Omaha Hi/Lo Strategy. Omaha Hi/Lo (8 or better) is currently the most popular split-pot poker game in the world. It is important to understand the rules of Omaha before playing Omaha Hi/Lo. While Omaha is very similar to Texas Hold'em, many new Omaha players get confused by the 'must use two hole cards and only two hole cards' rule. Omaha Odds Calculator. Eight-or-Better Hi/Lo. Dead Cards Online Poker Bonus Offers. Americas Cardroom. 100% up to $1,000 Get 100% up to $1,000 initial deposit bonus!
So you’ve mastered the basics. You understand the nature of the game, starting hand qualities, the importance of position, how high and low possibilities affect your pot odds, why a dry A2 is not the second coming…etc. The $64,000 question is: how far will this take you and how do you improve?
The first answer will depend to a large degree on your game selection. Some $5/$10 games are a lot easier to beat than some $2/$4 games. The basic trait of good omaha games is looseness. (Be sure not to confuse looseness with short-handed aggression!) In general, the loosest games will be the easiest to beat. But with increasing knowledge on how to play the game, the game seems to play tighter. What is your edge beyond basic play? What separates merely “good” players from excellent players and experts? Something clearly makes a difference. Fortunately, most of these “special” qualities can be understood and developed to a high degree. I will address two that often separate men from the boys, so to speak.
The Pivotal Factor
The less leaks you have, the more you will make. In a game where players have roughly equal playing abilities, psychology becomes the pivotal factor. This does not merely apply to “big bet poker” (pot limit and no limit). Sure, it is faster to tilt your bankroll away in a no limit game, but experiences of many testify that it is just as easy in a limit game. Curiously, even very successful high limit players have huge leaks here. Chip Reese, long acknowledged as one of the best all-around players in the world, said in an interview: “I can give you names of guys who are up-and-coming superstars, who are supposed to be great players. I see them when they play in the big games and things go bad; you can’t believe how they play. They break down…” (Gambling Wizards, 62-63). Not that hard to believe, really. Watch some of the “superstars” eliminated early on in the World Series. How many throw a tantrum? How many are prone to negative self-defeating reactions that cripple their game? Most players do not realize that the maxim “we have met the enemy and it is us” amply applies to them. By reacting in destructive and disruptive ways, you are not only damaging the quality of your play, you are making your opponents feel better! Keep saying “I just cannot win in this game” and soon everyone will really believe it, including you. Make an honest assessment of how you fare in this category. You can be your own best friend if you want to. Most people do not and their marginal earning rate reflects that. Plug the biggest common leak and you’ll be more than on the way!
There’s a Pattern to their Madness
If you post one “poker truth” next to your computer to read every day, this is it. Ed Miller said it and he said it well: “every cent of your long-term profit playing poker comes from exploiting your opponents’ errors and predictable tendencies” (Small Stakes Hold’em, 16). The same is equally true of omaha, if not more so. The tendencies of many omaha players can be easily observed, understood, and used against them. Where are the errors? What should you look for? Which area of play should you analyze and dissect?
One of the most rewarding and distinguishing area of study is the “science of raising”. Some players will raise preflop with any dry A2. Others with raise with an A2XX and at least some counterfeit protection. Others will raise only with an A2 that has some counterfeit protection as well as a suited ace. You want to understand the meaning of your opponents’ actions. The raise of a rock is very different from the raise of a maniac. By observing tendencies, you can make some very educated guesses about the possible holdings. You will get better with practice. Some players will become very “obvious” to you with time. I would in fact suggest that once you select your competition and do your “spying”, you should stick to it! Why double your effort and re-do your homework? If you find players whose play is fairly transparent to you, why look for anybody else? If you have a very good idea about what the raises mean on each turn, how your opponent thinks and what he is capable of, your edge increases dramatically.
Some players feel that poker education is improving the quality of play and makes the games less profitable. The truth is, if you know that your opponent is playing a good, basic game, you know more about their play because their actions at the table are meaningful. They have a pattern.
Your Best Friend
No, I am not talking about dogs (although having a pet can really take loads off!). I am referring to Poker Tracker Omaha. Use it. Let it run on your favorite tables and collect all the data. Sit back, relax, or go to sleep. I routinely keep my omaha software on during the night. In the morning, I check on the players I am interested in. Some of their stats are more familiar to me than my own phone number. I know how often and in which situations they raise, how well they understand the quality of their hand, when they tilt and how to spot it, how aggressive they are…etc. You do not need to collect the data via the “caveman” manual method of watching the table. Your computer can do that for you. How easy is that? Put some distance between you and your competition.
When You Cannot Beat that @#$ing Limit
One final tip that is extremely useful. Suppose you cannot beat a certain limit. Here’s something that helps. Collect a mass of detailed data on the players who can! You will likely see that they do certain things (“small things”) differently than you. With Poker Tracker Omaha, winning ceased to be a secret. You become successful by studying success! What’s stopping you?
Happy playing!
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Omaha Hi-Lo is one of the most popular games currently on offer across the US online poker community for one simple reason: action. Although split pot poker variants may appear somewhat confusing for casual players, the mechanics are actually relatively simple. Moreover, once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll find that it’s a game where bluffing and big pots reign supreme.
Of course, if you’re an amateur with little experience of US online poker in America, then we don’t recommend jumping into a juicy Omaha Hi-Lo cash game. Because the game awards half the pot to the winning high hand and half the pot to the winning low hand, Omaha Hi-Lo takes a lot more concentration than variants such as Texas Hold’em. When you play Texas Hold’em at some of our recommended top USA poker sites, the winning hand at showdown is the highest ranked.
However, Omaha Hi-Lo adds a twist to this format, so our strategy tip is to learn the basics in a high only game first. Become familiar with hand rankings, betting structures and basic strategy by playing Omaha before you jump into the action packed world of Omaha Hi-Lo.
Five Things You Need to Know about Omaha Hi-Lo:
- Omaha Hi-Lo is a split pot game where half the pot goes to the high hand and half to the low hand.
- The high hand scoops the pot if there is no qualifying low hand (a hand where the highest value card is an eight).
- Omaha Hi-Lo is one of the most action packed US online poker games.
- Omaha Hi-Lo can be played in a Limit, Pot Limit, No Limit or a Mixed Limit format.
- Always hone your skills in “high only” games before testing yourself at the Omaha Hi-Lo tables.
The Basics of Omaha Hi-Lo Poker
Ok, at this point we’ll assume you haven’t jumped into one of our poker sites, United States dollars in hand and anted-up at an Omaha Hi-Lo table without gaining experience anywhere else. Assuming you’ve taken some time to learn the basics of poker, you should now be ready to run through a few rounds of low stakes Omaha Hi-Lo.
Omaha Hi Lo Rules
Before the game kicks off, Omaha Hi-Lo’s main structure is similar to other poker variants. Before your four hole cards are dealt, two players will be required to ante-up a small blind and big blind. Following this the button is placed to the right of the small blind and these facets of the game move around the table in a clockwise fashion.
Free Omaha Hi-lo Poker Online
Once everyone has received their hole cards there is four betting rounds (although not all will be completed if a player’s bet isn’t matched): pre-flop, flop (three community cards), the turn (fourth community card) and the river (the final river card). At each stage, an active player is permitted to check, bet, raise or fold depending on the preceding action.
The Rules of Omaha Hi-Lo
Now we know how to bet, let’s go through the basic rules of Omaha Hi-Lo. An Omaha 8-or-better (as the game is also known) low hand must consist of five different cards ranked eight or below. If this is the case then that hand will be eligible to win the low portion of the pot. One point to not when you’re playing USA online poker and Omaha Hi-Lo is that if there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot.
For determining an Omaha Hi-Lo hand, this game uses the Ace to Five system. Straights and flushes do not count against a hand and Aces are always low (when you’re reading the low hand). Because of this, the best possible hand is: 5, 4, 3, 2, A. Following this logical trend, here’s a list of the top ten Omaha Hi-Lo hands from the tenth weakest to the strongest:
*Note: a low hand is always ranked from its highest card downwards. So for example, hand #10 is known as a five-low because its highest card is a five. A final point to remember, because this game has split pot format, is that straights and flushes do not count against your low hand. So making a qualifying low that is also a straight or a flush is a very powerful hand because it can win both the high and low halves of the pot (a scoop).
In terms of defining a winning high hand, you simply have to look at the standard ranking of poker hands which ranges from a high card and a pair, to a royal flush.
Solid Omaha Hi/Lo US poker players will discover a lot of opportunities to take advantage of, as many online American poker players don’t understand this game.
Types of Omaha Hi-Lo Poker
Omaha Hi-lo Playable Hands
Omaha Hi-Lo is played under the following betting structures:
Omaha Hi-lo Combinations
- Limit Omaha Hi-Lo – Bets are limited to a certain size every round.
- Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo – Bets can be as large as the pot size.
- No Limit Omaha Hi-Lo – A player can bet all of their chips.
- Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo – The game alternates between rounds of Limit and Pot-Limit.
Biggest Winners in Omaha Hi-Lo History
Because Omaha Hi-Lo is one of the most popular poker games online in America, there have been a number of big winners in recent years. However, if you want to determine the biggest MTT winners, we need to look at the World Series of Poker:
- Roland de Wolfe – 2009 WSOP $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $246,616.
- Sammy Farha – 2010 WSOP $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $488,241
- Viacheslav Zhukov – 2011 WSOP $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $465,216
- Joe Cassidy – 2012 WSOP $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $294,777
- Danny Fuhs – 2013 WSOP $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $277,519
- Brock Parker – 2014 WSOP $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $443,407
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