Fixed Limit
Omaha Hi Lo Strategy
Perhaps the most
action-packed game in all of poker is Omaha
Hi-Lo (aka Omaha Split or Omaha 8 or better).
With the increased number of possible hands from
each player having four hole cards as well as
the fact that a high and a low hand may split
the pot, there’s never a lack of action in this
game! It is also very popular at online poker
rooms so you won't have trouble finding some
action. Fixed and pot limit Omaha Hi-Lo tend to
be about equal in terms of traffic at most poker
rooms. This game is much more difficult to
master than other games limit Texas Holdem or
Omaha High. This means that you will see a lot
of mistakes that you can capitalize off of.
Qualifying Low
Hands In Omaha Hi-Lo
Before
you begin playing this game, you must understand
that to qualify for the low hand you must hold
two hole cards and along with three cards on the
board, make an 8 or better low. In other words,
Ad 3h 5h 8d Jc is NOT a winning low hand (it may
work in Razz but that’s another story). This
knowledge will play a big role in your success
or failure playing this game. High hands have no
qualifier criteria and just like in Hold’em,
even Ace high can win (although this is very
rare in Omaha).
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Starting Hand
Selection In Omaha Hi-Lo
Your
starting hands in Omaha Hi-Lo can range from
double suited connectors to big pairs. Position
plays a very large role at this game regardless
of what you’re holding but unlike Hold’em, where
it may not make sense to limp early with any
weak ace it’s often an acceptable move in Omaha.
If you look down to see As 3d 9h Jh, this is a
perfectly suitable hand to play from most any
position in Omaha Hi-Lo. You have gap connectors
and two of them are suited so if you can see a
flop for cheap, by all means do so. There are
many boards that will hit this hand and allow
you to play accordingly post-flop. Of course,
the hands that we’ve outlined in our previous
Omaha Strategy articles apply here as well.
Beware Of Getting Quartered In Omaha
Hi-lo
Sometimes when you’re holding the low hand you
run the risk of being quartered. Let’s say
you’re holding Ah 6d and the board shows 2d 4s
5h Jd Kc. It’s not unheard of for another player
to be holding Ac 6h here, especially if you all
limped into the pot. If you ever feel that this
is the case and you’re holding a non-nut low,
there’s no need to get into a raising war on the
river. The reason is that if your opponent is
holding the high hand as well, he will scoop
half the pot with the high and 25% of the low
pot. So you’ve now lost more than half the money
you put in the pot. It goes without saying that
this is a –EV proposition.
Overall Omaha Hi-Lo Strategy
Essentially, when starting to play Omaha 8 or
better for the first time you should stick to
ABC poker. Don’t try to pick off bluff attempts
and don’t try to bluff yourself too often. If
you’re at the lower level buy-ins, you’re not
going to get any fish off of their low draw. Nor
will you get them off a big high hand; this is
rarely the case even at middle and high limit
Omaha. So be conservative and play strong
starting hands. Unless you get a big draw on the
flop or hit a big hand, it may not make sense to
chase until you have a better feel for the game.
Again, as you learn a game and are building your
bankroll you should be in self-preservation
mode. Take your time, practice at a great site
like
Bodog Poker,
and work your way up to the bigger games over
time. Enjoy!
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