| 09 Nov | Myths - Not Truths!Posted by PokerBarney on 7:08PM, 9th Nov 2007Permalink |  Send to a friend |  RSS feed |
Most games are shrouded by certain myths – misconceptions that drive people away. There are a few myths about poker games too, especially when the game in question is Omaha. A lot of people shy away from this game because they assume the myths to be true.
One of the biggest myths about Omaha is that it is a complicated game. One agrees that all games have different levels of complexity. However, when you compare Omaha and another very similar game Texas Hold’em, you would find that Omaha is much easier to play. Texas Hold’em is characterized by its unpredictability and randomness that arise from the fact that no single player has a significant advantage. Usually in Omaha, you rarely play a hand head-up on the flop. Moreover, if there are three or more players in a pot, one among them will have a clear advantage over the rest or more than one player might have a strong hand. Additionally, any bet from any of the players can win the pot on a bluff. And Omaha has a lot more ways to connect with the flop.
Quite often, Omaha hands involve analyzing the possibilities of winning all or a part of the pot. It comes down to manipulation of the pot size through your bets. However, uncertain situations do emerge in Omaha. Nevertheless, right play in these situations can help you win. And this is precisely why good players manage to win most of the time. Most of this game’s situations involve calculating one’s ‘outs’ or in simpler terms, counting the cards that make your hand and representing them as a percentage. Although there are occasional tough situations, Omaha games are usually simple.
Another common myth about Omaha is that starting hands run close in their value. This can sound very ridiculous to players who play this game regularly. The reason for this myth can be traced to the fact that Omaha hands played head-up are similar in their dominating nature to the AA against A7 in hold’em. As a situational consequence, you would be forced to liberally defend a big blind against a single raiser in case you have a reasonable hand. This will offer you right pot equity. However, this doesn’t mean hands run close together in their value. An A23K will always be better than J965.
You can believe in myths and not play Omaha or ignore these misconceptions and play one of the most exciting games in Poker. The ultimate choice is yours. A myth need not be true always and in this case, it definitely isn’t.
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