The overbet is a poker strategy which consists of making a very large bet representing more than the total amount of the pot. This strategy of “overshooting” is quite risky, but can pay off if it is carried out well.

Technical Error?

Often considered a technical error, the overbet can allow you to win very large pots in qq 99. One of the best times to overbet effectively is on the river. Indeed, if you overbet on the flop, it will often pay little, because your opponents will fold 9 times out of 10 while one of the objectives of the overbet is to make your opponent pay. This strategy should therefore not be achieved by bluffing. Conversely, to achieve a good overbet, you will have to have a hand that has touched its board and make it look like a pullout.

The goal is therefore to make your opponent believe that you are in the middle of a bluff and that you want to snatch the pot with a very large stake. It will therefore be necessary to have a good reading of the players in front of you. Do not attempt this move against a very tight opponent who is only playing their max hands. You might find yourself facing the nuts when you only have a decent hand.

With the Opponents

• The best opponent to attempt an overbet is a player with a lot of ego, who can’t stand being blown away. If the player is convinced that they have the best game, they will pay you by making an overcall (paying an overbet).
• Regarding the nature of the board, the more you hit an improbable game (a straight or a full house on the river), the more effective the overbet will be.
• When it comes to the amount of an overbet, there is no real rule. Depending on the size of your stack and the size of your opponent’s stack, you will need to commit between 3 and 5 times the amount of the pot for your move to be identified as an overbet.

For Playing Omaha

In Omaha, the number of combinations being higher than in Hold ’em, it will sometimes be better to make your opponent fold rather than try to trap him, when you have a big hand. Bluffing even when you have a strong hand is therefore one of the strategies of Omaha.

Conclusion

In Omaha poker, the ranges of hands have very close equities to each other. You will therefore often find yourself in situations where you will have roughly the same type of combination as your opponent. Take the example of a river checked where you have double pair. Rather than checking or attempting a value bet, the best strategy here is to turn your hand into a bluff by making a very large bet. In most cases, your opponent, who remember he checked the turn and was rather passive all the time, should fold and make sure you win the pot.