queens and jacks
2. One or two pairs of high cards - a pair of aces, kings, queens, jacks. Of great importance in Omaha poker is whether the pair is closed or open. If the cards that make up a pair are face-up, the advantage is less than when the pair is face-down - because in a face-down situation, your opponents cannot predict the presence of a pair. In addition to the pair itself, the advantage of the kicker card is also important for the starting hand: how older card, the more profitable your position is for playing this starting hand
3. A suited draw hand is the foundation of the future flush. This starting hand should only be played when the draw consists of high cards - ace, king, queen, jack. The lower the value of the cards that make up the draw combination, the more risky it is to play such a hand.
4. Pairs of cards of medium rank - tens, nines, eights
5. Draw hands from medium cards of the same suit (jacks, ten, nines, eights) - in principle, playing such hands is possible, but doing it is quite risky.

Playing from position in Omaha poker

One more the most important rule to win in Omaha poker - keeping the position: you need to build your strategy of the game, taking into account both your position relative to the dealer in each round, and the position of your opponents.

In Omaha poker, position analysis is even more important than in Texas Hold'em. In Texas Hold'em, a late position player bets last and therefore has much more information about opponents' behavior and hands than an early position player. And in Omaha poker, the player possesses not only information, but also gets more options for further actions. For example, if a player in early position in Omaha poker raises his bet, the player in late position has the option of calling without losing a lot of chips. In addition, playing from late position in Omaha poker is also beneficial because you can re-raise (re-raise the bet), which is extremely unprofitable for a player in early position - using this maneuver it is quite easy to get opponents out of the game in early positions.

Omaha poker has a lot more potentially strong hands than Texas hold'em - because the number of cards dealt pre-flop is exactly twice as many, and there are more stages of the game. Accordingly, in Omaha poker you can play more starting hands - but this depends solely on the player's position: for example, in early position, the number of profitable starting hands is as limited as possible, and weak combinations / marginal hands should never be played.

Flop, turn and river: three critical stages in Omaha poker

If in Texas Hold'em the winnings largely depend on the strategy chosen on the pre-flop, after analyzing the starting hand, then in Omaha poker the situation is exactly the opposite: the strategy of playing the flop, turn and river is of great importance.

The pre-flop in Omaha poker can be considered only a kind of preparatory stage where the game becomes much more intense and aggressive on the flop. If one of the players already has a strong hand on the flop, it is likely that one or two opponents will have potentially even stronger draws - which can be completed on the turn or river. Therefore, in Omaha poker it is generally accepted that a hand before the river is always an unfinished hand.

It is assumed that in this case the poker player is obliged to use 2 out of 4 hole cards in his combination, while in Hold'em the right to choose cards for the combination remains with the player.

The rules of the game in Omaha poker, the mechanics of the hands, the types and sizes of bets, as well as the combinations of Omaha poker completely coincide with Hold'em. However, due to the fact that Omaha players have more opportunities for collecting combinations, the value of some combos here will be much less than in the classic version, and therefore the tactics and strategy of the game will differ. It is because of this feature that Omaha poker is considered to be a more volatile and tough game that requires a high level of skill from poker players.

The history of this type of poker is closely intertwined with Texas Hold'em, as this game is its closest relative. Omaha was first played in Detroit (USA) in the 1970s, but at that time the most popular was the so-called five-card Omaha, also called "2x3". As we know it now, it appeared in 1982 in Nevada, at the Golden Nugget casino, where fans of card games quickly appreciated the new entertainment and Omaha soon became one of the most popular types of poker, first in the United States, and then worldwide.

Most online newbies are often afraid to play Omaha, but in fact this game is very exciting, moreover, some poker players can only use it to fully reveal their intellectual potential. In today's lesson, we will tell you about the features of this game, its history, provide simple and understandable Omaha poker rules for beginners, and also help you choose the optimal strategy to start climbing the limits for this particular type of poker.

You can follow the full course of study by following the link "".

Omaha poker hands

Omaha poker variations

So, there are three most common varieties in Omaha poker:

• Omaha Hi
• Omaha Hi / Lo
• 5 card Omaha.

All types of Omaha poker use the same distribution rules and combination ratings. In addition, in Omaha Hi / Lo, players can also deliberately make weak hands in order to compete for winning half of the existing pot. Such types of Omaha poker as Hi and Hi / Lo provide for the distribution of 4 pocket cards to the players, while in a five-card game, poker players receive 5 pockets, respectively. Otherwise, the rules of the game in Omaha poker remain the same at most tournament and cash tables, and the combinations in the game of Omaha poker will almost always coincide with those in Texas Hold'em.

In addition to the division of Omaha games described above according to the differences in their rules, there are also such varieties of Omaha hold'em as limit and pot-limit.

The limited version of the game provides for betting restrictions determined before the start of the game. In online poker rooms, the sizes of allowed bets are written in the characteristics of such tables in the form of two numbers separated by a symbol (/), for example, 10/20, where the first number will mean the allowed amount of bets on the first two betting rounds, and the second - on the later streets. In addition, the options for playing in Omaha poker with a bet limit are characterized by the fact that no more than four bets can be made for each level of trading. The dimensions of the rise and will depend on the designation of the table. The blinds in limit versions of the game will be 1/2 of the table limit numbers.

Pot Limit (PLO) is a type of bet limit game based on the size of the existing pot. In this case, the bank is only those chips that are already in the center of the table. In pot-limit Omaha, in order to calculate the size of the maximum bet in the pot, the following rule is applied: the size of the last raise multiplied by 2 is added to the formed pot (that is, you call the bet, and then you can raise, taking into account the size of the pot received after the call).

Omaha poker strategies

Even though Omaha does not differ much from the laws of Texas Hold'em familiar to all beginners, Omaha poker strategies and tactics may differ. So, at the initial stages of trading, namely preflop, players should make decisions based on the best combination of hole cards. The best option in this case would be two suited pairs, for example: K Q and K ♣ Q ♣. This hand provides the poker player with excellent odds of making a set, straight or flush. However, it should also be borne in mind that here the set is a fairly common combination that very rarely brings the player a victory. In addition, it must be remembered that due to the impossibility of using all 4 hole cards in making a combination, even an extra queen or king on the flop will not allow the player to collect a full house. The winning strategy of playing Omaha poker also involves focusing on the number of opponents at the table. Everything is simple here: the more opponents there are, the more critical the player should be when choosing starting hands. When playing this variation, one of the players at the table in almost every hand will have a straight or flush, and therefore, you should enter into the battle for the bank postflop only with combinations of two pairs or stronger. Players of various skill levels have long been using a wide variety of poker strategies in Omaha, but an online beginner should not get carried away with experiments: for a start, it is better to hone the ability to determine the strength of the starting hand and learn how to fold cards that are strong for Hold'em, but not promising enough for Omaha.

Competent tactics of playing Omaha poker will require special caution from a beginner, because excessive aggression in such a dispersive type of poker

The poker discipline of Omaha attracts many newbies with its dynamism of the gameplay and the frequent drawing of high pots. However, it is quite difficult to succeed in it, since the strategy for Omaha is very different from that used in Hold'em. In addition, there is a shortage of tutorials for beginners. The fact is that success in this type of poker depends largely on the ability to logically assess the strength of your hand and the prospects for playing it. This cannot be learned simply by reading the instructions - training and appropriate analytical skills are required.

Starting card evaluation

In Omaha poker, the strategy for a successful game is based primarily on the choice of starters. Here, unlike Hold'em, there are no ready-made charts that tell you what cards and in what position can be played profitably and what actions should be taken in this case preflop.

Having received a starting hand, the player needs to investigate its composition to determine the prospects, determining the presence of the following combinations:

• Matches by suit - may be absent, and if there is one or two - they increase the likelihood of getting a Flush combination when the board is opened.
• Connectors - form an order by rank by rank and increase the likelihood of making a Straight postflop.
• Pairs are matches at par.

The special strength of the starting cards is given by the presence of links between these combinations. The more, the better. For example, connectors can be of the same suit or be of different suits, but match them with other cards.

The power of combinations and ligaments

The listed combinations can be weak and strong - this is influenced by various factors:

Matches by suits - if the cards are not adjacent in rank, then the greater the difference between their denomination, the worse.

A good option:

Weak option:

Connectors - the lower their value, the weaker the cards.

Strong connectors:

Weak connectors:

Pairs - strength also depends on the rank, for example, the weakest is Pair of Twos, and the strongest is Pair of Aces.

These characteristics reflect the strength of the combinations, but their prospects as a whole are assessed not only by individual combinations, but by the bonds between them.

Example: Here the player has connectors - Ace-King, suited cards Ace-Queen and Pair on Aces. As you can see, the same cards are used in different combinations.

The starter shown in the example is strong, since it has: the highest Pair, connectors that allow you to build the strongest Straight and two matches in suits, which provide the likelihood of making a Flush with an Ace. It is promising for a Raise as it provides outs for making several poker hands at once.

Strongest starters

Based on the above information, there are a number of starting hands that are most promising to play. Players who play Omaha by strategy consider the most powerful of all of their 30 options:

In the table, only the denominations are indicated, since the suitability can be different, and it is difficult to present all possible combinations in one table.

The following options are distinguished by the number of matches by suit:

• Suited are the worst, since the whole hand is of the same suit, which reduces the outs to get a flush on the board;
• Double-suited - two groups of cards coincided in suits - ideal strength, since outs are provided for two different Flushes at once;
• Three suited - only two cards are of the same suit, and they are of medium strength, given that there are outs for only one kind of Flush;
• Four-suit - the player will not be able to make a Flush, since he has no matches in suits.

The number of outs on Street also depends on the composition of the starting combination. Neighborhood at par is called rows. In this case, there are straight rows - where three or four cards form a sequence and broken, where, together with connectors, one or two cards can participate in the construction of a Street, but are not adjacent in rank.

Example 1: Here a poker player has a straight row.

Example 2: The row is broken, but the King can join the Street.

Preflop raise

In Omaha, preflop aggression is used much less often and should be more careful when choosing a starting hand. The main combinations that are suitable for entering the trade with a Raise are as follows:

• Suited AK or better with XX, where X is Ten or a picture;
• Double-suited rows without breaks from the Five or better;
• Double-suited ripped rows from Five or better, having one gap between high or low cards, or between low and high three, for example - KQJ9.
• Double-suited KKXX or higher.

Remember that in most cases there is a fixed bet format at the tables, so a high raise can only be made if opponents have already bet or raised before you. Especially high pots are played in multi-way pots, which you need to enter more often preflop, even with medium-strength starters. At the same time, you need to pay attention to the pot odds - the ratio of the bet to the pot should be such that the winnings compensate for the costs in all such situations when the pot cannot be won.

Postflop

The tactics come down to simpler lines of play than in Hold'em:

• Defending the combination - having received an invincible hand on the Flop or Turn, the poker player must bet to prevent opponents from looking cheaply on the Turn or River, which can change his position.
• Building up the bank - you can use the standard techniques of Check-Raise, Bet-Raise, etc., which allow you to make a big pot, having an invincible deal, the strength of which the following cards cannot worsen.
• Minimization of losses - you should learn how to easily give up the pot without having a ready-made combination and a high number of outs to make it up. It is also not worth making or comparing high bets if your hand is not the strongest possible hand on the current board.

Players receive profit from the right choice starters and making strong combinations postflop. Bluffing techniques are rarely used here, especially if there are more than two players in the bidding.

Hi-Lo format

The Omaha Hi / Lo strategy is different from the Hi line. When choosing starters, Ace bundles with small denominations, from Two to Five, are especially appreciated, allowing you to make the best Low and the lowest Streets. In fact, one part of the hand should allow you to make a high combination, as in the High variation, and the other should be its mirror image. Combinations without an Ace with a small card are played very carefully here. Postflop, even with the best Low, the poker player must always take into account that the opponent can have a combination similar to Low, as a result of which the pot can be quartered when split.

The player's goal should not be to win half the pot, especially when playing with one opponent. By analyzing the hand and the composition of the board, the player must evaluate the probability of winning both halves of the pot! The best options allow you to make a strong Low and an invincible How at the same time. In some hands, the board does not allow making a Low and here the game must be played according to the same tactics as in the High format.

When playing Omaha poker according to strategy, poker players must take into account the charging at the cash tables. In the Hi-Lo format, rake can cause a losing game when split into two large pots, in the formation of which other participants in the distribution did not accept.

If two players split the pot evenly, returning the chips invested in it, but at the same time lose part of the money on paying the poker room commission. In such cases, if there is not enough probability for both banks to win, sometimes it is better to trade passively.

Hi-Lo format tournaments

In tournament events, a different tactic is chosen. Since the rake is not charged from the played pots, aggression allows you to knock your opponents out of the trade without the risk of being left at a loss. The best hand in Hi / Lo is Ace to Five Straight. But the guarantee to get the full pot or at least 3/4 of its size is provided by the presence of such a Straight and Nuts - an invincible high combination.

In these poker disciplines, the strategy is based on the choice of starting hands and the most profitable drawing of strong combinations and unfinished draws with a lot of outs. To learn how to correctly estimate outs, it is recommended to practice on a poker calculator, for example: ... Enter different starting hands and different number rivals in order to understand how promising a particular combination is in the game against a different number of opponents in the bidding.