Omaha Poker Point System

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Omaha Poker Point System

Omaha Poker Point System Reviews
Omaha Poker Point System Requirements
Omaha Poker Point System Rankings
Omaha Poker Point Count System
Edward Hutchison invented the point counts for Omaha poker in 1997. He wrote an article in Canadian Poker Monthly that described a point count system which could be used for Omaha poker. Mar 29, 2010 Step one awards a total of 6 points for the two double suits headed by nines. Under step two, the pair of nines earns 10 points and the pair of eights earns 8 points. The last step awards 8 points for the 9-8 combination. The total of 32 points, when divided by two, is the same as this hand's actual win rate of 16 per cent.
HistoryThe exact origins of the Omaha variant of poker are unknown, although it first appeared in a casino setting at the Las Vegas Golden Nugget Casino. The full name of the variant was originally 'Omaha Hold'em' as outlined in Doyle Brunson's super system. Omaha Hold'em is synonymous with a variant of Hold'em poker known as 'Tight Hold'em' where players must use both of their holecards to construct a 5 card hand. (In the modern version of Hold'em players can use both, one, or none of their hole-cards to create a 5card hand). 
The 'Omaha' part of the name 'Omaha Hold'em' reflects this rule of using exactly 2 hole-cards. 'Hold'em', refers to the fact that players share a pool of community cards which they can use to make their 5-card hand. This is different from draw games where players have purely face-down hole-cards, and stud games where players have a mixture of face-up and face-down hole-cards but no community cards.
Omaha Poker RulesThe action and betting rounds are identical to no-limit-hold'em but there are some important differences that must be kept in mind. 
a) Players are dealt 4 hole-cards instead of the 2 in Texas Hold'em.
AAKK

b) Players must use exactly 2 of hole-cards to make a 5-card hand.
Player A: AAKK
Player B: 43QQ
Board: 56789
Because of the 'both card' rules, this is not the split pot (e.g. both players playing the board); instead Player B wins creating 7-high straight using his 34
c) Omaha is more frequently played with a pot-limit betting structure meaning it is not possible to go 'all-in' unless the pot size is sufficiently large.
Keeping ScoreSimilar to all other variants of poker each player starts with a number of 'chips'. These are small circular bits of plastic which are used for betting and keeping score. Generally these chips can be traded in for their monetary value after the game is over. The objective of the game – to win your opponents chips. In a poker tournament, you win by accumulating all of the chips on the table.Omaha is more frequently played with a pot-limit betting structure meaning it is not possible to go 'all-in' unless the pot size is sufficiently large.

Blinds/PositionAs with Texas Hold'em, a hand of Omaha can consist of anywhere between 2 and 10 players, with one player being the dealer. The rules on blinds and position are again exactly the same as Texas Hold'em. 
Again like Texas Hold'em, Position is very important in Omaha because it determines the order of betting. The best position at the table is generally considered to be the BTN, while the worst is considered to be either the SB or UTG.
Playing a Hand of Omaha

Again the same as Texas Hold'em - The gameflow is broken down into rounds known as 'streets'. Each hand of Omaha is broken down into 4 streets referred to as 'preflop', 'flop', 'turn' and 'river'.
On each street a round of betting takes place. If more than one player is left in the hand by the river we reach what is referred to as 'showdown'. All remaining players show their hands and the best hand takes the chips or 'pot' that is in the middle.
BettingBetting rounds and actions are exactly the same as Texas Hold'em. Pre-flop, Flop, Turn and River mark the rounds of play in Omaha.
Players may either check, bet, call or raise during each round.
Hand RankingsAre all exactly the same as Texas Hold'em hand rankings. Please see our poker hand rankings article here.
Omaha Poker Point System ReviewsBetting StructureThe most popular version of Omaha is the pot-limit version. There is a cap on the amount we can raise in any given situation (more on calculating a pot-sized bet shortly). However it's also possible to find Limit-Omaha games, (raising in small fixed increments) and No-Limit Omaha games.
In Pot-Limit-Omaha (PLO) we can raise only to the pot-size at any given time. The only way the betting action can continue after this is if our opponent chooses to re-raise us. He will then also be again limited to a pot-sized re-raise. Calculating a pot-size raise sounds simple but causes much confusion in the poker world. The majority of poker players possibly do not even know how to calculate a pot-sized raise because-
a) it's automated in an online environment
b) it's possible to ask the dealer what a pot-sized raise is in a live setting

However, it can be useful to know for ourselves how to calculate it. We can use the following formula
3 * size of opponents bet(or)raise + size of the initial pot
So imagine there is $10 in the pot and our opponent bets $5, what would be a pot-sized raise here?
Probably our instinct might tell us that we raise an extra $15 for a total raise size of $20. But this is where we'd be wrong.
Let's apply the formula

We can raise to $25 here. If formulas are not your strong point – we are effectively imagining that we call first to see what the total pot is. In other words the total pot would be $20 if we just called. So we raise that extra $20 on top of our opponents $5 to give us our total raise size of $25. And remember, if you are not sure, ask the dealer – they are paid for stuff like this.
Why Play Omaha

So what is it that makes Omaha so exciting? And why do many players make this their game of choice as opposed to No-Limit-Hold'em?
Omaha has sometimes been described as 'Hold'em on steroids.' The fact that we are now dealt 4 hole cards instead of 2 means that big hands are a lot more common. The fact is that most of the time in No-Limit Hold'em we are simply going to miss the flop. We'll still miss the flop a fair amount in Omaha, but a lot less often. More big hands can result in more action.
The game is tougher to pick up than No-Limit-Hold'em. For some this is a bad thing, while others enjoy the increased complexity of the game. Even reading our own hand takes a lot more work since we have twice as many hole-cards to think about. Establishing exactly how strong our holdings are when we have a made hand and several draws is a skill in itself. We may even need to question how strong our holdings are when we hold the stone cold nuts. We can't automatically get all of the money in even in these circumstances. Our opponent could also hold the nuts along with a strong redraw which makes putting our stack in unprofitable.Establishing exactly how strong our holdings are when we have a made hand and several draws is a skill in itself
Similar to No-Limit Hold'em, Omaha is also a game of skill that can be beaten in the long term with enough work. The good news is that the average competition at Omaha games is a lot weaker than in Hold'em games. So even though it takes a little longer to figure out the basic rules, it can potentially be more lucrative than playing No-Limit Hold'em.Omaha Tips for Beginners
We need to use exactly two of our hole-cards and three cards from the board to make a 5-card hand. Can't stress this enough. This is easily the most common mistake players transitioning from NLHE make.
Play 4 cards which work well together. The best starting hands in Omaha are comprised of hole-cards that work well together as a 4 such as AA10J. Non co-ordinated cards are sometimes referred to as 'danglers'. It should be easy to see why the 3 in the hand AA103is not really that useful. We would also rather have AA10Jthan AA10J. Since we can only use two of our hole-cards, having the J means we block some of our spade-flush outs. The worst hand in Omaha is considered to be 2222. It will hardly ever improve since the cards it needs are no longer in the deck.
Stronger hands. If we come from a Hold'em background, we will need to up our standards for what constitues a strong hand. Bottom set in NLHE is considered a relative monster. Bottom set in Omaha will get us into a ton of trouble. If our opponent wants to stack off he will have a higher set the vast majority of the time. As such our stacking off range in any spot should be the nuts or at least very close to it. Even 2nd nut flushes are huge problem hands for beginners since they will nearly always be up against the nut-flush when there is a lot of action.
Nuts is not always nuts. Even with the stone cold nuts there may be situations where folding is correct. If we have the nuts and no redraw it will be a losing play to stack off vs our opponent who also has the nuts but with a strong redraw. 
Wraps. Wraps are very strong hands in Omaha and are straight-draws with additional fire power. They will have significantly more outs than a straight-draw in NLHE. For example we hold T-9-6-5 on a board of 8-7-2. We have 20 possible outs to make a straight!
 Even with the stone cold nuts there may be situations where folding is correct.
For more Omaha content, I suggest you check out the following videos and articles:1) The Fast Lane to PLO
Omaha Poker Point System Requirements3) Hand Reading in PLO

If you found this article helpful you should follow us for more amazing Omaha Poker Articles! 
Frank Op de Woerd
The World Series of Poker Player of the Year (POY) race and the formula to determine the winner, is always the topic of debate.
Last year, the debate fired up at the World Series of Poker as the organizer had taken the formula into its own hands after Bluff and the GPI handled the formula before. Especially Daniel Negreanu, always a vocal player in such matters, was involved, claiming the formula was profoundly flawed.
This year, the WSOP has altered their formula, loosely basing it on the WSOP Circuit points system. The most significant change between the 2017 and 2018 formula, is the ratio of points awarded for a win versus the points awarded for a min cash. Last year, this ratio could be as small as 3.25-1, or as big as 8.16-1. In 2018, a press release by the WSOP states, the ratio is always roughly 20-1.
2018 WSOP Player of the Year Points Calculator and ExampleThe WSOP has a Points Calculator online for players to calculate the number of points winable in specific events. They also published the following example comparison between the 2017 and 2018 formula:

Event

Entries
2017 Points System
2018 Points System
1st
2nd
9th
min
1st
2nd
9th
min
Main Event
7,221
433.2
360.6
215.3
53.1
1,694
847
424
85
Millionaire Maker
7,761
315.7
268.9
141.7
38.7
1,341
671
Do florida casinos have roulette numbers. 335
67
$1,500 NLHE
1,956
222.7
189.7
95.8
38.7
1,129
565
282
56
$10,000 PLO/8
207
172.1
146.6
70.4
52.9
1,087
543
272
54
Omaha Poker Point System RankingsThe Same 2017 Player of the YearThe overall winner from 2017, Chris Ferguson, would have remained unchanged. Ferguson's point total would have been 3,309 points from 23 cashes, including 1 bracelet (1st in the €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better for €39,289 at the WSOPE), one runner-up finish (2nd in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $151,700 at the WSOP), and one additional final table (4th in the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - Championship for $150,929 at the WSOP).
2018 WSOP POY Key InformationThe 2018 Player of the Year race will include the World Series of Poker at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas running May 29 through July 17, and the World Series of Poker Europe at King's Casino in Rozvadov running October 11 through November 2.
Cashing in The Giant and the PLO Giant nets players POY points, but those points won't be displayed on the website till the final flight of these multi-flight events has taken place since the total amount of entries is a factor in the formula. 
For multi-flight events where players can cash and bust in a starting flight and reeenter, making it possible for players to cash multiple times in the same tournament, players can only earn points once per event. On the official list of results on WSOP.com, all players advancing to Day 2 will be listed in the order in which they are eliminated on Days 2, 3, and 4. Players who make the money but who do not advance to Day 2, will be listed in the order of total payout amount received, which will be the place the POY points are awarded.
When playing the Heads-Up event or one of the shootout events, players eliminated in the same round (thus with the same payout) will receive the same amount of points. The points rewarded to these players will be the average of the points those places would have earned in a regular event.
The following events are excluded from the 2018 WSOP POY race:

b) Players must use exactly 2 of hole-cards to make a 5-card hand.
Player A: AAKK
Player B: 43QQ
Board: 56789
Because of the 'both card' rules, this is not the split pot (e.g. both players playing the board); instead Player B wins creating 7-high straight using his 34
c) Omaha is more frequently played with a pot-limit betting structure meaning it is not possible to go 'all-in' unless the pot size is sufficiently large.
Keeping ScoreSimilar to all other variants of poker each player starts with a number of 'chips'. These are small circular bits of plastic which are used for betting and keeping score. Generally these chips can be traded in for their monetary value after the game is over. The objective of the game – to win your opponents chips. In a poker tournament, you win by accumulating all of the chips on the table.Omaha is more frequently played with a pot-limit betting structure meaning it is not possible to go 'all-in' unless the pot size is sufficiently large.

Blinds/PositionAs with Texas Hold'em, a hand of Omaha can consist of anywhere between 2 and 10 players, with one player being the dealer. The rules on blinds and position are again exactly the same as Texas Hold'em. 
Again like Texas Hold'em, Position is very important in Omaha because it determines the order of betting. The best position at the table is generally considered to be the BTN, while the worst is considered to be either the SB or UTG.
Playing a Hand of OmahaAgain the same as Texas Hold'em - The gameflow is broken down into rounds known as 'streets'. Each hand of Omaha is broken down into 4 streets referred to as 'preflop', 'flop', 'turn' and 'river'.
On each street a round of betting takes place. If more than one player is left in the hand by the river we reach what is referred to as 'showdown'. All remaining players show their hands and the best hand takes the chips or 'pot' that is in the middle.
BettingBetting rounds and actions are exactly the same as Texas Hold'em. Pre-flop, Flop, Turn and River mark the rounds of play in Omaha.
Players may either check, bet, call or raise during each round.
Hand RankingsAre all exactly the same as Texas Hold'em hand rankings. Please see our poker hand rankings article here.
Omaha Poker Point System ReviewsBetting StructureThe most popular version of Omaha is the pot-limit version. There is a cap on the amount we can raise in any given situation (more on calculating a pot-sized bet shortly). However it's also possible to find Limit-Omaha games, (raising in small fixed increments) and No-Limit Omaha games.
In Pot-Limit-Omaha (PLO) we can raise only to the pot-size at any given time. The only way the betting action can continue after this is if our opponent chooses to re-raise us. He will then also be again limited to a pot-sized re-raise. Calculating a pot-size raise sounds simple but causes much confusion in the poker world. The majority of poker players possibly do not even know how to calculate a pot-sized raise because-
a) it's automated in an online environment
b) it's possible to ask the dealer what a pot-sized raise is in a live setting
However, it can be useful to know for ourselves how to calculate it. We can use the following formula
3 * size of opponents bet(or)raise + size of the initial pot
So imagine there is $10 in the pot and our opponent bets $5, what would be a pot-sized raise here?
Probably our instinct might tell us that we raise an extra $15 for a total raise size of $20. But this is where we'd be wrong.
Let's apply the formula

We can raise to $25 here. If formulas are not your strong point – we are effectively imagining that we call first to see what the total pot is. In other words the total pot would be $20 if we just called. So we raise that extra $20 on top of our opponents $5 to give us our total raise size of $25. And remember, if you are not sure, ask the dealer – they are paid for stuff like this.
Why Play Omaha
So what is it that makes Omaha so exciting? And why do many players make this their game of choice as opposed to No-Limit-Hold'em?
Omaha has sometimes been described as 'Hold'em on steroids.' The fact that we are now dealt 4 hole cards instead of 2 means that big hands are a lot more common. The fact is that most of the time in No-Limit Hold'em we are simply going to miss the flop. We'll still miss the flop a fair amount in Omaha, but a lot less often. More big hands can result in more action.
The game is tougher to pick up than No-Limit-Hold'em. For some this is a bad thing, while others enjoy the increased complexity of the game. Even reading our own hand takes a lot more work since we have twice as many hole-cards to think about. Establishing exactly how strong our holdings are when we have a made hand and several draws is a skill in itself. We may even need to question how strong our holdings are when we hold the stone cold nuts. We can't automatically get all of the money in even in these circumstances. Our opponent could also hold the nuts along with a strong redraw which makes putting our stack in unprofitable.Establishing exactly how strong our holdings are when we have a made hand and several draws is a skill in itself
Similar to No-Limit Hold'em, Omaha is also a game of skill that can be beaten in the long term with enough work. The good news is that the average competition at Omaha games is a lot weaker than in Hold'em games. So even though it takes a little longer to figure out the basic rules, it can potentially be more lucrative than playing No-Limit Hold'em.Omaha Tips for Beginners
We need to use exactly two of our hole-cards and three cards from the board to make a 5-card hand. Can't stress this enough. This is easily the most common mistake players transitioning from NLHE make.
Play 4 cards which work well together. The best starting hands in Omaha are comprised of hole-cards that work well together as a 4 such as AA10J. Non co-ordinated cards are sometimes referred to as 'danglers'. It should be easy to see why the 3 in the hand AA103is not really that useful. We would also rather have AA10Jthan AA10J. Since we can only use two of our hole-cards, having the J means we block some of our spade-flush outs. The worst hand in Omaha is considered to be 2222. It will hardly ever improve since the cards it needs are no longer in the deck.
Stronger hands. If we come from a Hold'em background, we will need to up our standards for what constitues a strong hand. Bottom set in NLHE is considered a relative monster. Bottom set in Omaha will get us into a ton of trouble. If our opponent wants to stack off he will have a higher set the vast majority of the time. As such our stacking off range in any spot should be the nuts or at least very close to it. Even 2nd nut flushes are huge problem hands for beginners since they will nearly always be up against the nut-flush when there is a lot of action.
Nuts is not always nuts. Even with the stone cold nuts there may be situations where folding is correct. If we have the nuts and no redraw it will be a losing play to stack off vs our opponent who also has the nuts but with a strong redraw. 
Wraps. Wraps are very strong hands in Omaha and are straight-draws with additional fire power. They will have significantly more outs than a straight-draw in NLHE. For example we hold T-9-6-5 on a board of 8-7-2. We have 20 possible outs to make a straight!
 Even with the stone cold nuts there may be situations where folding is correct.
For more Omaha content, I suggest you check out the following videos and articles:1) The Fast Lane to PLO
Omaha Poker Point System Requirements3) Hand Reading in PLO

If you found this article helpful you should follow us for more amazing Omaha Poker Articles! 
Frank Op de Woerd
The World Series of Poker Player of the Year (POY) race and the formula to determine the winner, is always the topic of debate.
Last year, the debate fired up at the World Series of Poker as the organizer had taken the formula into its own hands after Bluff and the GPI handled the formula before. Especially Daniel Negreanu, always a vocal player in such matters, was involved, claiming the formula was profoundly flawed.
This year, the WSOP has altered their formula, loosely basing it on the WSOP Circuit points system. The most significant change between the 2017 and 2018 formula, is the ratio of points awarded for a win versus the points awarded for a min cash. Last year, this ratio could be as small as 3.25-1, or as big as 8.16-1. In 2018, a press release by the WSOP states, the ratio is always roughly 20-1.
2018 WSOP Player of the Year Points Calculator and ExampleThe WSOP has a Points Calculator online for players to calculate the number of points winable in specific events. They also published the following example comparison between the 2017 and 2018 formula:

Event

Entries
2017 Points System
2018 Points System
1st
2nd
9th
min
1st
2nd
9th
min
Main Event
7,221
433.2
360.6
215.3
53.1
1,694
847
424
85
Millionaire Maker
7,761
315.7
268.9
141.7
38.7
1,341
671
Do florida casinos have roulette numbers. 335
67
$1,500 NLHE
1,956
222.7
189.7
95.8
38.7
1,129
565
282
56
$10,000 PLO/8
207
172.1
146.6
70.4
52.9
1,087
543
272
54
Omaha Poker Point System RankingsThe Same 2017 Player of the YearThe overall winner from 2017, Chris Ferguson, would have remained unchanged. Ferguson's point total would have been 3,309 points from 23 cashes, including 1 bracelet (1st in the €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better for €39,289 at the WSOPE), one runner-up finish (2nd in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $151,700 at the WSOP), and one additional final table (4th in the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - Championship for $150,929 at the WSOP).
2018 WSOP POY Key InformationThe 2018 Player of the Year race will include the World Series of Poker at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas running May 29 through July 17, and the World Series of Poker Europe at King's Casino in Rozvadov running October 11 through November 2.
Cashing in The Giant and the PLO Giant nets players POY points, but those points won't be displayed on the website till the final flight of these multi-flight events has taken place since the total amount of entries is a factor in the formula. 
For multi-flight events where players can cash and bust in a starting flight and reeenter, making it possible for players to cash multiple times in the same tournament, players can only earn points once per event. On the official list of results on WSOP.com, all players advancing to Day 2 will be listed in the order in which they are eliminated on Days 2, 3, and 4. Players who make the money but who do not advance to Day 2, will be listed in the order of total payout amount received, which will be the place the POY points are awarded.
When playing the Heads-Up event or one of the shootout events, players eliminated in the same round (thus with the same payout) will receive the same amount of points. The points rewarded to these players will be the average of the points those places would have earned in a regular event.
The following events are excluded from the 2018 WSOP POY race:
Event #1: $565 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em
Event #32: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em
Event #36: Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em
Event #55: $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'em
Event #57: $1,000/$10,000 Ladies Event
Event #78: $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop
Omaha Poker Point Count SystemThere's no (physical) prize for winning the WSOP 2018 Player of the Year race. A banner with the photo of the winner will go up the next year.
World Series of Poker Player of the Year Since 2004YearPlayerBraceletsFinal TablesCashesTournament Earnings
2004Daniel Negreanu156$346,280
2005Allen Cunningham145$1,006,935
2006Jeff Madsen244$1,467,852
2007Tom Schneider233$416,829
2008Erick Lindgren135$1,348,528
2009Jeffrey Lisandro346$807,521
2010Frank Kassela236$1,255,314
2011Ben Lamb145$5,352,970
2012Greg Merson224$9,755,180
2013Daniel Negreanu2410$2,214,304
2014George Danzer3510$878,993
2015Mike Gorodinsky138$1,766,796
2016Jason Mercier2411$960,424
2017Chris Ferguson1423$428,423
TagsWSOPWSOPEWorld Series of PokerPlayer of the YearPOY
Related Room888poker
Related TournamentsWorld Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker Europe

Event	Entries	2017 Points System	2018 Points System
1^st	2^nd	9^th	min	1^st	2^nd	9^th	min
Main Event	7,221	433.2	360.6	215.3	53.1	1,694	847	424	85
Millionaire Maker	7,761	315.7	268.9	141.7	38.7	1,341	671	Do florida casinos have roulette numbers. 335	67
$1,500 NLHE	1,956	222.7	189.7	95.8	38.7	1,129	565	282	56
$10,000 PLO/8	207	172.1	146.6	70.4	52.9	1,087	543	272	54

Year	Player	Bracelets	Final Tables	Cashes	Tournament Earnings
2004	Daniel Negreanu	1	5	6	$346,280
2005	Allen Cunningham	1	4	5	$1,006,935
2006	Jeff Madsen	2	4	4	$1,467,852
2007	Tom Schneider	2	3	3	$416,829
2008	Erick Lindgren	1	3	5	$1,348,528
2009	Jeffrey Lisandro	3	4	6	$807,521
2010	Frank Kassela	2	3	6	$1,255,314
2011	Ben Lamb	1	4	5	$5,352,970
2012	Greg Merson	2	2	4	$9,755,180
2013	Daniel Negreanu	2	4	10	$2,214,304
2014	George Danzer	3	5	10	$878,993
2015	Mike Gorodinsky	1	3	8	$1,766,796
2016	Jason Mercier	2	4	11	$960,424
2017	Chris Ferguson	1	4	23	$428,423