Learn Play Poker

Hello People,

Got the next part of my poker basics series today, it looks at Omaha Poker and gives a brief introduction to this variation.

Just a post and go today i’m afraid because I am really busy at work, remember if you would like to learn to play poker in more detail drop me an email or visit this learn to play poker tutorial page.

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Omaha poker is has many similarities but one key difference when compared to the much more popular game of Texas Hold’em. The mechanics of the game are similar in many ways. You are dealt cards preflop with a round of betting. There is then a “flop” that consists of three community cards followed by a round of betting. Next a fourth community card, called the “turn”, is dealt followed by another round of betting. Finally the fifth and final community card, called the ‘river”, is dealt. If more than one player remains after this round of betting their cards are shown and the best poker hand wins.

Omaha poker present two big changes when compared to Texas Hold’em. First you are dealt four face down cards instead of just two. The other key requirement is that you must use exactly two cards from your hand and three cards from the board. In Texas Hold’em you can use any of the seven cards available to you. If the five community cards form a flush then you have a flush. In Omaha poker you must use exactly three cards from the board and two from your hand. If you are dealt four of a kind face down to start a hand this is not good. You in reality only have a pair, a pair that has no chance of improving since you also hold the other two cards of that rank which will never be dealt.

Omaha is a dynamic game in which drawing hands sometimes are preferable to flopped pairs or even sets. You do not have to declare which cards you are playing until the hand is over. It is a game of redraws. With four cards in your starting hand the average winning hand is much higher in Omaha than Texas Hold’em. Quite often two players will both make a straight after the flop. If you do not have a redraw to a higher hand like a higher straight, flush or full house your hand is vulnerable. This is a concept that many inexperienced players do not understand. The often place themselves in a position where they can either split the pot or if their opponent hits his redraw they can lose it entirely. To play Omaha successfully you need to retrain your strategy ideas. It is often wise to throw away a big hand rather than allow your opponent to ‘freeroll” you for the entire pot.