Pre-flop

I have the button and am dealt a double-suited hand (10♥-6♣-J♣-9♥) with great straight potential. My opponent holds a pair of Aces with a single suit (A♦-8♥-A♠-10♦). At this point there are other people in the hand, but were we heads-up my opponent would be roughly only a 60/40 favourite – despite holding two Aces. He’s right to raise as he wants to minimise the players he’s up against with a big pair, but equally, with positional advantage and a hand with potential, it’s a mandatory call for me. The blinds fold and it’s two to the flop. I’m hoping for some monster wraps, but at the same time, I need him to have improved his hand as well.

Flop and turn

On the flop my opponent makes top set with his Aces – which is a strong hand. However, I have flopped a wrap straight and flush draw – giving me any 6,9,10 or Jack to make a straight, plus any heart to make a flush. With all these outs, despite making top set, my opponent is actually a 45/55 underdog to win the pot. His mistake here is to bet out only a third of the pot, giving me no reason to do anything but call and see if I hit. When a blank 3♣ falls on the turn, my opponent bets out again and I raise him all-in. Even despite the fact that at this point I still have nothing, I am still a 55% favourite to win (plus of course there’s a chance he could fold here).

Turn and river

As it happens, my opponent calls and one of my four outs for the nut straight, the J♦, hits the board on the river allowing me to take down a tidy pot of $8,895. My hand is 7♥-8♥- 9♥-10♥-J♦ whilst his is A♦-A♠-A♣-8♥-J♦. Despite him being a small favourite pre-flop, this hand shows that even when you hit top set, you can be behind all the way through a hand of Omaha. But the fact that I was only ever a 55% favourite also demonstrates the small edges involved in this form of poker. It’s these small edges that make pot-limit Omaha such a skilful and exciting gambling game, and one that can involve huge swings in your bankroll – so you need to be aware of this.