While you’re digging into this Omaha tip, you might come up with an obvious question. It’s a question a lot of Omaha players ask when they’re learning the game. “You really want to draw only to the nuts? Isn’t that a bit nitty?”
The answer to that is done with some relatively easy math. In Holdem everyone starts with two cards. In Omaha everyone starts with four.
In a full ring game of nine players in Holdem, 18 cards would be out before the flop hits the board. Now think about this: In Omaha, that means 36 cards are out. That means 36 of the 52 possible cards are in someone’s hand even before the five community cards are flipped. By the time the river is dealt, 41 of the 52 cards will be out there. In Holdem, less than half of the cards in the deck are out by the river. In Omaha, only 11 remain.
Now you can see why sets lose to higher sets, full houses lose to bigger full houses, and it’s entirely possible that, yes, someone does indeed have quads. Do you really need to be told that it’s not only possible for your Queen-high flush to be beaten, it’s even highly probable?
Drawing to the second or third nuts is a common rookie mistake in Omaha. It haunts Omaha Hi-Lo players, too, as rookies draw to 8-lows all the time only to see someone beat them with a 7-low.
That’s why suited Aces in Omaha are valuable and why suited Kings aren’t as much. And if you insist on drawing to a King-high flush, either make sure you know your opponent is trying to protect his set or be prepared to pitch it when you face a lot of heat when you do make your draw.
Straights are another trouble spot in Omaha. Look for a discussion on that in another tip. But the term “idiot” end of the straight was created for Omaha players. You’re an idiot, in other words, if you’re raising with the low end of a straight in Omaha. Someone’s got you beat, and you’re putting in more money to find that out.
Finally, this tip goes for sets and full houses as well. If you have middle set, like a set of 7s on a board of 3-7-Q-3-K, and you called a raise with that set, don’t be shocked when your opponent smiles when you bet your last chips on a pot-sized raise on the river and she turns over Queens to beat your full house. That’s not a bad beat. That’s Omaha.
So what’s the best way to avoid this trouble? If you’re playing Omaha Hi, leave the baby cards to the babies. Don’t play small suited connectors. As inviting as they are in Holdem, they’re trash in Omaha. Don’t play small flushes and don’t expect your small straight to hold all the time (or even most of the time), even if it’s the current nuts. And don’t ever play small or medium pairs in the hopes of hitting a set because that set may just cost you a lot of money when it turns into a full house.
You want top set and the nut straight or nut flush.
The reason you draw is because you have the odds to hit your hand and win the pot (and whatever else your opponent will stash there). Why would you draw to hit your hand and have it cost you a bunch of money? Unless, of course, you’re looking for a bunch of “tough luck” Omaha stories; hopefully they at least get you a drink at the bar because those stories will cost you.
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