Omaha Poker Strategy: Trap Hands

by Dougie Goguen | Jan 18 2012

Trap hands are something every beginning Omaha poker player should definitely be on the lookout for. They're deceptive little buggers, making you think that you have a very good hand but you'll frequently end up with something that comes in a distant second. If you want to make sure you don't fool yourself into losing the whole stack, you're going to want to be able to identify and avoid them on site.

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The Small Pair Hand
If you've got a pair before nine, you better think twice about before playing it. When you flop a set it is very hard to escape the gravity of the hand, I know, it's a pair and that can turn into something better, but you're going to want to remember that there's always the chance of a bigger set out there and you're drawing to just one out even if you make a set.

Let's use an example: you're holding 7s7d6s4d and the flop drops QcJc6h. You're in trouble from the offset: either of those face cards can complete a set that's pretty devastating.  The moment to play small pairs is when you do not have a lot of money in front of you; if you're running on fumes, then you can really benefit from doubling up, but you'll want to stay conservative otherwise.

The Low-Wrap Hand
Poker players love straights and if you're holding four cards that connect, it's easy to convince yourself that you have a winning hand, but you have to remember that you're only holding a pair of suited connectors at best. If you're holding something like 5c4s3c2s, it's far too simple to flop or draw on the lower end of a straight and if the flop comes 8-7-6 with this type of hand, you can easily find yourself up against a bigger straight, drawing dead.

The Small-Flush Hand
Hands that can only make small flushes are risky and can cost you more than you'd like to admit. Let's go back to that previous hand the theoretical you held: 5c4s3c2s. If the flop reads something like KcJc8c, you're likely to be jumping out of your skin, but now look at the two clubs you're holding and look at the number of players in the hand. If there's action before you, it's likely they're also building a flush and it's virtually guaranteed they've got stronger Clubs than 5 and 3 in their hand.

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Keep these trap hands in mind when you're playing Omaha poker online, especially in lower-limit games where you're more likely to be playing hands with multiple opponents who are depending on luck more than strategy to make their hands. Play tight, play strategic, and keep your chips out of pots that you're unlikely to walk away with.

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