Are you a fan of Omaha? Want to learn the four-card variant? Don't want to miss out on PokerStars' Omaha Week?
Well you've come to the right place and PokerNews has just the man. We spoke with PokerStars Ambassador Parker Talbot about his journey from No-Limit Hold'em "truther" to Omaha convert, and trust us — you won't want to miss this!
PLO Poker: A Beginner's Guide to Pot-Limit Omaha
"You Just Need to Work At It" says Talbot
Talbot says that players shouldn't be afraid of playing a new variant, if they've been someone who up until now has only played No-Limit Hold'em. But there are some clear differences that players should definitely be aware of.
"It's the change of pace," Talbot told us. "Beyond that, the fact that the game is inherently different makes it more exciting. It's all so speculative.
"For you don't have many spots in No-Limit where half the table puts 30% of their stack in preflop in a cash game! It just doesn't happen!"
But what about tournaments, is it easy to shift from one to the other? Definitely not, says Talbot.
"I'd say you obviously have a big leg up on someone that doesn't play any poker at all, but these days it's really about how much work you're willing to put in at least at the highest stakes.
"So if you can be a great player in No-Limit, you can probably be a pretty damn good player in PLO too. You just need to work at it!"
And if Talbot could boil down all the strategy advice, the articles and the solvers into three top tips you could write down on a single post-it note?
- Big Cards = Good
- Easier to Make the Nuts
- Two Suits are Better than One
Omaha Week
Talbot says that Omaha Week is the perfect opportunity for all players — not just himself — to "get in the mix" so to speak.
"I'm even ending up playing smaller for what I normally play, duking it out in some $44 buy-in tournaments and similar ones. Just last night I bubbled the FT of the $44 KO event, while simultaneously pumping four bullets into the $215 KO!
"I don't end up playing a ton of Omaha so it's really nice to get in the mix."
How to Enter PokerStars Omaha Week
It's not too late to join the fun in PokerStars Omaha Week which runs all this weekend. Just head to the client and you'll find plenty of tournaments running for you to enter.
Two Omaha Week Main Events cap off an incredibly exciting week of four and five-card Omaha action this Sunday. Both commence at 6:15 p.m. GMT with the Low Main Event costing $22 and the High Main Event commanding a $215 buy-in. Guarantees for the Main Event are $50,000 and $100,000, respectively.
