Poker Strategy - River Play In Omaha

Omaha Poker Strategy Articles

River Play In Omaha

Like Texas hold em, Omaha is a five street game, meaning there is action pre-flop, on the flop, turn and river. Each street in turn, requires its own strategy. What you do on the river in a game of Omaha is vitally important, as it will determine whether you are able to maximize your win or minimize your loss on the hand.

The River In Pot Limit Omaha
By the river card in a contested pot limit Omaha pot, there will often be enough money in the middle that one player will be able to put another player all-in. In no-limit Texas hold em, this may mean the player is pot committed and has an automatic call with any reasonable hand. In a full pot limit Omaha game though, it is important to remember that it often takes the nuts to win the hand. If you have been betting with the nut flush (and hopefully you have been betting as soon as you hit it), and the board pairs on the river, you may have to abandon your hand.

If you are up against one opponent, you may choose to continue depending upon how your opponent has played the hand as well as in earlier poker games. If you are up against multiple opponents and someone puts you all-in, you still have a substantial stack in front of you, so it is most often correct to fold. Your opponent paid for the privilege to draw out on you and he probably succeeded, so you should not reward him any further.

The River In Fixed Limit Omaha
In fixed limit Omaha, the pot is often so large by the river that you should call a single river bet even if you have the second or third best hand. Most of the time, you will lose this bet. To avoid this, try to play only the hands that will either hit the nuts or miss completely by the river, rather than one that will hit the second or third best hand. Of course, this is not always possible.

The River In Omaha Hi-Lo
Just as in Omaha high, the nature of fixed limit pots in Omaha hi lo makes a single river bet an almost automatic call, unless you were going for low only and no qualifying low appeared. What you should generally not do is bet or raise with the nut low if four or fewer players remain in the hand, since you risk getting quartered and losing money.

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