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The Omaha Quiz
So far, all of our quizzes have focused on the fashionable game of today, No Limit Hold’em. But many of the biggest and most profitable games, particularly in Europe, involve one of the many variants of Omaha.
In the most common form of Omaha, you are dealt four private hole cards, although the game can also be played with as few as two or as many as six hole cards. The key feature that distinguishes the game from Hold’em is that in Omaha you must use exactly two of your hole cards in combination with exactly three of the community cards to make your five-card poker hand. That can be confusing, so in this quiz we’ll start off slowly and begin with the basics.
Scenario 1 – Pocket Aces
You are playing $0.25/$0.50 Pot Limit Omaha online. The table is nine-handed. You have a $50 stack, and the other stacks at the table vary considerably in size, from $10 to $250. You’re first to act before the flop, and you’re dealt As-Ac-Ks-Kc. This type of hand is known as a ‘double suited’ hand, because you have two opportunities to make a flush, in this case spades and clubs.
Question 1.1
What is the best possible starting hand in Omaha?
- A-A-K-K double suited
- A-A-J-10 double suited
- A-A-A-A
- 5-6-7-8
There is some disagreement about what the best starting hand in Omaha is. First of all, let’s rule out A-A-A-A. It’s not quads, because the rules of Omaha state that you can only use two cards from your hand. 5-6-7-8 is most certainly a playable hand, but not the best.
A-A-K-K double suited is the best hand in Omaha if you can get all-in before the flop. It’s percentage equity against a random hand, as well as against the types of hands it is likely to face in an all-in confrontation, is very slightly higher than the A-A-J-10. However, many top players argue that A-A-J-10 is stronger, because of its excellent straight-making potential.
In truth, you would probably rather have A-A-J-10 if you were in a multi-way pot with lots of deep stacks, because it’s a more flexible hand. You can hit top set, or a nice combination hand like a straight plus flush draw or an overpair plus flush draw. But against a single short stack, you’d choose the A-A-K-K.
In reality, you’d be delighted to be dealt either hand, and it’s not like you can choose anyway. Give yourself a pat on the back if you chose either A or B.
Question 1.2
Should you...?
- Fold
- Call $0.50
- Raise the pot, to $1.75
Answer
You have the best possible starting hand, so you should raise the pot, right?
Well, the decision isn’t quite as obvious as it may seem. The problem is, pocket aces lose a lot of value after the flop unless they improve, and they can be a very difficult hand to play out of position. If you’re at an aggressive table, it’s often better to limp in before the flop, hoping that one of your opponents will raise so that you can reraise, committing yourself to the pot and making your decisions from that point onward very easy.
One of the problems with raising is that you end up setting yourself up to lose a lot of money when you’re beat, and win only a little when you are ahead. Let’s say you raise to $1.75 and get four calls (which is certainly not unusual). The pot will be at least $8.75 on the flop, so if you bet the pot you’ll be committing about 18% of your remaining stack. You’re not pot-committed, but you don’t want to invest this many chips and fold often either. You’ll be faced with some very difficult decisions.
Contrast this with limping. Now, either you’ll be able to reraise and commit yourself to the pot with the best possible hand (never a bad thing), or the pot will be smaller so a flop bet won’t cost you as much. Another reason to limp is that it disguises your hand, and it balances your strategy, since you’d like to be able to limp with a lot of weaker hands too.
Folding is out of the question. Out of the two remaining options, I prefer to limp in most circumstances, raising only if I know the table is tight and I’m likely to get heads-up.
Question 1.3
You raise to $1.75, and all eight opponents call. The pot is $15.75, and you have $48.25 remaining. The flop comes 5h-6h-7d. You are first to act. What should you do?
- Check
- Bet $8
- Pot it, for $15.75
The biggest mistake Omaha beginners make is to overvalue unimproved pocket aces after the flop. In Hold’em, an unimproved overpair is often the best hand, even on a dangerous-looking board like this, and often even against multiple opponents.
However, in Omaha, unimproved aces in a multiway pot are like the US dollar in the global economy – almost completely devoid of value. With eight opponents holding four cards each, it’s almost impossible for you to be ahead on this flop, and you’ll probably be drawing slim to dead.
Betting at all is a mistake here. You should check, and be prepared to get out of the way if there is any significant action.
Scenario 2 – The Weak Straight Draw
Still playing the $0.25/$0.50 game on the internet, a few hands later you are dealt Ah-Qs-5s-6d on the button. Four people limp in and you call. Both blinds play, so there is $3.50 in the pot. You have $48 in your stack. The flop comes 7s-8c-2d, giving you an open-ended straight draw. The small blind checks, and the big blind bets the pot, $3.50. The first limper calls and the others fold.
Question 2.1
What should you do?
- Fold
- Call $3.50
- Raise the pot, to $14
In Hold’em, you would almost certainly call with an open-ended straight draw after a bet and a call, unless you thought the chances of a raise behind you were significant. But in Omaha, the average hand is much stronger than it is in Hold’em, and the nuts are so often out there. It’s important that you only draw to hands that you will be able to confidently bet or raise if you make them – and that means drawing to the nuts and avoiding expensive second-best hands.
Here, it’s possible that you have almost no equity at all. For example, against A-A-5-6, you are drawing to a split pot. Against 10-9-8-8, you can hit your straight with a 4 and still be only a slight favourite to win. It might seem pessimistic to put your opponents on such hands, but even if the cards aren’t held by a single opponent, it’s easily possible for several opponents to hold a combination between them that has you in terrible shape.
Here, your straight draw isn’t to the nuts, and you should fold.
Scenario 3 – Strong Draw in Six-Card Omaha
You’re feeling ambitious, so you’re playing in the £5/£5 Dealer’s Choice game at your local casino. You’re playing mostly against degenerate old men and they look at you with visible contempt as you sit down. There is no cap on the buy-in, and the stacks range from £250 to £5000 in size. You sit down with £500.
You sigh as the dealer calls out ‘Six O’. That means he’s picked Six Card Omaha – as if four cards weren’t enough. After two misdeals and an argument about a third, you finally look down at Ah-Js-10h-9d-6s-5c in middle position. The first player calls ‘pot’, raising to £20. A second player calls, and you call. The button calls, as does the big blind, making the pot £85.
The flop comes 8h-7h-3c, and the first player bets £85. The second player calls. There are two players behind you, the pot is £255, and you have £480 remaining.
Question 3.1
What should you do?
- Fold
- Call £85
- Raise to £170
- Raise the pot, to £425
You have not a pair to speak of, but you should be willing to go all the way with this humongous draw. You have flopped what is known in Omaha as a ‘wrap’ – that is, a straight draw with a whole bundle of outs. In this hand, three jacks, three tens, three nines, three sixes, three fives and four fours will give you a straight – that’s nineteen outs to make a straight alone. In addition, you have the nut flush draw, which gives you another four outs for up to 23 outs in total.
Such a huge draw is a dream hand in Omaha. The worst opposing hand you can encounter is a set, because then if the board pairs your hand will be ‘killed’, but even against the current nuts you are a favourite to win!
Your only concern is how to make the most money from the hand. Your opponents may be happy to commit all of their chips now, but be scared off by the wrong turn card. Therefore, you should probably make a big raise right now, to £425, and be prepared to put the rest of your chips as soon as you can.
Summary
Omaha is a high-variance game, and if you’re used to Hold’em, playing it well requires some adjustments. However, it’s an exciting and very lucrative game. Give it a try!
