The Other Omaha

The other Omaha is the one with only one winner per pot in most hands.  Omaha HiLo seems to be the most popular of the two poker games, but Omaha is the game that is featured in the WSOP each year.  Omaha is a high hand only game with nine cards per hand including the five-card flop.  The game is played just like Omaha HiLo only there is no low hand winner.  You must use two cards from the four that are dealt to each player and three from the flop.  Good starting hands are high pairs or suited connectors.  Many pots are still won in this game with more three of a kind, flushes or straights than you see in Holdem.  The extra two cards per hand open up more possibilities.

The lower popularity than the other Omaha is due to there only being one winner so the pots are uniformly smaller.  The game just does not have the gamble in it that you see in Omaha HiLo.  On the other hand new players to the game are still at a disadvantage as experience with the play of the game is important when figuring if your hand is good enough to win.  [Read][more...]

What Poker Games do online Casinos Offer

A new online poker player may well wonder what games are offered online.

The obvious answer is they all offer Holdem in both limit and no-limit games.

This form of poker is without a doubt the most popular game there is at any online casino.  The game is numerous in cash games and the number of tournaments offered online each week is in outstanding numbers.  One site out of the many online can have well over one hundred or more tournaments.

The next poker version that gets a lot of play is Omaha HiLo.  This two winners in a pot game can have huge pots in small limit games, as the two winners possibility makes players gamble on their hands.  Players who are just learning this game are at a big disadvantage when they play against experienced players.

New players do not know how to value their hand and overplay hands that are really not that good in Omaha.  Holdem players are real pigeons in Omaha, as winning Holdem hands are not of high value in Omaha.  [Read][more...]

Why Omaha HiLo is a good players game

Experienced players in Omaha HiLo have a big edge against new players to the game.  Winning hands are far different than what you see in Holdem for example.

A pair of Aces can easily win a Holdem pot.  In Omaha this hand has a far lower chance of winning the pot.  There is a very simple reason for this in Omaha.  Each player starts the hand holding four cards instead of the two you see in Holdem.  Three of a kind is a decent hand unless there are three suited cards in the Flop or one pair.  If this is the case, then it is likely that another player may have a flush or a full house.

Every winning hand in Holdem needs to be better as a rule in Omaha as each player has nine cards to make a hand.  In Holdem there are only seven cards for each player.  If the game is no-limit, you can protect your hand by a large bet, but many players that play Omaha are very willing to gamble on a draw.  Good Holdem players have to reset their way of playing when they are playing Omaha HiLo.  [Read][more...]

No limit Omaha HiLo gives bang for the buck

For those players who are familiar with Omaha HiLo, this limit played at a low level of entry seems to give a good player more bang for the buck.  The reason is that you can protect a hand and at the same time take advantage of your superior play in the game.   There are suggested rules such as only wager on good starting hands that at least have an ace in them.   Do not go crazy with raises when you start with an ace deuce.  Two bad things can happen.  The low does not materialize or another player ties you and you get quartered.  If the hand looks like it may win both high and low, bet with vigor and in this level of no limit you can afford to lose, as the entry stake was small.

Be careful about three of a kind, as this hand is not as strong as it looks, since all it takes is a flush or a straight to beat it.  When a board is flushing or has a pair, it is very likely there will be a flush or a full house in the show down.  Keep track of calling stations in the game or players who seem to play a lot of weak hands.  These are good players to wager against as they may even call or raise. [Read][more...]