Pot Limit Omaha has been a trending poker format for a long time now. In 2023 it’s almost taking over the online poker scene, with plethora of recreational players joining to experience a much more dynamic game than the traditional No Limit Holdem.
Omaha Heads Up games are quite popular on poker apps and soon you will learn why . To start things off, let’s find out how it is different than NLH Heads Up.
NLH vs Omaha Heads Up – Key Differences
The similarities between NLH and PLO heads up start and end by saying it is 1v1 duel against another opponent. The differences however, are many and these are the most notable ones :
- Aggression
In the No Limit version, to be successful Heads Up player, you need to play much more aggressively than the traditional 6 or 9-max games. You much call and raise almost twice as often, as usual. Not only that, all your c-betting, bluffing, check raising, should be amplified in similar proportions.
To win Omaha Heads Up however, you rarely need to be much more aggressive than usual. By default Pot Limit Omaha allows for wider hand selection in regular ring games and heads up version is like building on your regular ranges, rather than developing a whole new strategy, like on NLH.
As already mentioned in NLH Heads Up, you rarely have anything noteworthy, but on Omaha it often boils down to – “does my hand is strong enough in this spot to call/raise “. You do not have to bluff 3 streets all that often with air. It’s more of a calculation how much to bet and making profitable folds. Yes, you heard that right. Hero calling on Omaha Heads Up, should be brought to a minimum.
2. Omaha Heads Up = Larger Pots
It is counter-intuitive for the Pot Limit Game to be more juicy than the No Limit Game, but those are the facts. In the Omaha Heads Up version more of the hands reach to turn, river and showdown.
When playing NLH, there is also the possibility of going All In, which forces the players to tread carefully and exercise pot control. In Omaha there is no such danger and many players calculate carefully how much they can afford to call , in order to continue in the hand.
In PLO it is also a much more common and even mandatory, to semi bluff bet with good draws. Which additionally inflates the pot.
3. Omaha Heads Up Has More ” Bad Beats ” , but Less Coolers !
Of course, if you are newcomer to Omaha, the definitions may become blurry, as you may not know which hand is very strong and which marginal.
For those who are experienced however, it is much less likely to experience cooler on Omaha , than on NLH. Let’s imagine, you are dealt QQ , when playing NLH Heads Up. You go All In preflop and your opponent flips KK. This is a huge cooler.
In Omaha Heads Up, even if you face your QQ against KK, in preflop All In, you have in your hand 2 , 3 or 4 more cards ( depending on the Omaha type you play ) , which can save you. In fact, if they are better than your opponents, the hand becomes marginal, instead of cooler.
However, in Omaha Heads Up games the Bad Beats are very common sight. Especially if you consider a bad beat, every outcome, in which you are slightly ahead in the hand. PLO is a game of slight edges and variance plays a big part. So be prepare for lots of “bad beats”. If you are a ” glass is half full” type of guy, you would see that this exact flavor of the game, attracts a lot of recreational players.
Advantages of Omaha Heads Up
- More recreational players – usually PLO heads up attracts much more casual players, due to the nature of the game. It is also a newer version, so there are not that many regs, who have studied the game. Omaha is also played with more cards in your hand, so it is much less resolved game.
- Faster Paced – Many people are very hot headed and do not have the patience to wait for that perfect spot to extract maximum value from their opponent. This is why they have trouble making good folds on NLH or to build the hand with proper bet sizings not to scare away the prey. In Omaha Heads Up these things are much easier to control.
- Less Bluff Catching – Players tend to bluff much less on Omaha than on No Limit. Here it is not that easy to steal the river with sizable bet.
- Opponents fold less – Let’s face it, no one likes to play against nits. When playing Omaha Heads Up you will be facing much less overly tight players. Not only that, river folding is not a common sight. so often when you make a strong hand, you will get paid.
Where to Play Omaha Heads Up Online
Best Omaha Heads Up games can be found on apps like PPPoker, X-Poker, ClubGG and Suprema.
In PPPoker , majority of the Omaha heads up games are on the low to mid stakes PLO5. You will be mainly facing Latino and Russian players. The latter are not these strong regs from regular sites. They resemble more a home game enthusiasts.
In Suprema you will be facing almost exclusively players from South America. The platform is most famous with its Heads Up and MTT action. It has PLO4, PLO5 , PLO6 and even PLO8 Heads Up action.
X-Poker is populated mainly with Asian players. This can only be music to the ears of all Omaha regs. PLO in Asia is just getting popular and 99% of the players are terrible at it. Another exclusive thing about X-Poker is that the clubs there offer plenty of Bomb Pot and Double Board action. Omaha Heads Up with either of these additions, can become super fun and profitable, if your opponent is a rookie.
ClubGG is the next big thing on the online poker scene and they start to grow a huge player base from all over the world. The sheer amount of clubs available is frightening. Here you can play 4-5-6 Carded Omaha Heads Up mainly against players from Israel, Canada and USA. Very juicy games, this is the best place if you are in need of higher stakes duels.
How to Stay Updated on Where to Play ?
The easiest way to stay updated on the latest online poker trends is to monitor our Telegram Channel, where we share everything interesting we find in the online poker tables, on daily basis.
If you wish to play some Omaha Heads Up right now and do not have patience to explore the best options, just drop us a message and we will get you playing in few minutes !
