Starting hands in Omaha

Although many players start playing online poker in No Limit Hold'em, many are looking to make the jump to Omaha. In this variant, where the management of the pots and bankroll are fundamental aspects in order not to lose the accumulated money, the best hands are not always AA** and KK**. In Texas Hold'em it is common to get used to accumulate KK and AA preflop in any situation, something that in Omaha can be a mistake.

In the Omaha poker variant, the winning hands can be different. Keep in mind that here we are dealt four cards, not two, and it can be risky to accumulate KK** cards.

The best starting hands in Omaha

In Omaha poker, the hands most likely to succeed preflop are not the same as in Texas Hold'em. Keep in mind that here the way of thinking is different, it has to be focused on management, and that we play with two more cards.

That is why, in the Omaha poker variant, the winning hands are always double suited, that is to say, they have to be paired by flush. In order for you to know the best hands in Omaha, we have prepared a table where you can consult, by blocks, which are the hands with the highest probability of success in the Omaha poker modality.

But to know if our hand is good to play preflop it is not enough to take a look at the table: we will have to analyze other elements that influence how good a hand can be. One of the basic concepts of Omaha poker is that the cards all work together to form a hand, although only two of them can actually be used to form a hand.

In reality, most experienced players take these four cards as four possible sources of information to aim to win pots. In addition, many of these variants can appear to be detrimental when in fact we can take advantage of the cards in other ways to turn them into a winning hand.

Basic concepts of Omaha poker

There are three terms that we need to know in depth to improve our strategic possibilities in poker: danglers, blockers and rundowns. To understand them, it is necessary to remember one of the basic principles of Omaha poker: winning hands are obtained when all four cards work together.

One of the most commonly used terms in Omaha poker is the dangler. In English, the dangler card is a low value card that is of no help at all to the four-card hand.

A high card can help to achieve a powerful hand, such as a three of aces or a full house. On the other hand, a low card will not improve that hand, so it will be "hung up" because it cannot be used for any play.

Hands with a dangler are generally quite foldable. The exception comes when we are in a late position such as the button, from which there is an excellent opportunity to steal the blinds.

As for the blockers, these are cards that prevent you from being able to make a good play. Their name comes to mind, because they are cards that block any possibility of squeezing the possibilities of the potential hand that you could form with their help. The blockers have the power to weaken our preflop hand, since they reduce the chances of getting the cards we need on the table.

Finally, let's talk about rundowns. In Omaha poker, a rundown is understood as a series of four cards of the same suit placed in sequential order.

These cards have enormous potential in case there are no doubled cards on the table. The principle is the same: cards work best when they are double-suited, something that also applies to rundowns.

Other things to keep in mind about Omaha Poker

In an Omaha poker game, the two players to the left of the dealer make the blinds. This is to ensure that there is money in the pot before the game begins. The first player bets the small blind and the other bets the big blind, which, as always, is twice the small blind.

During each betting round, the game is played based on four basic moves: check, raise, call or fold, practically universal terms in poker. If you are very new to poker, you should know that to check is to check, to raise is to raise, to call is to call and to fold is to fold.

The players who survive the final round of betting move on to the showdown, the moment of the final showdown where each player shows his cards. As the rules and common-sense dictate, the highest hand is the winner and takes the pot. In case of a tie, the pot is divided between the players who have matched the hand.

Now, in the Omaha form of poker there are three ways of betting: fixed limit, no limit and pot limit. They are better known by their English names: Fixed Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit.

Even if you are not used to the Omaha variant, you will be familiar with these ways of betting. To begin with, in fixed limit games the bets are equal to the big blind on the preflop and flop, although during the turn and river they are doubled.

In no-limit games, the limit is set by the amount of chips the player has, since he can bet them all at any time. The minimum bet limit is the value of the big blind.

As for Pot Limit Omaha games, players can bet the amount in the pot at any time. As in the no-limit version, the minimum bet is equal to the big blind.