Omaha is a game that appears very similar to Texas hold’em, but in fact is quite different. The additional two cards and the restriction that players can only use three board cards creates an entire new array of strategies relevant to Omaha. A beginner who assumes that Omaha and Texas hold’em are essentially the same game is headed for disaster.
Omaha is Not Hold’em: Bluffing
One mistake that players comparing hold’em to Omaha make regards bluffing. While bluffing in limit hold’em is difficult because of the fixed betting limits, bluffing in Omaha is that much harder. The reason for this is that with so many cards in play, someone usually has the nuts or close to it by the river. If you move all-in in a pot-limit Omaha game on the river and someone doesn’t have the nuts, you’ll probably win that pot. Unfortunately, unlike in hold’em, if you’re facing two or three opponents at the end, one of them probably does hold that boss hand.
Omaha is Not Hold’em: Position
While position is important in Omaha, trying to manipulate the table so that loose players are on your right and tight ones on your left, as you might do in hold’em, is more trouble than it’s worth. It will be easy to see from the flop whether it is worthwhile for you to continue with the hand, so knowing what your loose player will do, while important, is not nearly so important as it is in a game like no-limit hold’em.
Omaha is Not Hold’em: Results
If your Omaha results are not as good as your hold’em results, there has got to be a reason. Ask yourself what elements of strategy you are bringing over from your Texas hold’em games and if they really apply to Omaha. If they do not, you’ll want to lose those ideas and replace them with ones that are more Omaha specific.