Starting Hands in Fixed Limit Omaha
There is an alarming commonality facing many players of fixed limit Omaha. Perhaps this is due in some measure to the relatively recent mass popularity of this game. There are quite a few poker players in this great land on both the professional amateur circuits who have become more familiar with the pot limit form of Omaha. Therefore, a substantial number of novice gamblers proceed blindly into the world of fixed limit Omaha, incorrectly assuming that many of the same rules and dictates will apply with equal accuracy to both variants.
Allow me to caution you right away that such a mindset is almost certain to bring ruin and devastation in your quest to take home massive pots at the fixed limit Omaha tables. You must be quite ruthless about applying a fresh and specified viewpoint to your poker strategy with this game, no matter how tempting it may be to drag old habits and predilections to your overall strategy.
One aspect of fixed limit Omaha in which it is extremely important to maintain your critical capacities is in the area of starting hands. A general rule of thumb to bear in mind is to always look for related cards with your high pair. When the high pair is suited, there exists a much stronger base from which you can proceed into the flop and ensuing betting rounds. This is not to say that you should fold if your starting hand contains no suited cards, simply that (all things being equal) you should always look for a suited option.
Remember that Omaha is considered a "drawing" game, in which you have four hole cards to choose from.For more information on "drawing" and how to play it in fixed limit omaha, check our article on playing drawing hands in fixed limit omaha. This opens up a wide variety of possible hands that can be achieved with the right flop. With such opportunity comes enhanced risk, but risk-averse players are probably not best inclined towards any version of Omaha, fixed limit or otherwise. What should you look for in a starting hand that will determine whether not to open the betting? In general, at the very least you want to have a sheaf of low to middle cards that are related and (in the best of scenarios) consecutive. So, if your opening hand comprises 6, 7, 8 and 9, you could easily look for a flop that would include 10, 5, and 4. Right away, you would be looking at a straight. And from this point of view, the proceeding betting rounds offer quite a bit of opportunity to either build a totally dominant hand, or at least maintain a respectable standing from which to maintain your wagering through the turn and river cards. The starting hand must not be looked at as the ultimate determinant of how aggressively you should bet in a game of fixed limit Omaha, but to ignore its value is tantamount to throwing your chips away before the action even gets started.
Grab the opportunities and collect information while playing on the flop in fixed limit omaha .