Playing Drawing Hands in Fixed Limit Omaha
Just a few days ago I was sipping on a cold oat soda down at my favorite local tavern and the bartender asked me a very pointed question. His name is Ron, he has a glass eye, a Clark Gable mustache and a slick black pompadour. He is generally a very surly type of individual. If you catch him on a good day, he may actually spit in your drink or threaten to knock you out with one of his massive, scarred and bejewels hands. On a bad day, you are better off avoiding him altogether.
But, a few days ago I found Ron in a positively giddy mood, having just won a free round-trip ticket to Reno for the annual “summer senior bowl-a-thon.” So with a smile he asked me something about my vast knowledge of poker, which he usually makes a point of ignoring. Here is what he wanted to know: exactly what is it about the game of fixed limit Omaha that makes the practice of drawing hands so critical?
Well, I practically fell off my barstool when I heard those words leave his mouth. Because the fact is, Ron is an exceedingly stupid individual, one who I would never credit with being able to formulate such an incisive and intelligent question. Nonetheless, I have learned not to be surprised by anything life may dish out on a daily basis, so I simply swallowed a mouthful of Pabst Blue Ribbon and tried to give an answer that was worthy of Ron’s mind-bogglingly artful query.
The reason that drawing hands is so important in fixed limit Omaha is generally based upon the structure of the game. More specifically, in Omaha a player is dealt four hole cards before the flop. Naturally, if you are familiar with Texas Holdem, you will immediately notice that this is two times the amount of hole cards you’re used to dealing with. Thus, the chances of drawing a running straight or flush draw, not to mention multiple matching cards, become all the more likely.
So, when the flop comes and three cards are dealt face-up on the board, those must be matched with the four in your hand for maximum potential. Bear in mind that only two of your four hole cards can ultimately be used in your final hand. After the flop, you hit the turn and then the river, just as in Texas Holdem. By this point, there is a tremendously diverse range of possible hands which you will be able to assemble from the cards on the board and the ones in your hand. Looking at this rather complicated formulation, it becomes easy to see why drawing hands offers so many opportunities to win in a game of fixed limit Omaha.
Grab the opportunities and collect information while playing on the flop in fixed limit omaha .
Just be sure to remember that the number of opportunities will never automatically spell out victory, and the most important thing is to never become overly excited by a promising starting hand. Even if you hit the flop, you must always keep your eye towards the ensuing betting rounds and move ahead confidently - but wisely.