There’s probably one clue above all others that will tell you whether a Holdem player is sitting at your table.
It’s the way he plays A-A.
Does he go bonkers with it? Does he push all in after the flop? If so, he’s probably a Holdem player and an Omaha novice.
One of the bigger adjustments Holdem players have to make when they move over to Omaha is the way they play a pair of Aces in their hand.
See, that’s the nasty thing about Omaha Poker; you’ve got those other two cards in your hand, and it’s those other cards that determine just how far you should push with your A-A.
There’s great A-A hands, and there are good A-A hands, and there are A-A hands that, yes, you should probably fold before the flop if you’re facing serious pressure.
There are many reasons why A-A isn’t the nuts in Omaha.
First, Omaha is almost never a No-Limit game. It’s a limit or pot-limit game. That makes it hard to get in all your money before the flop, unless you’re playing with a short stack (and unless you’re in a tournament and don’t have a choice, you shouldn’t be doing that at all).
Second, because Omaha is a pot-limit game, that makes it hard to isolate against another player so you’re heads-up. And as all Holdem players know, even A-A loses a lot of its charm in a multi-way pot. In fact, as you probably know, A-A is at best a 60 percent favorite even when there’s just one other player in the pot in Holdem.
Third, Omaha is a game where the average winning hand is a straight, and many times, not even a straight is good enough to win. So how do you think your one pair holds up, even if it’s A-A? That’s right. It doesn’t hold up well at all.
This doesn’t mean you should never push with A-A. There are certain A-A hands that are worth getting in as much money as you can pre-flop and then, depending on what the flop brings, pushing with it after the flop.
Some of those hands include A-A-J-10 or A-A-K-Q because these hands could give you the nut straight. They also include an A-A hand that’s double suited, so you’ll have a decent shot at flopping a nut flush draw with a pair, and that’s always a big hand. Finally, it could be a hand like A-A-Q-Q because you’ll have a great shot at flopping top set.
There are many other good A-A hands. They might be hands like A-A-10-9 because you might get the nut straight out of that hand in addition to having your A-A. Or hands like A-A-K-10 but with a single suit. Most A-A hands are worth seeing a flop. If you do flop a set, of course, it would be top set.
But there are A-A hands that aren’t worth calling a re-raise with, unless you have position, a good read on your opponent, or a chance to isolate him with a raise that will put him all in before the flop. In fact that third caveat might be a bit much, too, as your opponent could just as easily have a better A-A hand than yours, leaving you with few outs to improve (and top set isn’t going to be one of those outs).
“Trash” A-A hands include hands with the dreaded dangler, such as A-A-J-3 rainbow, or A-A hands that have three to one suit and no real straight possibilities, such as A-A-8-2. Playing for a raise when you’re out of position with these hands is a good way to lose money in Omaha.
You won’t be the first to lose a lot of money with A-A in Omaha, but now’s the time to start taking advantage of those players so you won’t be the last.
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