It may seem that everyone wants to play Texas Hold ‘Em but, for those that caught the fever at the beginning of this decade, the desire to learn other disciplines of poker has certainly caught up. Omaha Hold ‘Em, with its four cards and multiplicity of options, has been the game of choice in Europe for years and is beginning to build popularity in the rest of the world also. Today, we’re going to look at an offshoot of Omaha, the Omaha Hi/Lo game, and the best tactics to take to the tables for it.
Omaha is a strange beast to begin with. The four hole cards can make for several intriguing potential hands but the caveat that ONLY two hole cards can be played throws even longtime players off. You can’t imagine how many times I have seen a player make the mistake of using only one card in his four card hand and it has cost them a sizeable pot.
When you make the game Omaha Hi/Lo (also known as Omaha Eights or Better), then even more fun is thrown into the mix. The pot is won by both the best hand created and the worst hand as well, with the pot split straight down the middle. Even though you may have quad Aces with a King kicker, you only get half the pot if the board is A-A-A-2-3 and your opponent is sitting on a 5-4 hand. Thus, you have to recognize the importance of selectivity in Omaha Hi/Lo and maximize your opportunities to take the entirety of the pot rather than halve or even quarter it with another player.
One of the enticements that Omaha offers is that every hand looks like a winner pre-flop. For example, if dealt A-A-K-K, the inexperienced Omaha player will go wild betting while holding the hand. For some reason, it is more likely than not that the A-A-K-K hand will not win because Omaha is a drawing game at heart. The key to playing Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo well is choosing hands that have multiple ways to win.
While pairs are nice and even better when you hit a set, drawing hands that run together, such as Q-J-10-9, or strong suited Aces (A-K, A-Q, etc.) that can turn into a nut flush are the most desirable. Even middle connectors such as 8-7 or 7-6 or double suited hands (where two cards are each of the same suit, such as Ad-4d-Kh-Jh) can be something that works to win a hand in Omaha.
The Hi/Lo game throws a curveball that many players have a tough time dealing with. The lowest five card hand that is eight or lower earns half the pot along with the high hand. The beauty of Omaha Hi/Low is when you can “scoop” the pot, or take both sides of the action. There are several combinations in Omaha Hi/Lo where this can occur.
Hands such as A-A-K-2 present opportunities to take both ends of the hand. While you may miss one of the two remaining Aces on the flop, if the board comes 8-7-3, you have a guarantee that you are in for at least a portion of the pot; if someone else held an A-2 in their hand, then you would split the low. If you hit an Ace on a flop such as A-3-4, you now hold a powerful hand that can potentially draw into a better high hand (if the board pairs) and draw into the low hand. There are also potential draws for straights and, if they are suited, flushes to come home.
If you are in late position, you can sometimes speculate with 3-2 or 4-5 as two of your four cards and potentially draw into straights that are well hidden. Middle pairs in the late positions can be cheaply looked up for their set and full house potential. Suited cards can also be quite useful for scooping the pot, but lower suited cards can be beaten for the flush by someone holding A-x suited and should be played cautiously. And always, especially in Hi/Lo, be on the lookout for the player on that Wheel draw or for the board to pair, presenting the possibility that someone else has hit the boat.
What you want to stay away from in Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo is where your cards don’t make any sense to play. A hand such as A-10-7-4 rainbow, for example, has little to work with. There isn’t a straight that can easily be drawn into without a sizeable expenditure of chips. You don’t have a workable low (unless the board comes 2-3-5) and, because you have all four suits, the possibility of a flush doesn’t exist (remember, you have to play two cards from your hand). Playing hole cards such as these will diminish your stack and probably your desire to play Omaha!
The mantra of an Omaha Hi/Lo player should be “scoop, not split”. By taking the entire pot, you have put a serious dent in the chip stack of one or more players (and, with Omaha, there is often more than one opponent in the pot, especially online). If you split it with another player or, worse yet, quarter a low with another player that has the same hand, you do little to advance your stack upwards. As always in poker, you have to constantly grow your chip stack to be able to walk away a winner.
If you go both ways in Omaha 8, do you have to win outright both ways or can you tie and then split?