Showing posts with label Omaha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Omaha. Show all posts

Friday, June 19, 2009

Strategy tips to play Omaha hi low

Play to Win: The spirit of the game is in winning it, so after the flop, if your high hand is not a sure winner and might have to split with the low, or even if you are playing for low but don’t stand a decent shot at the high hand, it’s a good idea to check/fold and get out early.

Slow play most Omaha hands: Early raises are risky unless you know you can't lose.

Avoid playing middle suited connectors. Hands like 8h 9h spell bad news in high-low split. In order to make the high end of a straight, you need to catch the cards that will also qualify low hands. To play these you also need a suited ace or an A2.

Do not overbet A2, A3 and 2 3 nut lows. You could end up getting quartered as these are often shared with another player. If there are two playing the same nut low and one going high, every bet you make contributes 1/3 to the pot that will only pay you 1/4 back. It makes sense to check around. Fast play, here will make you money if there are three or more other players with either high or losing low hands.

Beware of uniform flops, like 8 7 6, they could easily turn into straights that can overtake your high pair trips, or other good hand.

Watch out for Suited Flops that can make a completed flush. Hold the nut in that suit, or have trips or two pair that can fill up.

Check the raisers chips. Players that are close to all-in often rush the betting just to get all their chips in a sink-or-swim last hand.

Study your opponents, especially when you are not playing hands and can pay careful attention. Look for any "tells" (give away mannerisms) that disclose information about their hands etc.

Get caught bluffing once in a while, as it varies your play. You win pots that you don't deserve when your bluff works. You lose a few chips when it doesn't work but it will get you calls from weaker hands down the line when you are really strong and need the action.

Pay very close attention to your cards. Omaha High Low hands can get confusing. You think you have a nut hand winner when you don't, or you have the best possible hand and not realize it. Avoid these costly mistakes.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Omaha Poker: A Form of Texas Holdem

Omaha poker

Omaha poker is a community card poker game similar to Texas holdem, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards. The exact origination of the game is unknown, but casino executive Robert Turner first brought Omaha into a casino setting when he introduced the game to Bill Boyd who offered it as a game at the Las Vegas Golden Nugget Casino.

Omaha is a nine-card hi-lo poker game that uses a dealer button, blinds and community cards.

Omaha poker is a form of Texas Holdem, except the players are dealt 4 hole cards (face down) as their initial starting hand prior to the flop and five board cards as community cards. The community cards are dealt face up in the center of the table in the same manner as in Texas Holdem with betting after each round.

Players play in turn clockwise. Two players to the left of the dealer button post blinds. There are 3 other betting rounds; the flop, the turn, and the river. The five community cards and their rankings are used by all active players.

After the final betting round, the players remaining in the hand will then show all their cards. To qualify for a winning low hand, a player must have five cards of 8 or lower with no pair using two from their hand and three from the board (community cards). Straights or flushes may be used for the low hand if all the cards are 8 or below.

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Sunday, March 8, 2009

World Series of Poker

world series of poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is one of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the world. First played in 1970, the World Series of Poker has grown in popularity ever since.

The World Series of Poker draws many of the top poker players, but it is not their exclusive domain. Players come from all walks of life and most of the poker players are amateurs. The World Series of Poker often sees many of those amateurs beating the pros.

The World Series of Poker actually consists of a number of poker tournaments of various poker games including Texas Holdem, Omaha, Razz, and Stud Poker. There are also Lowball and Hi-Low split poker games. The World Series of Poker typically has about 45 individual poker tournaments which begin the first week of June and end with the final day of the World Championship Event about mid-July.

The winner of each World Series of Poker tournament event is awarded a gold bracelet (which many players value more than the cash prize). The cash prizes are substantial typically ranging in the low to mid six figures with the first place prize for last year's Championship event setting a new record at $5 million. Poker tournament buy-ins generally range from $1,000 to $5,000 with the Championship tournament having a buy-in of $10,000. Players can also get into the Championship tournament by winning World Series of Poker satellite tournaments.

Harrahs Casino also sponsors the World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit. The circuit is comprised of various poker tournaments held at different Harrahs casino properties nationwide. Poker tournament players earn points toward an invitation to the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions which is held shortly after the conclusion of the regular World Series of Poker tournaments.

Many of the World Series of Poker tournament final tables are taped and televised by ESPN.

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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Poker Needs Secrets


Playing poker has been a passion of mine for quite a long time and I have always enjoyed a variety of games. My favorites are Texas Hold’em, Speed Hold’em and Omaha, but I still also play Seven Card Stud. I treat poker games as entertainment while they also need secrets.

In poker, you often find yourself at a point of decision: it is your turn to take action but you don't know what to do. Should you call? Should you raise? Should you fold? You study the cards; you calculate your outs and your pot odds; you retrace the action of the hand; you ponder the chips on the table… Still, you have no idea what is your best move. You analyze the probabilities; you consider advice from poker books you've read; you look skyward for guidance. Yet you remain baffled. Your actions in situations like this determine your success as a poker player.

The secret is to figure out what your opponent don't want you to do and then do that. When you face an opponent in poker, he will always be worried about your particular action.

The secret is reliable---the reason is that the inner desires of your opponent are based on accurate information. He knows almost everything about the details of his poker hands and he does not need to speculate about those things as you do. Therefore, whatever he is thinking is based on factual information from his viewpoint. His thoughts, whatever they are, are rooted in his reality…

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Christmas Eve


I had a dream yesterday that Santa Claus came to join us on poker table and said, in essence, “I am about to give away a lot of money…” Over the course of next several hours, Santa Claus emptied thousands of thousands dollars out of his bag. At times, there were many players couldn’t believe their good fortune. For some players, the concept of Santa showing up and giving them a holiday gift just seemed...well, too good to be true. Santa even offered some sage advice to players “It's better to be good than lucky...because miracles usually happen on this table”…

When I woke up this morning, I was so happy that I can’t help enjoying the dream until now.

Tonight, on this 2008 Christmas Eve, there will be a lot of people who don’t have to work at all. Shall they enjoy the time sitting together with family members to chat and play poker games like Texas Hold’em, Omaha or Speed Hold’em just like me? Maybe… Children might be the happiest tonight who will be waiting for Santa Claus making his rounds giving gifts to good children.

Happy Holiday, everyone…

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Sunday, December 21, 2008

Pot-Limit Omaha


The past weekend for me was really like a nightmare although it was the Winter Solstice when people all over the country ate dumplings…I really want to forget everything happened yesterday and just concentrate myself on poker games.

Today I choose pot-limit Omaha which is a community card poker game similar to Texas Hold’em where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards. However, it is different from Texas Hold’em…

More people will see the flop in Omaha which also creates bigger pots, making your decisions on the flop even more crucial; players need a stronger hand to win at Omaha because the best hands are those that are made and hold additional value, like top set with a big draw in Omaha. Meanwhile, although position is very important in all forms of poker, it is less important in Omaha and it is usually the player holding the best hand that wins the pot…

I haven’t won in my game by far and I’m not sure whether it is because of my lost mood, but I will hold on…

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Friday, November 7, 2008

Choose Your Poker Games


As you know, there are many different poker variations and structures in which to play them. And in order to win in the poker games and have your fun, you need to select your own poker games online that fit your skills.
By far the most popular variation for cash games is fixed limit Texas Hold'em, closely followed by no-limit Texas Hold'em. Much less Texas Hold'em games are played in pot-limit style. Other games with decent volume in cash games are Omaha, mostly limit Omaha High-Low and pot-limit Omaha High. Next in popularity is limit Seven-Card-Stud and its High-Low version.
If you are a beginner we recommend that you start out by learning how to play fixed limit Texas Hold'em. This is an easy game in which to learn the basics and as mentioned before it is the most popular form of poker today. Almost all online poker rooms offer plenty micro-stakes limit Texas Hold'em, where you can get a lot of playing time for something like $30.
No-limit Texas Hold'em cash games are not suitable for beginners to play other than at the really low stakes. No-limit Texas Hold'em fits people with guts, aggressive style and good player reading skills. These are treats a beginner rarely displays from the start. Don't take this as advice not to play no-limit Texas Hold'em, but start out carefully and take advantage from playing in some poker tournaments as well. To succeed at higher stakes you will often need to be patient and cautions, play tricky and take calculated chances to break your opponents.
As we know that all short-handed games (6 players or less) have a higher skill factor, as more marginal hands need to be played, more tricks are used and aggression is an even more important element. As a beginner you should avoid these games. Maybe with the exception for players who just have no patience at all and who are real action junkies. Conversely, if you are a winning player who is good at reading opponents and comfortable playing aggressively you could benefit from going down from full ring games to short-handed games.
So be serious to select your own poker games online, and stick to some wise poker strategies to win your bucks~! Have fun~!

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