All The Aces Daily Poker Column
 

Switching from
Playing Texas Hold'em
to Omaha Poker

The most important things to remember
when moving from playing Texas
Hold'em poker to Omaha poker

MAKING THE SWITCH
A lot of players switching from playing Texas Hold’em to Omaha poker fail to make the necessary adjustments. The most important thing to remember is that a great hand in Texas Hold’em is not so great in Omaha poker. We see it all the time online with players betting wildly because they have two high pairs in Omaha and they think they’re going to steal the pot. Omaha poker has four hole cards to each player and five on the board, so you’re making your best five card hand from nine possibilities  instead of seven. This devalues otherwise premium hands. Two high pairs in Texas Hold’em has a very good chance of presenting you with the pot. Conversely, in Omaha poker you need to play two pair with extreme caution. The likelyhood is you’re going to wiped out by at least three of a kind or just as likely a straight or a flush. Make the adjustment. Omaha poker is a very exciting game and produces great hands. Keep that in mind and you’ll get into the mind-set and the thrill of it.

Omaha Poker, pic courtesy of poker-studs.com

PROFESSIONAL THUMBS UP
A lot of professionals prefer Omaha poker to Texas Hold’em as they consider it a more technical game and claim it broadens their overall skill level.The probabilities in Omaha are easier to see and it is generally more straightforward. Texas Hold’em on the other hand has more of a psychological dimension and is closer to the traditional form of poker with its bluffs and deceptions. These factors make it the online game of choice for most players.

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OMAHA POKER TIP OF THE DAY
If the flop comes down and you can’t make two top pair with the board and your hole cards, or see the potential for drawing to a powerful flush or straight, it’s time to fold. If you happen to be playing in a short-handed game the demands to fold are not quite so high as the odds of crushing premium hands being out there are reduced in proportion to the number of players, but even so we tend to draw the line at two good pairs or lots of same suited cards at the flop stage.

Winners Guide To Omaha Poker, by Ken Warren

OMAHA PAIR BEWARE!
In Omaha poker it’s particularly dangerous to proceed if the flop has produced a pair on the board and none of your hole cards gives you “trips” (Three of a kind). In other words, if there’s a pair of jacks on the board and you don’t have a jack among your four hole cards, you can bet your life savings someone else at the table DOES!
So fold before you get mangled.

Swiching from playing Texas Hold'em and Omaha poker is easy at: www.DailyStarPoker.com

ALL THE ACES poker column:
Thursday, September 29, 2005: 
Switching From Playing Texas Holdem To Omaha Poker