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Part III: Limit Omaha (2)

In this series on starting hands, we have discussed some of the most popular board games in today's poker. We have touched a little upon limit hold'em and have discussed into more depth Omaha pot-limit, a dangerous and exciting, but also highly skillful gambling game, which has become extremely popular among top professionals who are not afraid of losing big time on occasion. In the first part of this article on limit Omaha, we saw that, compared to pot-limit, there are quite a few differences in which hands to play and how to play them, and that starting hands may be worth considerably more or less in limit than in the big-bet variety. Today, I will discuss four more starting hands in limit Omaha, high only.

Hand # 5: Jd 9h 8s 7h

Analysis
I didn't like this hand in pot-limit Omaha and I don't like it here. It is almost impossible to make the nuts with the jack (the gap is too high, a hand like JT97 would have been a lot better), and you basically hold a 987 only. Even if you catch a long shot flop like J8x or J9x, you are still a long way from pocketing any cash. In fact, you might be in a lot trouble if you are up against a good draw or good draws, and if you're facing a better made hand you may even be drawing dead. Stay out of trouble and fold the hand before the flop, especially in early or middle position. Near the button, the hand might be playable, but only if you expect no raises behind you.

Hand # 6: Ks Kh 8s 6d

Analysis
With a hand like this, you can always see the flop, almost regardless of the amount of action (four- or five-way action before the flop is common in limit Omaha, even in capped pots). However, keep in mind that you will need help from the flop (preferably a king, two spades including the ace or some kind of combination hand). If the flop comes with two spades and you are up against the nut-flush draw, the hand might prove quite costly, especially if you make the hand you have been drawing for. That said, if the flop comes like this it is hard for you to lay down your hand, even if you think your flush draw may not necessarily be good if you make it. Because you almost always have extra outs in Omaha (your pair of kings may become useful, or you might get lucky by making a straight you weren't initially drawing for) it is usually still correct to go all the way to the river with your hand in cases like this. Before the flop you usually don't raise to get players out (to thin the field), you raise to build a big pot in case the flop comes favorable: it is better to pay two bets before the flop in a six-way pot than three bets in a four-way pot, in my opinion. (This is from a risk / reward point of view. You will usually have to receive help from the flop to continue in the hand, even if you're up against "only" three players. If you have to give up your hand on the flop, you will have lost three bets instead of two, for example if an ace flops. But if you hit, you are likely to be so strong, that you want to have as many opponents as possible. It doesn't really matter if you have two or four opponents trying to outdraw your top set, in fact you would rather have four because this will make you more money in the long run). In the unlikely case you're playing in a rather tight Omaha game, then you would raise before the flop to thin the field, also in early position, because you might be able to win the pot right away or to play against the blinds only.

Hand # 7: Ah Ad Th 8s

Analysis
Believe it or not, but aces aren't always that easy to play in limit Omaha. If you build a massive pot before the flop by raising and reraising, you might have to continue with your hand after the flop when you only hold an overpair to the board (pot odds dictate you cannot fold too liberally here). Plus, because of your aggressiveness before the flop, people will suspect you of aces and they can put a lot of pressure on you by betting and raising- even if your aces are in fact still good. That said, with a hand like this you want to play for a big pot, so you will usually try to get as much money into the pot as possible- now let's just hope the "Limit Omaha Roulette Wheel" will be good to you.

Hand # 8: Ah Ts 9d 7h

Analysis
The final hand today is one we haven't discussed before. My pot-limit poker friends call a hand like this (suited ace plus some middle card straight potential) a typical limit Omaha hand- and I agree. With a hand like this, you can almost always see the flop in limit Omaha, even from early position. Because you can expect multiway action anyway, you will get enough decent flops to make calling correct, and often the bare ace-high flush draw will be enough to take your hand to the river. In pot-limit Omaha, this is almost never the case (the bare nut-flush draw is often not even worth a call if you suspect your opponent is in there with a good hand, that is if you think you cannot semi-bluff raise him off his hand). Therefore, in PLO this hand cannot be played under all circumstances, even though I still usually play the hand in middle and late position, sometimes even for a modest raise.

Some final words.

Starting hands are important in just about any poker game- even though in Omaha it sometimes doesn't look like that. However, you should always keep in mind that a starting hand is just that- a starting hand, and that it is only a starting point to how you are going to play from the flop onward. This is even more true for big-bet play (especially PLO), where some of the best players see a lot more flops than would seem right, simply because they know they can outplay their opponents. (Note that I do not fit into this category. I believe that playing very tight before the flop is recommended in just about any game and will get me the best long-term results, even though it seems that sometimes loosening up a little wouldn't hurt). I hope this series has given you some help regarding strengths and weaknesses of the different types of starting hands in board games, also in connection to your play after the flop. Any questions or comments you might have can, as always, be sent to me. Take care, you guys, and good luck.

What to look for in starting hands: Limit Omaha
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