The Butterfly Effect – Why Small Changes In Omaha Poker Give A Totally Different Poker Game

Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect? The term comes from a 1952 Science-Fiction novel by Ray Bradburg entitled A Sound of Thunder, but was more famously used by climatologist Edward Lorenz to describe how one small change in a system can result in massive changes at a later date.

In essence, the Butterfly Effect described how one tiny, almost imperceptible change to something can cause a complete change in the characteristics of an event later on. That is a very good analogy when comparing how Omaha Poker (and better still Omaha Hi Lo) plays compared to the standard version of Texas Hold’em.

Because just two small changes to the rules of the game, make a massive amount of difference to how the game plays.

Before we take a look at how these differences manifest themselves, it is worth pointing out you can enjoy Omaha and Omaha Hi Lo Poker at both our poker sites. Get the latest Bet365 no deposit bonus information by clicking on the link, or claim your Sky Poker no deposit bonus by clicking here and you too could be playing either version of Omaha in no time at all.

Looking for a different type of Omaha? Tip your toe into 5 card Omaha strategy. As the name suggests, instead of being delt four cards, you are dealt five cards. This opens up a new level of Omaha. Although many of the same principals apply to the game, getting an extra hole card really changes up the strategy and game play.

How does Omaha differ from Texas Hold’em?

In terms of rules of play, there are only two differences between Texas Hold’em and Omaha Poker and these rule changes are outlined below:

• In Omaha Poker, each player is dealt four pocket cards instead of two.
• In Omaha Poker, your hand must be comprised of two of your four pocket cards, plus three cards from the flop, turn and river. You cannot use any other combination of cards to make a hand.

In all other respects, such as the order in which the community cards are revealed, the rounds of betting in between each part of the hand and the relative values of the ten possible hands you can make in the game, are all exactly the same.

So you would be forgiven for thinking then that Omaha Poker is very similar to Texas Hold’em and that is where you would be making your first mistake, because Omaha Poker actually plays very, very differently to standard Hold’em, and what is more, Omaha Hi Lo also plays very differently to a typical game of Omaha.

How does Omaha Hi Lo differ from standard Omaha?

If you elect to play Omaha Hi Lo, then you are taking another step away from the traditional Texas Hold’em game and things once again become less familiar. While the set up of Omaha Hi Lo is the same as Omaha Poker in that you get four pocket cards and have to make a hand using two of your four pocket cards with three community cards, in Omaha Hi Lo, you have to make two hands (if you can). A high hand, and a low hand with the pot split evenly between the winners of each.

A high hand is the same type of hand you would make in any form of poker and is simply the best hand you can make using any two of your hole cards, plus three from the community cards. A low hand however, is the lowest possible hand you can make in the same way, however a hand cannot have a card ranked nine or above to qualify.

Around 60% of the time, you will be able to make a low hand alongside your high hand, but for the other 40% of the time, your hand will not qualify and you won’t have a chance of winning the low pot. If no player qualifies for the low pot, then the winning high hand takes the pot (as in standard Omaha).

You have to use all four of your hole cards to make your high and low hands in Omaha Hi Lo, each with three cards from the community selection.

Why is Omaha and Omaha Hi Lo so different to standard Hold’em?

As you can see from the games outlined above, the fact that you are dealt four cards in both versions of Omaha greatly increases your chances of hitting a strong hand. In Omaha this means that players tend to hit better hands more often and as such, some hands that are strong in Hold’em, such as three of a kind, flushes  and straights for example, are not as strong here.

Also, given that players hit better hands more often in Omaha, this means that more players tend to play more hands, which can mean that there is often a lot of money floating around in the pots and of course, this brings with it added pressure.

In Omaha Hi Lo, the added factor of making a low value hand also complicates the game as you are betting not just to win the high hand, but also the low hand too (if your hand qualifies), so you need to be aware of this when betting.  Understanding how a low hand works is also key and it is a good idea to ensure you are fully conversant in the rules surrounding this before you play.

In essence, although there are just a couple of rule changes from standard Hold’em to Omaha Poker (or Omaha Hi Lo), the effect of those changes are huge when it comes to how the game plays and how players are involved in it and it is fair to say that while both Omaha and Texas Hold’em are essentially games of poker, they are quite, quite different in many respects.

Do my Texas Hold’em skills translate to either form of Omaha Poker?

The good news is that while not all your Texas Hold’em strategies will translate to the different versions of Omaha Poker, the skills you learn at the table most certainly can. Your ability to interpret what players hands are from their demeanour or betting style is still as valid in Omaha as it is in Texas Hold’em and being able to calculate potential outs, pot value and playing to a sensible strategy with a clear long term goal, also pays dividends.

However, by its very nature both forms of Omaha are more volatile games than Texas Hold’em and as such, you should not rush in to play for big money until you are fully conversant with all aspects of this exciting and growing in popularity form of poker.