Why people prefer Texas Holdem to Omaha?

[MSPokerPlayer]

I have been enjoying Omaha cash games the last day or two. Up 20 bucks so far and placed 2nd in a SnG. First time to sit down and give it a shot.

I will agree with everyone else and say Texas Holdems popularity has a ton to do with TV, but I think that is also what will eventually help PLO. Hell I didn't even know what PLO was when I heard Ivey mention it during a tv interview until I googled it lol.

I know poker after dark featured it a couple times and hopefully ESPN will pick up a PLO final table @ the wsop and air it. (Or maybe you guys profiting from the fish don't want it to be popular?? )

 

[Michael Paler]

I like them both, yet prefer NLH. I only wish there was a version of no-limit omaha, lol. Many times have I flopped the nuts, only to get sucked out on by the river to a rather oddball runner-runner combo. I think that omaha is a little closer to pot limit hold'em in that respect (difficult to get someone off of drawing hands). But that is good for improving your board reading skills, if nothing else.

But as for omaha high/low, I have noticed something;

A. Splitting pots sucks!
B. Sometimes you just are not sure at all if your low hand is THE low hand and finding out could cost you. (this makes me tighten up and muck low hands that would have held up after all, lol)
C. You (maybe?) do not want to get heads up in a pot that will be be split?

I say that last one, because I have noticed sometimes the guy with a really good low hand will bet out as much as he can and it scares off the rest of the players, except for the guy with the good high hand. Had they perhaps bet out less, this would keep those weaker hands (hoping to draw out) in the pot, I should think. You are not going to make anything more in a two way split unless there is a least a 3rd person in there with you who will lose to the other two players, right? Of course, there is always the best high and low hand held by only one player. Doesn't seem I see that as much, however.

In the non-hi/lo games, I also notice that raising preflop backfires a lot, without the proper hand to do that with. Some players you just know have at least AA or KK when they do it and probably the other two cards are just non-connected garbage (Like A-A-2-7 rainbow). I see them lose a lot after getting attached to the hand.

I think there are different starting hands for high/low than for pot limit?

 

[Jostone6]

Holdem it is most popular, easy, but the more people playing, the more difficult it is to be victorious in the game, so Omaha is attracting people to have more chance of victory.

 

[BluffMeAllIn]

I too as a number of people have stated enjoy both holdem and omaha (even enjoy the razz games and other limit games), however I am not a big fan of the high-low but most likely because I haven't played it very much. I'v said in a number of my posts, I just absolutely love all kinds of poker (willing to learn any).

Omaha is certainly a slower game in regards to the number of hands being played, but does tend to be a faster game by way of the action that it drives and can be played in an extent to be very simple, very often if you don't have the nuts then you lose when there are a lot of players in the hand. Looking at others thinking this way also playes to being able to bluff at pots when you perhaps have a blocker to the nuts, love the game.

Holdem of course is faster with hands played, but sometimes slower action because you would not have so many possibilities and therefore get less people playing in the hands if any at all depending on the players you are up against.

Just my thoughts, both have their own strategies for sure and are very different games. Has anyone tried the 5 card omaha on FTP? Now that is what you call crazy possibilities .

Bluff

 

[Poker Orifice]

I like them both, yet prefer NLH. I only wish there was a version of no-limit omaha, lol.

Do you mean NL Omaha Hi/Lo? Guess what you're in luck..... there is NL Omaha Hi/Lo. Personally I prefer PL O8 over NL (FL is ok too)

 

[dagoO]

omaha

 

[rhombus]

Ideally you should be able to play all games to sometimes avoid boredom but very difficult to master all of them.
Main reason people play NLHE is because of TV and the history of the event otherwise the difference would be alot closer.

 

[Nylan]

Hmm , i prefer No limit Omaha hi/lo

but I just dont know why there aren't no limit Omaha cashtables ?
Only Omaha hi / lo

 

[Nylan]

Hmm there is also 6 card Omaha, whats your experience about that game?
I qeus you can only play it on full tilt poker

 

[gjpa]

Ideally you should be able to play all games to sometimes avoid boredom but very difficult to master all of them.
Main reason people play NLHE is because of TV and the history of the event otherwise the difference would be alot closer.

Agreed! hold'em is by far the most popular, and the reason in my opinion is because the simplicity and the dinamics than hold'em has with respect to the other ones (when I get tired of playing hold'em I like to play Badugi for a while lol)

 

[sejotek]

I play both Omaha and Texas,i started playing about 6 years `go and first year played only omaha ,but when i learn to play texas then i like more that,be couse there you have to use more skills.

 

[sejotek]

I play both Omaha and Texas,i started playing about 6 years `go and first year played only omaha ,but when i learn to play texas then i like more that,be couse there you have to use more skills.

 

[jhonihgrass]

holdem is very basic, and easy to understand i like sow much!

 

[stefffan1]

Omaha may seem easier than hold'em but , in my opinion , is way harder. You have to play more tight and be aware that the opponents have 4 cards too and they have more odds than in texas hold'em. A good hand in texas hold'em ( one pair , 2 pair , three of a kind , straight even flush) can be weak hands in omaha. The only good thing for me is that you can call with almost any hand and hit a pretty good hand but you have to be lucky.

 

[campowrst215]

I really like Omaha h/l always have don't know why... Recently I have noticed that there is a significant number of people online and card rooms that don't really know how to play Omaha or aren't very good. If you put in time and learn the game it can be profitable. I place in about half the Omaha tournaments I play on Bovada which is way high percentage than Holdem. Anyways Omaha h/l is super fun and exciting def my fav poker game

 

[Michael Paler]

Do you mean NL Omaha Hi/Lo? Guess what you're in luck..... there is NL Omaha Hi/Lo. Personally I prefer PL O8 over NL (FL is ok too)

Did not know that; I have never seen any game of omaha that had an all in feature, but I only play PL omaha, not high low - except in the Carbon Horse games. But never have I played a specific high/low omaha only game.

Where are those games at, the NL omaha?

 

[joefun10]

i think that holdem is easier than omaha

 

[30pointbuck]

I love Holdem, but I would prefer to play Omaha if its on the right site. Sometimes you can clean house playing against players that are not experienced in Omaha and try and play it like Holdem.

 

[Himanshu]

Because its more fun and more popular.

 

[hffjd2000]

Texas Holdem specifically NL is the grand daddy of poker.
Its easy to learn and strikes balance on card information compared to other variants.

 

[babi]

i like both
play more holdem beacuse it is simpler.
but omaha is a fun game too

 

[kungfupanda1105]

For me personally i like holdem because less gàmble involved and easier to guess what cards the other players are holding

 

[BearPlay]

Kinda like comparing ice cream flavors. Some people like chocolate, some people prefer vanilla, some people go back and forth.

But one thing is certain, they are two different beasts and they require two different approaches.

I grew up on PLO8, so I am a huge fan of it. Crossing over to HE (especially NLHE) took a lot of bruises. I still have the scars

 

[Swickster007]

Texas holden is just easier to gage your hand strength. With Omaha, it seems like every hand there is someone chasing a flush. It's just a game with a lot more possibilities vs texas holdem. I like both of the games but I can see why texas holdem is preferred since you have of a chance to get donked on the river card.

 

[dasher]

Omaha, especially hi-lo, reminds me of home games where they make 16 wild cards. It just feels wrong to risk my money on the nuts and then split it with a dip-chit with crap. It's psycholgical I guess.

You don't have the nuts if you have only high with no low. Ditto for those with the nut low with no chance for the high. When you play for half the pot why do you expect more?