Playing Two Pair in Omaha

Holding a two pair is by no means a guarantee in any form of poker.  However, those who play Texas Hold’em can often expect to win the pot when they’re able to pair both hole cards with the board.  Seeing as how this is the case, many Hold’em players try to take this same line of thinking into the game of Omaha.

But this is a big mistake since two pairs are drastically different with Omaha giving players 4 hole cards instead of one.  And anybody who does the math will find out that two pairs are literally a dime a dozen in Omaha as opposed to Texas Hold’em where they are much rarer.

Hold’em players will get a two pair on the flop around 2% of the time while Omaha players will flop two pairs about 10% of the time.  Going even further, if you’re sitting at a 9-person table then there is a 90% chance that somebody at the table will have flopped a two pair.  It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to figure out that having a two pair in Omaha is nothing special.

The amount of set, flush, and straight draws that are seen in Omaha is another thing opposing you when playing two pairs.  Omaha is a game where the consistent winners play to make their hand by the river.  So if you’re playing a flopped two pair to the river as if it’s a monster hand then you are venturing into dangerous waters.  The odds that somebody has a set, straight, or flush is too great to be calling raises and bet with only a two pair.

In the end you want to focus on playing flush and straight draws in Omaha so that you can build a strong hand by the river.  And with so many outs available to other players in Omaha, it’s essential that you do this.