Omaha H/L
November 12, 2007
I didn’t play a lot this weekend but when I did play, I played mostly Omaha H/L Pot limit.
It seems a few of us have been playing that game more often. Maybe is a case of boredom with Hold Em or just something different to try to get the enthusiasm back.
I like this game. I wouldn’t play it every day, all the time, but it can be challenging at times. I also think it is easier to win money if you know what you are doing. My experience has shown that there are a lot of people out there playing this game that don’t have a clue as to what they are doing.
I am not going to sit here and tell you I am the best player at this game. I will however offer some general advice that may help your game.
Pinkdog, Netty, Blagger and others are much better at this game than I am but in an effort to help, I will start this discussion up. Of course, those that read this (all four of you..lol) and get better may end up not giving me as much money as they used to but better play makes the game more challenging and fun.
These are going to be very general tips. If the discussion gains momentum, we can delve into more advanced play in later posts.
First off, you need to understand the rules. Basically, you are dealt 4 cards down. Then 5 community cards are dealt. The player with the best high hand (using 5 of the cards) gets the high pot and the player with the best low hand (using 5 of the cards) all 8 or under gets the low pot.
Things to remember. One, you MUST use 2 cards from your hole cards to make either the high or low hand.
A low hand is from 8 or lower so the community cards have to have a minimum of 3 cards that are 8 or lower.
Omaha H/L tend to be more of a post flop game so pre-flop raising doesn’t happen too often. There are so many more hand possibilities out there since you have 4 cards, pre-flop raising can be tricky.
Since there isn’t a lot of pre-flop raising, beginners tend to call a lot of hands. when I first started playing Omaha H/L, I used to do the same thing. After about an hour into the tourny, I would be short stacked wondering where all my money went. Sure, once in a while my hand would hit, but those players playing the better starting hands will eventually prevail and eat away my chip stack. Lesson one – know what a good starting hand is in Omaha H/L.
Before we get into starting hands, lets look at another common beginner mistake. The object in Omaha H/L is to SCOOP. Scooping is taking the whole pot and not splitting it with another player. In order to scoop, you need the best high hand and the best low hand. The best low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5 or a wheel.
In order to have the best low hand you would need a A and 2. So, most any starting hand should have a A and a 2. Of course, there are cases where this might not be necessarily true but in most cases, a A and 2 in your hand should be a minimum.
Usually, pairing the board or even 2 pair are not enough to win a high hand. There is normally a str8 or flush draw considering there are so many cards in play. So, the other consideration with a starting hand is to have some sort of flush or str8 draw. So, a suited A with a 2 and a high card plus another low card in case you get counterfeited (later discussion) are good starting hands. So, As, 2s, 3h and Kh would be a pretty good starting hand. You have a good low draw. A nut flush draw. A secondary flush draw. A str8 draw and another card to protect your low.
Lesson 2 – You need to watch closely
Another beginner mistake. There are 3 or more people in the hand. The beginner has A 2 and 3 low cards are on the board. So, the beginner has nut low. The beginner is first to act. They bet because they have the nut low. To me, with 3 or more people in the hand, this is a big mistake. Why? you ask. Only one high hand is going to win. If a low card comes on the turn or the river and A 2 starts betting, another player with A 2 will call of course. The player with the high hand SHOULD raise if he thinks he up against 2 hands with A 2.
When the hand is over, the high hand will get half the pot. The 2 low hands would split the other half. This is called getting “quartered”. You can actually end up losing money if you get quartered. So, watch the board and try not to bet into a quartered hand.
This is starting to get long so maybe next time we talk about counterfeited hands, when to raise pre-flop, when to fold, etc.
Come on H/L people. Lets hear from ya…..
As always, GL at the tables.
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Comments
3 Responses to “Omaha H/L”
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It is pretty hard to add a comment to a tutorial mate .. Aside from yup right so far. lol
One mistake I think people make is that they play their Omaha HiLo pockets cards as 2 Hold’em hands. When they really should be looking for combinations of 3 playable hands as an absolute minimum.
I agree with what you are saying Dave – and Blagz too. One other common mistake I see, is to think you have a full house , where in fact you only have trips. I’ve lost many a hand like that.
I’ve been waiting on someone sticking an omaha hi/lo tutorial together. As you know, I play this game best when drunk!! I tend to do very well when drunk, but it’s obviously down to pure luck than anything else.
Goph, that just gave me an idea for a new post.
Which games should you play and have a better chance of winning at when drunk. lol
Omaha H/L when played sober (assuming other players at the table are sober too) keeps me thinking.
However, it is somewhat of a chasing game because post flop you tend to have a lot of possibilities.
I especially like the hands where I am UTG and call. I have a decent hand. The flop comes and there are so many possibilites I have a hard time figuring them all out. The timer starts chirping at me because I am running out of time. I say to myself “shit” and just click check so I can figure it out while others decide on their hands.lol