What hands to re-raise with in Omaha

Pot Limit Omaha / Marcus Bateman / 12 March 2010 / Leave a Comment

Look to force your opponent into making big mistakes by constantly putting pressure on them with re-raises from a wide range of hands.

Re-raising more hands than just aces in Omaha is key to taking your game to the next level. If you only ever re-raise with hands that include aces in them, you make it extremely easy for your opponent just to call your raise, try and flop two pair or better, and then win the rest of your stack on the flop or turn if they hit, or simply fold if they miss.

In any form of poker is critical that you don't become extremely predictable in any one situation, but this is particularly important on your big hands, where you are looking to build large pots. Building big pots with your hand effectively face up is a recipe for disaster in any form of poker, especially one where it as easy to out flop your opponents as Omaha.

Regularly re-raising with hands other than aces also has big advantages outside of disguising your hand well. By re-raising with other hands than aces, you will often force your opponent into the mistake of making two pair or better and going with it, which often in Omaha is a big mistake. Two pair is not a very big hand in Omaha usually, and it is only when you are very certain your opponent has an over pair that it is typically a good time to play for stacks with it.

By re-raising hands with lower pairs or big wraps you will both often radically out flop your opponent, as well as get considerably more action on your hand when you do. This makes your game much harder to read, and any time there is a large amount of confusion in your opponents head mistakes will usually follow.

Omaha is a game where any predictability in your game can be very easily exploited by a good player. Being able to make similar moves with a wide range of hands - instead of just a very small one - makes your opponents life much tougher in thinking about their own hand and how much money they should be putting in with it.

By re-raising frequently with hands other than just the very biggest, you both disguise your big hands, as well as getting a great deal of excess action when you flop big hands with either your stronger or weaker holdings. Look to force your opponent into making big mistakes by constantly putting pressure on them with re-raises from a wide range of hands.

See more Marcus Bateman Strategy Articles or Read some Sorel Mizzi Omaha Articles