Poker Strategies

A split pot version of your regular Omaha Poker, Omaha 8 or Better follows rules that are similar to those followed in Omaha High. There is only one difference: a qualifying low hand will take half the pot.  This hand is a five card hand of five unique cards eight or below.  Straights and flushes don’t count against low hands while aces play both high and low. That makes the wheel best low hand (A-2-3-4-5).  This variation is typically played in either a limit or a pot-limit fashion but here we discuss only Limit Omaha-8.

When playing Omaha Online Poker, you must use two cards in your hand and three from the board.  The same holds true in hi-lo. The only difference is that you do not have to use the same two cards for both high and low.  For example, you have A-2-K-Q and the board ran out 3-6-7-K-Q.  You can play your K-Q for two pair to take high. You can play your A-2 to give you the nut low too.

The key to long term success in Omaha Hi/Lo poker is knowing what a good starting hand is.  The object of the game is to scoop pots as much as you can.  This is when you win both the high and low sides of the pot, and when there are no qualifying lows. You need to play hands that give you a decent chance to do this and will want hands that have an ace and one or more wheel cards.  Hands containing A-2 or A-3 are powerful hands.  A-4 and up are a bit tricky and should be played only in the blinds. You should for cards that are suited and connected in your hand and would want cards suited with your ace.

Remember that this is a drawing Poker game which means you will constantly be drawing to either a low, a straight, flush or full house.  You need to always be aware of the possibilities on the board.  When you are not drawing to the nuts in one or more directions, you may want to get out of the hand.  Do get out if you are drawing to a straight and there are three suited cards on board.  A full house is likely if you are drawing and the board is paired. In this case, you will want to get out.  Fold if you have only 2nd or third nut low and more than one opponent is in the hand. Don’t play second best hands because they will only cause you money.

A player is said to be quartered when he has tied another player for one side of the pot. This will most probably occur on the low side of the pot.  In this case, a player will receive only one-third of the total pot.  If there are only two or three players are in the pot then a player will lose money in a quartered pot.

A player is counterfeited when a card falls on the board and eliminates the ability for the player to make low.  For example, you are counterfeited if you hold A-2-10-J and the flop falls A-7-8.  You can only make a low if a fourth low card falls, and it will not be a nut low.  This term also applies when a player whose nut low is eliminated and left with a weaker low.

The various combination of starting hands among other things makes Omaha hi-lo a more complex than most variations. But armed with the basics, you can now go on and play the game. You’ll eventually pick up along the way and learn more.

When playing Omaha 8 or better, starting with strong holdings is one of the most important things.  Playing speculative hands may make large portions of your stack disappear quicker than any other poker game you have played and will ever Poker play.

One of the things to consider here are starting hands that include an ace.  The Poker ace is the most powerful card in Omaha 8 or better. This because an ace is the only card that plays both ways.  It is can make nut straight and flushes and it is also required to make nut lows.  In Omaha 8 or better, you will almost always need to either hold or to draw to the nuts.  Most of the time, not doing so may cause you the game.

Hands that have an A-2 and two coordinating Poker cards are the strongest in Omaha 8 or better.  It will be ideal to have an A-2 with another wheel card and a card above 9 or hands that have at least two cards suited, preferably with the ace.  Other very strong hands in Omaha 8 or better is A-A-2-3 with the two aces suited as well as hands with A-3 and two coordinating cards, which are generally raising hands pre-flop.  A-4 and two coordinating cards can be played too but should if you area a beginner you should be cautious about doing so.  A-5 and two coordinating cards could be played from the blind to no raise while A-6 and two coordinating cards should only be played from the big blind to no raise.  A-7 and A-8 hands should not be played. They will make the worst lows possible and will be outdrawn most of the time.

In Omaha Hi/Lo, high hands become very tricky to play. Most of the time, they can lead you to only winning half the pot.  The problem here is that when the board comes low or is drawing low, you are drawing to half the pot at most.   As a beginner, you should probably only play high cards in one of two cases.  First is if you are in the blind to no raise, you may see the flop with high cards.  Second is if you are in a tight game and a lot of players are seeing the flop, then there is a huge chance they are holding a lot of low cards.  In this situation you can speculate with high cards.  If the flop comes low or middling, it will be a good choice to just fold.

Omaha 8 or better is a game that relies on hands and that rewards solid plays.  It comes as no surprise that the winner in most Omaha 8 or better games is typically the one who plays a rock solid tight game.  For the most part, this is due to their ability to get away from weak hands and capitalize on weak and looser players. While you’re just beginning to learn the ropes, it is better to stick to a tight strategy. Stay away from weak and mediocre hands to try to hold on to your stack.