Non-Random Accuracy in Omaha Poker

An important thing to know in Omaha poker is that the final hand often immediately gets higher percentage of winning.

Hands often are more definite compared to the game of Holdem or stud poker. On the flop play hands are almost known accurately. More so when the betting rounds fire, hands become more apparent. Outs become more obvious with players as they become numerous.

When we play Holdem poker, we would notice the randomness of most results. When we're up against several opponents and they hit oddball kickers their winning odds increase. This can also be done if they spike under pairs. However, in Omaha, results are much more definite. Our outs are obvious—like the number of cards that complete the nut hand, for instance. Loose games in Omaha poker are even more exacting so that nothing is left to conjecture or mystery.

When the play is tight there's often no need for nut hands for winning due to the small number of players. However, in lower limit poker situations—as in the case of most Omaha plays—we can expect little incidence of randomness in the games. Unlike in holdem where prior the river card we can already have an idea of the number of cards necessary for winning.

We must also realize that Omaha is all about what information we can gather in the overall play and other's play. In contrast, Holdem keeps us often in uncertainty—and that's how they are played. We often end up with nuts in loose Omaha while loose Holdem often keeps us in the dark and hard up.

Most players may misunderstand the loose results that occur with the nature of an Omaha game. They may misconstrue Omaha's play results, thinking for instance on the turn that just because a nut flush is beat on the river play (just as the board pairs), that Omaha poker has some unexplainable random nature. Thus, they start playing with that idea of randomness in mind. Actually, the reverse is true. There is a definite amount of cards that can pair with those on the board, and this might result to our loss, just as there is a definite amount of numbers that cannot pair with the board and result to our winning.

Hence, in Omaha poker, with a nut flush on the turn, there are 40 probable cards on the river. While 10 pairs on the board may make us lose, 30 non-pairs on the board may make us win.