Saving Omaha in Cardrooms

[BigRedAce]

Is it me or hold'em is killing other games in cardrooms everywhere. Now, I like hold'em as much as the next guy (hell, it's how I started playing poker) but I really enjoy mixing it up with Omaha and Stud. I just can't find the games any more.

Near me, Bay 101 has 1-2 Omaha tables and about 35 hold'em games (maybe 2 stud). Gardn City has no Omaha (2-4 Stud 8/b). And in Vegas these days, you'd have better luck getting tickets to Sigfried and Roy than finding an Omaha game.

So do we, Omaha Lovers Anonymous, need to do something to introduce our game to all these new hold'em players? Volunteer at our local card clubs to give lessons? Ideas?

[djr]

Granted I've only been playing poker for a little under a year now, but from all the buzz I've heard Omaha is supposedly a growing attraction in the poker world. There's always at least 2-4 games going on at the local casinos near me spread across several limits (you're right you have to look a bit harder in vegas). Of course that's much smaller than for holdem. But I'm fine with waiting for those poor weak holdem players to start branching out to omaha so I can takes there money /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[BigRedAce]

When I was playing at the Mirage recently, players kept calling the "game of the future" and I really hoped that was true.

Then I opened Ray Zee's High/Low Split book and noticed that they've been calling Omaha the game of the future for a while now...

[Trainwreck]

I think Omaha could explode if Poker shows focused on it, would show up!

The WSOP 2004 coverage was at least a start....

When in Vegas, try Texas Station for Omaha....

[Chris Daddy Cool]

[ QUOTE ]
I think Omaha could explode if Poker shows focused on it, would show up!

The WSOP 2004 coverage was at least a start....


[/ QUOTE ]

the problem is that omaha will confuse the hell out of some viewers.

[Willluck]

Omaha Hi/Lo is huge in Europe...and like with all things Europe is way ahead of the west. Prediction: in 2 years 7-Stud will explode as the main casino game.

[BigRedAce]

[ QUOTE ]
Omaha Hi/Lo is huge in Europe...and like with all things Europe is way ahead of the west. Prediction: in 2 years 7-Stud will explode as the main casino game.

[/ QUOTE ]

Stud? I dunno about that one. I think stud requires too much brain power for the average player. Remembering dead cards, paying attention to other player's hands, etc. too much for the *average* newbie hold'em player.

It would be way cool though to see more Omaha on TV. I'll never forget on one hand on ESPN one of the players had about 65 outs (OK, a *slight* exageration) and the commentator says "I think an Uno card can come off the deck and make this hand". Classic...

[Bremen]

[ QUOTE ]
Stud? I dunno about that one. I think stud requires too much brain power for the average player. Remembering dead cards, paying attention to other player's hands, etc. too much for the *average* newbie hold'em player.

[/ QUOTE ]

Given that stud hands run closer in value I think plenty of fish would enjoy stud. More suckouts etc when you hit 2 pair against split A's. Remember also stud used to be THE game here on the east coast. We still have it lingering around, can be quite good if a couple hold'em players sit down (not that I know what I'm doing, but I at least read the green book)

That said, if the casino's spread omaha I think it has a better chance of taking off due to similiar structure to hold'em and the illusion of more chances to win.

[pokerswami]

I think one reason that "rake" cardrooms don't promote Omaha, especially Omaha 8/B Hi-Lo, is that less hands per hour are dealt. Since I prefer to find super loose, well-monied games and play less hands per hour than the clueless, I like rake compared to time charges. However, if it meant there were a lot more juicy O8/B games to pick from, then I wouldn't mind paying by time as it would be a +EV.

One other thing is that most dealers, especially the less experienced, would rather not deal Omaha 8/B. Not only is it more difficult, but they may believe it will generate lower tokes due to the fewer hands per shift dealt.

[David BB]

[ QUOTE ]
Omaha Hi/Lo is huge in Europe...

[/ QUOTE ]

If you say so, but I don't know one cardroom that spreads it. Maybe in the UK?

Its all hold'em over here as well.

[beset7]

[ QUOTE ]
Omaha Hi/Lo is huge in Europe...and like with all things Europe is way ahead of the west. Prediction: in 2 years 7-Stud will explode as the main casino game.

[/ QUOTE ]

From what I understand this is a myth that us american omaha players have been sold on to comfort our paranoid fear of not finding any games soon. Most of the big cash games in Europe feauture pot-limit omaha, but from I've heard recently the casino are just as dominated by limit hold em as they are here...

[MaxSquat]

I was in Atlantic City this past Prez Day weekend....there were no O8 tables running at Borgata or Trop....but 2 tables at Taj (2/4 and 5/10)...

I keep bitching at the managers at Trop to open up a O8 table.... 3 days I was there first thing in the morning around 10am...the place was half empty....but there was about 14 players on the o8 list waiting to be open....and they NEVER EVEN ATTEMPTED to try to get a table going...Of course...later the day, all the tables get filled up with 2/4 texas...I sent an email to the "head honcho" at Trop about this...she said she will get back to me when she can though I doubt she will

I think the Omaha players know that the place to go for a game is the Taj. I have always gone there. I have never seen an Omaha game at the Borgata. Heard that the Trop had a game sometimes, but never went (I am talking over the course of 10 years).

But the funny thing about my last trip (last week -- I go about once every few months): I used to see pretty much the same faces at the 5-10 Omaha game all of the time. Generally older people, locals. This time was the first time where my table was filled with younger people (early 20s). People who I had never seen before. Only one local that I recognized. It's obviously too small a sample ... but I took that as a sign that there may be a number of new Omaha players out there.

[ODB72]

Come to Omaha to play Omaha. It's spread 4 out of 7 days at the council bluffs harrahs. 10/20 1/2 kill sun and mon...20/40 1/2 kill HOE sat...4/8 1/2 kill tue. A large percentage of the regular players here prefer Omaha. The games are incredibly good as well...very loose.
I think most non omaha players are intimidated by the game, I agree that more exposure would lead to a surge of popularity.

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
Come to Omaha to play Omaha. It's spread 4 out of 7 days at the council bluffs harrahs.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow.... a simple yet elegant solution. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Actually i've always wondered how the Nebraska city's name got attached to big-hand hold 'em, but all i could find was a vague reference in Tenner/Krieger's book.

As for HE killing Omaha, at Foxwoods nowadays the 2/4 O8 game doesn't seem to start up at all on Saturdays because they need all the tables for the hold 'em meat market. I think 5/10 usually goes, and weekdays might be a better bet given the high % of retiree-aged O8 players at Foxwoods.

[johnc]

In my local cardroom, they offer HE & O-8 & the Omaha tables seem to be the most highly sought after. I play HE exclusively but seriously considering changing games on occasion. The pots, by the way, are monsterous by HE standards!

[Mike J]

For what it is worth, Oceans Eleven Cardroom in Oceanside, CA just started offering No Limit Omaha Hi only with $40 max buy in and 2 one dollar blinds. Just started it 2 nights ago, only 1 table goin, I played for about 2 hours tonight, made about 40 bucks... loose players, keep reachin the pocket for another 20 ever 15 minutes or so...
never played no limit omaha before, mabye it will spread...
mj

[ghostpoker]

I think we all need to work at exposing other people to the game, if they like it they will ask for it in cardrooms. More people asking cant hurt.

My personal experience with trying to introduce Omaha into my home game is that it was well recieved. However start with the high and work in the low later. Most in my home game didnt have the capacity to pick HL all up at once.

I was in Vegas last week, the Station casinos had games, even tourneys, the Orleans had multiple 4/8 games. The Bellagio had higher stakes games than other places 10/20+, the Shoe advertized but had no games, and I didnt check the Mirage.

[Jorge10]

I am a 20 year old poker player. I started with holdem like everyone else, but right now I am mostly playing omaha high low. I think its better than holdem(Yes I said it), I used to go to play at my local casino, its 18 and over. I played mostly with retired people as expressed before by one of the replies. However the last time I went I was needled for hours by an old guy and his two friends who said I played too tight and wasnt playing enough hands among other things. I no longer go play it live for this reason, I still play it at party poker a lot specially with their new tables. The point is old people are not the friendliest of players so the fact that omaha tables are filled with nothing but retired people seems to be hurting the game. An example is how I no longer go to the casino to play because of them and also cause I dont need to take that, I could play holdem at the same casino and not get needled and have a good time.

[Buzz]

[ QUOTE ]
the place was half empty....but there was about 14 players on the o8 list waiting to be open....and they NEVER EVEN ATTEMPTED to try to get a table going

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what it's sometimes like on the West coast too. There will often be a very long waiting list for a spot at an Omaha-8 table. An hour or so wait to get into a game is not unusual.

I used to get in a game of Texas hold 'em while waiting for an opening at an Omaha-8 game.

But I don't do that anymore.

Instead I wait for a seat in an Omaha-8 game.

It's my way of voting for Omaha-8.

Buzz

[Klak]

why would you let a few old guys heckling you deter you from playing in a profitalbe game? dealing with other people is a part of poker and you will never be a great player if you allow yourself to get rattled so easily. playing tight is allowed and theres no rule that says you cant do it so dont worry.

[Jorge10]

It was profitable, but the holdem was about the same, just that I enjoy omaha high low a lot more, but if im gonna be hackled then its not a lot more enjoyable than holdem, though I gotta say something about beating them down and taking their money while they talk smack that made me want to go more often. Ill probably go back to it this weekend.

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
playing tight is allowed and theres no rule that says you cant do it so dont worry.

[/ QUOTE ]

I might even be tempted to play one junk hand (but not too junky.... though I guess in O8 even junky hands have a reasonable equity), bluff hard with it, and make sure to show it down. Then give the guy a wink and go back to playing a normal tight game. If the guy really believes poker is meant to be played loose, then investing a few chips to keep him in your game might be worth it!

Not sure I'd have the cojones to follow through with this plan, though.

[TRBNGR]

I cant speak for other places but when I went to the Holland Casino a few months back, short of two tournaments they held during the week of my stay the only game they spread was a PL Omaha game. And the desire to play hold'em really was just the Americans.

[CaptainNurple]

Are you sure Bay 101 has 1/2 Omaha,BigRed? I'm also from San Jose, but I just checked their website and they've only got 4/8 listed. It sure would be great if they had 1/2 though. Also, is it Omaha8 there or just Omaha high?