Omaha Hi-Lo

denachoman

I play $10 Holdem STTs on Betfair. I entered one last night and suddenly found myself brought to the table and being dealt 4 hole cards!!

After getting over the initial shock of realising that I had fcuked up and sat down at a Hi-Lo PL Omaha table, a game I have never played before, I decided to sit out the first couple of rounds and try to get a handle on what the other players' strategies were.

From watching the first few hands it was immediately obvious that at least 2 other players were in the same boat as me and had sat down expecting a Texas Holdem game. It was a veritable All-in fest for the first few minutes - one player immediately typed in "stupid f*cking game, sat down at the wrong table", not a very clever move. Anyway 2 orbits and already 3 players gone and I haven't played a hand yet. My first impressions are:

1. There's only 2 or 3 guys here who actually know what they are doing

2. There's not always a low hand but most of the players' pre-flop strategy seems to ignore the possibility of there being a low hand and they are playing very much like it is a Texam holdem game. (by the way does anyone know the % of time there is a Low hand in Omaha Hi-Lo)

3. I'll concentrate on trying to win the low hands (i.e. only play A2xx, A3xx) and only play high pocket pairs and double suited hole cards when trying to win the high hands.

To cut a long story short I ended up winning the STT thanks to beginner's luck and getting dealt some very nice hands (AA2x double suited a couple of times) and taking down the Hi and the Lo pots together in 3 or 4 hands. I must say it was a welcome break from Texas Holdem and I found it a very enjoyable game. I'll definitely be back for some more as some of the players didn't have a clue about basic strategy.

Does anyone on here play Hi-Lo Omaha regularly? Due to a firewall in work I can't access most Poker sites so if someone could post up some basic strategy for this game that would be great. Is there some way of awarding points to your hole cards to decide whether your hand is good or not?

Imposter

Having 3 to a wheel (3 cards 5 or less, different values) is always a good starting hand. Aces with at least one other low card (the lower the better) is also good. AA23 is best possible hand. Playing things like 789T is bad. Jamming with high pairs (QQ, KK) can also work when blinds get high. Having other outs like flush possibilities is also good. When the blinds are high, normal tournament strategy is your friend.

RoundTower

denachoman wrote:

3. I'll concentrate on trying to win the low hands (i.e. only play A2xx, A3xx) and only play high pocket pairs and double suited hole cards when trying to win the high hands.

Only play if there is some chance you can win both halves of the pot. Calling a pot sized bet with only the nut low draw is almost always a mistake in pot limit. High pocket pairs like QQ with no low are fine if you hit a Q and another high card on the flop, you want to avoid the situation where you have top set and there are three low cards and your opponent clearly has a low and probably has outs to hit a straight or a flush. Don't generally go into the hand thinking something like "OK I'll try to win the high half on this one."

I think the low comes in Omaha/8 about 2/3 of the time if all hands are played to the river. It's well known anyway. If this is the right number then A2TT probably makes the nut low just under half the time.

RoundTower

Imposter wrote:

Having 3 to a wheel (3 cards 5 or less, different values) is always a good starting hand. Aces with at least one other low card (the lower the better) is also good. AA23 is best possible hand. Playing things like 789T is bad. Jamming with high pairs (QQ, KK) can also work when blinds get high. Having other outs like flush possibilities is also good. When the blinds are high, normal tournament strategy is your friend.

Just to add my opinion on this I don't believe something like 245J is a good hand and wouldn't play it from any position except the blinds. I tend to play 23KK and the like.

denachoman

Thanks for that guys. It shows how green I am at hi lo when it never entered my head that having 3 low cards like A23 in your hand is good in case one of your low cards is matched by the board cards.

Roundtower - maybe it was just because of the level I was playing at but I found i could concentrate on the low half because more often than not there were 2 or more players fighting it out for the high hand and I was getting half the overall pot.

I agree if you are in the pot against just one player you need to be more careful and have a chance at winning the high and the low.

ciaran13

i play omaha hi-lo regularly enuf , but only to take a break from holdem after bad beat and the like.
id only raise wit high pocket pair and 2 low cards

phil helmuths opinion on why hes succesful at omaha hi lo is dat
too often people are playing for half the pot

so mitnt be good idea to only play fro lo hand

congrats on the win tho!!

sonneti

My girlfriend has started playing $5 omaha hi-low stt's on empire i had a flick through super system 2 and told her to only play hands with an ace + 2 suited cards and shes doing fine

donkeyradish

Omaha8 really has to be played pot limit to be fun

Although there are limit games everywhere I find these slow and tedious

Fatboydim

I find some of the above advice a little strange – Such as not playing 789T. I once saw a player take down a huge pot in the Fitz with a very similar hand. Because as has been said… A lot of players are going in with cards at the high and low ends of the spectrum. About eight players went all in with yer man the last to call. He flopped trip eights which turned into quads… rightly believing that all the high cards were out and in the hands of his opponents… Otherwise wouldn’t be so many all ins.

The best Hi/lo starting hand is AA22 double suited.

It’s not a good idea to chase the low as you need three low cards on the board in order to make it. And of course pairs don’t count so if you are holding two of the cards you are trying to hit one of the six others… and lows will often tie.

Don’t play with a dangler – such as A3K7.. The seven being the dangler as it doesn’t fit with the other cards.

If you get AAAA in the hole throw it away most of the time.
As a rule if you get any card as trips in the hole it’s pointless playing them as you’re trying to hit one remaining card in the deck.

If the board shows three of any suit there is likely to be a flush.

If the board pairs there is likely to be a full house.

Straights at the high end will be more common than straights at the low end.

Omaha is much more volatile than hold ‘em so be prepared to fold that nut flush when the river pairs the board.

Hope that helps.

bohsman

Fatboydim wrote:

I find some of the above advice a little strange – Such as not playing 789T. I once saw a player take down a huge pot in the Fitz with a very similar hand. Because as has been said… A lot of players are going in with cards at the high and low ends of the spectrum. About eight players went all in with yer man the last to call. He flopped trip eights which turned into quads… rightly believing that all the high cards were out and in the hands of his opponents… Otherwise wouldn’t be so many all ins.

The best Hi/lo starting hand is AA22 double suited.

It’s not a good idea to chase the low as you need three low cards on the board in order to make it. And of course pairs don’t count so if you are holding two of the cards you are trying to hit one of the six others… and lows will often tie.

Don’t play with a dangler – such as A3K7.. The seven being the dangler as it doesn’t fit with the other cards.

AA23 double suited is the best Hi/lo hand.

789T is a big hand in omaha hi but its a terrible hand in Hi/lo just because you saw someone make quads once in a hi game doesnt make it a good hand.

You should only chase the nut low. (if youre getting your odds)

RoundTower

Fatboydim wrote:

I find some of the above advice a little strange – Such as not playing 789T. I once saw a player take down a huge pot in the Fitz with a very similar hand. Because as has been said… A lot of players are going in with cards at the high and low ends of the spectrum. About eight players went all in with yer man the last to call. He flopped trip eights which turned into quads… rightly believing that all the high cards were out and in the hands of his opponents… Otherwise wouldn’t be so many all ins.

The best Hi/lo starting hand is AA22 double suited.

It’s not a good idea to chase the low as you need three low cards on the board in order to make it. And of course pairs don’t count so if you are holding two of the cards you are trying to hit one of the six others… and lows will often tie.

Don’t play with a dangler – such as A3K7.. The seven being the dangler as it doesn’t fit with the other cards.

This is terrible advice. Either Fatboydim is drunk or he is not used to pot limit Omaha hi/lo. You would be best to disregard this advice, and learn it by playing the game yourself. The rest of what he said (along the lines of "If the board is paired, someone may have a full house) is correct.