Poker fans of Texas Hold ’em, Omaha, and Omaha hi/low may have another favorite that needs to be added to their list. Cold Omaha is another variation of the classic Omaha hi/low with a very similar game style with a bit of a twist right off the bat.
Top Tips For Cold Omaha Betting
When making a strategy that best fits your needs, you need to know the game you are playing inside and out. Generally, it is a good idea anyway to fully understand the game since you will need all the information to make the best strategy possible. The following are the best tips for Cold Omaha:
- Understand the rules
- Betting style
- Limp or no limp
Understand The Rules
The game is best played with five or more players and 10 players max. Each player is dealt five cards only, and then the deck is set off to the side because it will no longer be used for that hand.
Each player will then look at their hand and will choose one card to be discarded face down to the middle of the table. Then the dealer will collect these cards and shuffle them. These cards make up the new deck.
After an initial betting round, the dealer shells out three cards face up to the center of the table from the shuffled discards for the flop. Players then begin to bet.
For the turn, a fourth card is dealt face up from the discarded pile, and there is another betting round. The fifth and final card is dealt face up for the river card, and there is a final betting round.
Each player who has not folded during the betting rounds shows their hand. They have to use exactly two cards from their hand and three from the board to make their best high and low hands. High and low winning hands split the pot as normal.
Betting Style
Since this game is a hybrid form of other variations, the betting style is a little different, and you can adjust accordingly to your needs. Most of the time, it will be a pot limit, so no one player will be over betting each time.
If it is not a pot limit, you can bet as comfortably as you see fit. As a rule of thumb, I would not bet too heavy since everyone’s hands will be potentially a little weaker. There is also splitting the pot at the end, so most of the time, two players will split the pot because of the best high hand and low hand.
To Limp Or Not Limp
You must remember that the cards that were discarded will make up the stock for dealing, so each player knows exactly one card that could show up. If more than five players are playing, you will not see all the discarded cards.
This game has the potential to limp through the hands, especially if played with a pot limit. It is wise to stay in the game most of the time because you are trying to make the best high and low hands, so even if you have a bad hand, it could potentially win you the low hand part of the pot.
However, if you are not playing with a pot limit and you can bet however you want, this may hurt you if you decide to limp your way through the hands. You will be paying in a lot more bets rather than just folding in the first place and playing again the next hand.