Pot Limit Omaha Strategies
The world of poker has gone through some serious improvements over the years. Today, there are loads of variations of the game. One of the popular forms of the standard poker game that’s given so much attention lately is the Texas Hold’em variation. If you feel that you need a bit of change of games, you can always choose other types of poker to your liking. One particular poker game that might be perfect for you might just be
Pot Limit Omaha.
The Basics
In Pot Limit Omaha, the players are dealt 4 cards face down by the dealer. These four cards are used as their personal cards and are revealed only to themselves. These faced down cards are also known as the hole cards. The dealer also deals out five cards on the table which are facing up. These will be the community cards for the players to use. The rule of the game is to make use of two of the hole cards and three of the community cards to make the best 5-card combination possible. The player with the highest ranking hand is the winner. The game makes use of the blinds like Texas Hold’em does. They have the same function as they were in Texas Hold’em. The big blind is required to bet the maximum stake and the small blind is required to make the minimum during the start of the round. The difference in the two games is its betting style. Except for the small blind’s forced bet at the beginning of the game, you can bet a minimum of equal to the high stake. The maximum amount that a player can bet however varies during the course of the game. The players can bet up to a maximum equal to the size of the pot. This is where the game got its name from. Of course, depending on the size of the pot, Pot Limit Omaha can get a little expensive at times. At least the players have a limited betting range, al though it increases almost during every round.
The Phases and the Bets
When the dealer has handed out the cards, the big and small blinds are forced to make their respective bets. The player left to the big blind then decides whether he should call, raise or fold. This goes on in a clockwise manner up until it reaches the small blind where he can choose to call, raise or fold by adding an amount to his initial bet. The big blind then decides whether to check (depends if there are no players who have raised), call or raise. After all players have taken action, the first three cards on the community cards are revealed. This is the flop phase. The players are then given time to take action again by means of checking, calling, raising or folding. The turn then takes place by revealing the fourth card. Once again, players are to act in this phase. Then, the final card on the table is revealed. This is the river phase. The players are given the last chance to take action whether they want to check, call, raise or fold. If two or more players are left playing after the river, a showdown will occur to determine the winner of the round. The one with the highest hand wins the pot money.