Knowing texas holdem you start the advantage considering that the scores in omaha poker are the same as the value of the hands.
The world of poker has always been – and always will be – a world at the mercy of the trends of the moment: new games continue to arrive relentlessly and to take the place of those that until then had been the most popular.
Once, for example, Stud was the most popular variant of poker – with thousands of players ready to approach poker just to understand the mechanism of this game; Then came Texas Holdem which – between the simplicity of its rules and the complexity of the reasoning behind every move – gained the spotlight and stole the show from any other type of poker.
People play poker for very different reasons, perhaps one could even say that the two main reasons are:
- Learn, progress and improve your gaming skills
- Since the entire poker galaxy has spent years concentrating its attention on one game, the average level of
- Hold’em games has gone far beyond what can be considered as the average level in poker in general.
- And those who are a little familiar with the game know that things can only become even more difficult with the passage of time – both as regards the technical level and winning hard cash.
That said, now you will understand why the great migration that is bringing a huge number of players from Texas Hold Em tables to Omaha tables.
This article assumes that you are approaching Omaha with a good knowledge of the basic principles of Holdem. If you have never played any type of poker, then this is not an article for you: better try a visit to the section of the Omaha poker rules and start with the basics.
If, on the other hand, you are Hold’em players ready to take the big leap … then read on.
The most important thing you should always keep in mind when trying to understand omaha poker scores is the change in the relative value of the hands.
Most poker players don’t know all the math or theory behind the probability calculation in poker.
A good poker player understands that a full house is more important and less likely than a straight; maybe even calculating what the single hand odds are. But there are very few players who can explain how to calculate odds and, more importantly, what they really mean.
Are you already lost? Don’t worry, slowly things will start to make sense.
What you always have to keep in mind is that unless you have the skills of a mathematician in calculating odds and odds, you will have to approach omaha poker strategies using the poker knowledge you have available, applying and adapting to the new game what you learned at Texas Holdem tables.
Starting from a similar assumption is already a good advantage, even if it hides some traps that it is important not to underestimate. One of the most dangerous is to understand the difference in the relative value of the hands between Omaha and Holdem.
Omaha Poker Scores: Watch out for the flop
The points of omaha poker remain unchanged with respect to the holdem but this does not mean that the value of the hands does not change as does the strategy of the game, especially on the flop.
If on the flop you find yourself with a top pair built on a board of different suits with no possibility of building anything more than a straight ladder, this in the Holdem would probably push you to a substantial bet – especially since nothing could beat you if not a trio.
Unfortunately, however, if you have played a lot of Texan poker this way of understanding the value of a top pair is so much a sensation when assimilating one of the basic concepts of poker principles. And if you experience the same situation on the flop when playing Omaha Poker, there is a good chance that your feeling won’t change making you feel almost unbeatable.
Before losing your head (and the stack) you therefore need to take a few seconds to better reevaluate the whole situation at the table by putting aside for a moment the experience gained in your Hold’Em games.
Although a top pair on the flop is without a doubt an excellent start, this does not mean that you are the players with the nuts. In fact, it’s still possible that one of your opponents is holding a wrap draw – a long straight draw that you should definitely fear.
And considering how much more likely this is to be a tic-tac-toe, then change your position in a second making you much more vulnerable than you had imagined before.
Develop a winning strategy
Omaha Poker score calculation
Having thousands of poker hands behind you will also help you a lot in developing a good omaha strategy, in addition to the fact that you will already be familiar with the omaha scores once you sit at the table.
However, you will not have to flaunt excessive security and overestimate your hands, especially when playing in the omaha hi low poker variant.
In the end the nuts remain the same, just try to be careful of all possible scales – including interlocking ladder plans. In Omaha you are never as sure as you think.
Instead of betting all the game reading on the flop, wait for the turn and river and learn to take them into due consideration: the flop gives you an idea of how things can go together with the possible dimensions of the final pot.
Once you turn the turn things get different and the backdoor stairs leave the scene – making the situation a little less uncertain than before. Which means that finding yourself with a top set on the turn, it is much easier for you to understand your real chances of winning.
Your knowledge related to Hold’em and your feelings become very important at this point since, once the flop has passed, the calculation of probabilities becomes much more similar to that of Holdem.
In short, if you want to be successful in Omaha, all you need to do is understand that you must stop thinking that the experience gained in Hold’Em is enough to bring you significant results.
The rest, if you have the patience to wait for us, we will explain it in the second episode of our exclusive guide to move from Texas Holdem poker to Omaha poker.
