Main principles of winning in Omaha poker. Part 5

Problem hands 

Excellent hands are played automatically, and terrible hands are also played automatically. What matters is how you play a marginal hand, which may be the cause of your winnings or bankruptcy in poker. Problem hands are means of existence for the player. Vitally important decisions taken at such hands distinguish real champions from amateurs.

Anyone can play with a powerful hand or on a powerful flop and win the pot. And most of the players can recognize bad hands and get rid of them cheaply. The decisions you make on average hands distinguish men from the boys, and women from the girls in the poker world. And in such situations, you either lose or win major sum of money.

You might get a very good deal, when the cards are dealt very well for you, or you might get a very bad deal, in which you have not caught a single good card. And you can lose on good cards, playing with a player who has better cards, for example, when a situation is "set on set”, and your set is youngest, or when you put all your money on a set or two top pairs, and your opponent hits flush on the river and wins, or when you have flush, and opponent improves his combination with help of river card. That's why bad players sometimes win deals against very strong professional opponents. But this is what makes the less experienced players to play again.

In all poker games you'll be rewarded for making correct decisions (in the long run). Play with the marginal, average hands that requires from player to have certain abilities, distinguishes winners from losers. What exactly will you do if you have made two top pairs on the flop (in Omaha such hand can have crucial importance). It is important to distinguish between situations where you have to keep playing, because the chances are great, and when immediately fold such hand.

Alternatively, suppose you have a possible flush from King, the second nuts flush, and your intuition tells you that you are playing against the nuts flush. A strong player will fold this hand, and the weak can not resist the opportunity to make the second-highest flush. And when it comes to showdown, he loses even more money.

Have you heard about a farmer who lost three farms, trying unsuccessfully to catch the card to the gut shot straights? And then he lost the fourth, when once again tried to catch the card and still caught it...

All the same principles apply to Omaha. Persistent failures in making only the nuts combinations or inability to recognize when your possible combination younger than the nuts, but still - the best in this situation ... Here then comes skill. Knowing that a possible flush from King - the best flush in deal, and when you make it, then possibly flush from Queen will pay you, requires great skill. As well as knowing that your hand with two top pairs - the best, and assuming measures to protect your hand, that exclude opponents from the game. These solutions bring you profit on a long distance.

Weak player remembers only those cases where he was able to make some combination. Bad players have selective memory. They forget when

• they couldn't make a combination, and 

• could, but still lost

Omaha is very unpredictable game. This means that a weak player can play any cards, can catch enough good cards or accidentally make enough combinations in separate day in order to have a very successful individual winning playing session. But loose game in the long run practically guarantees horrific results, with consequent inevitable losing.