So you’ve probably read all the Pot Limit Omaha articles and played a few hands to get a feel for the game but where do you go from here? What’s your next step?
Pot Limit Omaha can be a difficult game to master but this is exactly what makes it interesting and intriguingly profitable.
You can play many hands but if you’re not using the best and correct practices you’re getting caught up in the gamble which ultimately could be doing you more harm than good.
If you’re a fairly new Omaha player, it’s not just enough to go with your gut feeling. You have to stick to a very basic game plan and execute it.
Here are a few rules to help you win at Pot Limit Omaha
Always play within your bankroll
Forget the bigger games for now. Even though they are tempting, you are bound to go broke quickly. You should own a minimum of 50 buy-ins for the level you’re playing.
Always play the odds
It’s the odds that make online poker profitable. If you always make +EV decisions and avoid –EV decisions you will always gain money in the long run. Don’t get caught up in the game or chase gut feelings as this will set you back.
Set the Aces free
Okay we love Aces but if you can’t get committed preflop, then it’s better if you played them slow. In Omaha, pairs rarely win at showdown even if Aces are your best hand.
If you’re marking yourself with aces, they’d better be good aces with something good to go along with them.
Always stay in emotional control
Just like most poker games, you have to keep your cool when playing Omaha. If you lose the control on your emotions easily, then you won’t be able to make winning decisions.
Other ways to increase your game play
Now let’s take a good look at how to select great hands pre-flop and how to play those hands post-flop.
Hand Selection
While a great hand selection doesn’t actually give you a good advantage as it would in Texas Hold’em, picking the right hands can definitely gain you more money. When you play with solid starting hands, you will also notice that your opponents will often lost with small flush by your nut flushes or nut straights. Here are examples of strong starting hands in Omaha poker:
Double Suited – All hands increase in value when they’re double suited which will in turn give you a better chance to pick up a flush draw on the flop
High Connectivity – Hands that are connected, for example, King, Queen, Jack and Ten.
Two Pocket Pairs – two pairs such as two Aces and two Kings increase the odds of you flopping a set and making a full house.
Basic Post-flop Strategy
More players are bound to flop in Omaha Poker than in Texas Hold’em and thus, the pots are usually a lot bigger. The combination of big pots and a big number of players means that bluffing is quite a horrible move. If you raised pre-flop and you’re up against a player or two, you should consider following up with a 2/3 pot continuation bet.