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29 May 2010 0 Comments

Omaha Poker: Required Skills to Stay Profitable

When playing Omaha, your skills and ability to analyze the situation quickly play an even more important role compared to when you use them to play Texas Hold’em. We’ve discussed how Omaha can be very technical, so you should understand how important these skills we are going to discuss are. Let’s take a look at some of the skills you need to master the game of Omaha poker, shall we?

As with playing most poker variations, the first skill you need to master is the ability to determine the strongest possible hand quickly. You should already know about poker hands basics – Four of a Kind is stronger than a Flush, a Flush is stronger than a Straight, and so on – so all you need to do is learn how to spot them quickly. To help you practice the skill, you can either play more live games or use computer software or desktop games to help you practice.

Next, you need to adjust your bankroll management strategy based on the characteristics of Omaha poker. Most Omaha tables are played with limit, although several no-limit Omaha poker tables are also available at select casinos and online casinos, so you would have no trouble at all adjusting your bankroll strategy accordingly.

Once you master the two skills, it’s time to formulate your play and learn how to adapt to different situations swiftly. You should be able to determine the strongest possible hand by seeing the community cards dealt on the table, so assessing the relative strength of your hand shouldn’t be a problem at all. This is a skill you must master in order to master the game of Omaha.

4 May 2010 0 Comments

Omaha Tips: Technical Aspects

We’ve talked about some basics of playing Omaha poker before. In this part, we are going to go into some more details and see how the game can be very technical and challenging. The reason why Omaha is more technical than Texas Hold’em is because there are more cards used to form the right combination. If you don’t know how to play the cards properly, you will have a hard time mastering the game.

I will take a round from my last Omaha session as an example in this part. My hole cards were K-K-K-4, and the community cards were same-suited A-J-3 and different suited 4-7. Keep in mind that you can only use two of your hole cards and three of the community cards to form a hand. You might be thinking I have a solid Full House, Kings to Fours, but the rule will not allow me to do that. In return, I was stuck with two pairs. An opponent won the round with a Flush in an instant.

From the example you can clearly see that Omaha is a technical game indeed. There are more skill factors and less luck involved on the mix, so you would have to be able to master the skills properly in order to stay profitable playing the game. Having a solid Three of a Kind (in my case, Kings) as your hole cards will not do you any good, and you would still have to apply the right strategy to win the round.

2 March 2010 0 Comments

Poker Tips: Playing Pairs

Poker Tips: Playing Pairs

I had an amazing experience playing poker just a couple of weeks ago. I was starting with a pair of two and everything went smoothly until the flop. The flop was a combination of different suited J-7-A, so my pair of two is not strong at all. I was lucky enough to see the turn with only $20 additional bet – in this case, calculating my poker bankroll and the stakes that I’m up against, $20 is reasonable. The turn showed another 2, so I now have three of a kind.

With no possible Flush and a small possibility of a Straight, the hand is looking pretty strong. What I did was I raise the bet to $40 and I had three players calling my bet. The river showed a surprising A; since I’m betting last, I can quickly see that no raise was made for the extra Ace. This assures me that my Full House is the strongest hand on the table. I quickly raised the bet by $100 and no showdown was even necessary.

When you are starting a round with low pairs, always manage your risks properly. The pair can be easily beaten by higher pair, so you are not in a strong position just yet. However, the pair can easily turn into a three of a kind – if you are lucky enough, since the odds are quite slim – so you still have a chance of winning. As soon as you sense a stronger hand from your opponents’ tells, pull out and fold right away.

12 January 2010 0 Comments

Cards on the Table

Poker is a challenging casino game to play because it requires skills and proper analysis. If you want to be successful in playing poker, you should focus more on the cards on the table and not only your hand. Let’s not forget that poker is also about scenarios; different combinations might produce different outcomes on a round.

Depending on the type of poker you play, you can master the skill of card and hand analysis in different ways. In this article, we are going to talk about Texas Hold’em and how you can predict the outcome of a round by seeing the flop, the turn, and the river. Always start with analyzing your hand and counting outs. See the best possible combination of cards you can make with your starting hand and start figuring out the number of outs to have a clear picture of your odds.

Once you are done, you can continue by analyzing the flop. If you have a starting hand of different suited A-K and the flop showed random same suited cards, for example, you can simply predict a possible flush with one of your opponent holding same suited cards.

Combine the analysis with understanding on betting patterns – including different tricks such as probe betting, especially if you play poker online – and you will find it easy to win a round in poker before you know it. The analysis on cards on the table can help you make better calls and place calculated bets, making you that much profitable in poker.