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Hold'em
vs. Omaha: Big Difference?
A very large mistake that many
new Omaha players make is that they think Omaha
and Hold'em are the
same games. The only difference is that in Omaha
you get 4 cards and in Hold'em
you get 2 cards. While that is the biggest
difference, it is not entirely accurate. There
are actually a lot of things you have to keep in
mind when you compare Omaha to Hold'em.
Many different factors come into play when you
are dealing with Omaha that do not in Hold'em.
Similarities of Omaha and Hold'em
Although there are a lot of
differences, there are also a lot of
similarities between the two poker games. For
one, they do have the same objective. In both
games you are trying to get the best possible 5
card poker hand. Another thing that is the same
is that you have hole cards in both games as
well. Along with those hole cards, you will have
community cards. Between the community cards and
hole cards you are trying to make the best hand.
So, you can see that they are very similar in
that aspect. That is the reason that so many
people get the two mixed up.
Another thing that is similar, in
fact exactly the same is the betting. The
betting structures and variations are exactly
the same with Omaha as they are with Hold'em.
There are three variations: fixed limit, no
limit and pot limit. This is the same in both
games as is the blind structure and everything
like that. There is nothing different in the way
the betting is at all in the two games. There
are some other obvious similarities as well, but
that covers most of them pretty good.
Differences of Omaha and Hold'em
The differences of the game are
not as obvious as the similarities. That is the
reason why so many people assume they are the
same. The only obvious difference is that you
will get 2 hole cards in Hold'em
and 4 in Omaha. Besides that the other
differences are hard to realize at first. Most
of the differences have a lot to do with
strategies and things of that nature. The big
one however, is that you must use 2 of your hole
cards in Omaha. In Texas Hold'em
you can get away with using just 1 of your cards
to make your winning hand.
Example:
If you have a just one club and
it is an Ace; then the board ends up coming up
as 4 clubs-you would have an Ace high flush in
Hold'em. In Omaha you would need to have 2 clubs
in your hand to make a flush, even though there
are 4 on the board. That is the number one
mistake that so many Omaha players make.
The other major differences come
within the strategy of the game. There are a lot
more cards out there which really brings the
value of hands down a lot. A top pair with a
good kicker would be a winning hand in Hold'em.
In Omaha, even 2 pair is garbage the majority of
the time. The only hands that win are the
monsters. There are a lot more flushes,
straights, full houses, sets and all of those
big hands. With that, comes a completely
different strategy.
Both games are very similar, and
you will definitely have a much easier time
learning one if you already know the other. The
problem comes in when you are so used to playing
the one specific game. You will find that there
are a lot of things you would do in Hold'em
that you could never do in Omaha. The best way
to learn the differences and the games would be
to simply play them. The more you play the more
mistakes you will make. Mistakes are always good
in poker, because you will always learn from
them. Omaha and Hold'em
are right in the same family, but do not make
the mistake that they are identical twins. |
