The River Strategy in Omaha Poker

Often, the final hands in Omaha poker determine who among the players wins. This is fondly called the River game. But how effective is the river strategy to Omaha players?

When the poker play gets to the river phase, this is where most of the action in Omaha poker often climax. Bets are poured in and then finally a hand wins. But some players take the River play to mean in another way and miss out on their good play because of delayed and ill-timed betting. This later turns into a betting pattern that costs them some. We should not wait for the action to climax on the river before we start our betting offensive.

Poor players in Omaha poker dilly dally with their bets and take them seriously only when they get to the river. This habit is a poor player's way of playing it safe with the bets. Poor players wait to the river to see if the game trend is on their side or against them. When they seem to be winning on the river they bet.

Omaha poker is preparing at pre-lop phase of the game. This means starting our with a strong hand and playing it strong; get some control of the pot, especially in enlarging it; take control of the hand so that we can fit the table play to our hand, and vice versa; and betting systematically and purposefully. All these processes start pre-flop, not somewhere in the end of the game. The winning moment may happen anywhere between pre-flop and river. Omaha victory is not pegged in way on the river.

Omaha preparation post flop is where we weigh the winning chances of our hand. We study probabilities while we try to get more from the pot. When the odds seem there we play aggressive, when the odds seem blur we play tight to make it for the long haul. Omaha post flop is critical. It is here where we begin to feel the overall odds—ours and the opponents'.

If we reach the turn, we may relax a bit. At this point the main probability and mathematical strategies have all been mostly done and all we need is to wait on the impact of what we have strategized pre-flop and post flop.

Omaha poker excitement climaxes on the river but our play must have been unfolding since pre-flop. The notion that Omaha is a river game should be balanced to have a right winning mindset.