Brian Cloughley's Poker Journal

Typical Omaha play is very different from your standard play in Texas Hold’em. Because each player has 4 cards in the hole, the differences in strength between hands are, often, very small. Additionally, it is much easier to draw into hands in Omaha than it is in Hold’em because players usually have a number of different options that they can draw into. Understanding some of the key differences between the two games and the way that it plays out can be extremely beneficial to someone who is looking to get their feet wet in Omaha.

One perfect example of how Omaha is very different and needs to be played differently from Hold’em is the fact that you can have two flush draws in Omaha. It is not uncommon; actually, that a player can have two flush draws and a number of different straight draws in the same hand. Let’s say that you have an ace ten of clubs and a queen jack of diamonds. In this hand, you have many different draws that you work with which is someone that is needed for a good Omaha hand because there are so many different possible hands with each player having four hole cards.

You, obviously, have the two different flush draws: the ace high clubs flush draw and the queen high diamond flush draw. You also have the potential for two different royal flushes as well as a number of different straights. In this example, this hand is a good Omaha hand and would be worth playing. When playing Omaha you need to look for combinations of things that will result in a strong hand like suited cards.

There are a number of different pokerstars cheats that you should look for in an Omaha hand. Having two suited cards in two different suits is an excellent thing to look for because it gives you the possibility of two different flush draws in each of the respective suits. Flushes are quite common in Omaha and are a standard winning hand with multiple players having flushes in the same suit happening with regularity.

Another thing to look for in an Omaha hand is connectors so that you have straight draws available. Being able to have multiple straight possibilities gives you good options because straights are also common winning hands in games of Omaha. Pocket pairs are, obviously, also pretty good depending on the pair because having access to three of a kind, full house, and four of a kind draws is good and, if you have big pairs, they can even stand on their own occasionally.

Making the transition to playing Omaha can be daunting to players that are new to the game but making sure that you are looking for combinations of good things in your hand is imperative. It is also important to not fall into a trap thinking that your 4 cards of one suit and things like that are good. They are not.