Omaha Hi/Lo - Final

My fellow bloggers, I sit here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by the weaker players.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. We have travelled a long way and the end of our journey is near. We should now be ready to take our seat at an oval table and establish a more prosperous community of Omaha Hi/Lo players

You may remember that our campaign began many moons ago. We knew that many would stumble along the way but we prayed for guidance. It came in the form of three wise gems:

1. You must have stricter starting requirements than your opponents.
2. You must remember that the nut low hand will regularly tie.
3. If you decide to play for a drawing hand, it must be the nuts.

Now, the brave, the hard-working and the patient have made it to the threshold of enlightenment. They have proved worth of the following supplementary wisdom.

Firstly, it is vital to note that not many players will fold pre flop when they have already called a bet – some will but not many. Therefore it is essential that when you are contemplating a raise, you are doing so for the right reason. If you are planning to trim the field, pay attention to who is in the pot. If you have a hand that needs to improve, there are two callers and players behind you, a raise will not accomplish a great deal.

For example: you hold A-A-2-T, rainbow.

Two players have limped. You have two players behind you and the blinds. A raise will get you into trouble. It is only worth one bet as it is likely you will be facing four happy callers.

By contrast, in late position the same cards merit a raise, if you the first to enter the pot. You should knock out the hands behind as they are receiving poor value. Moreover, the aces should stand up against opponents who are aiming high.

It is always worth exercising a little caution when you are dealt two aces as it is not a hand that always has value, contrary to the actions of some players. Two suited aces are always worth playing but a hand like AA8J is fairly useless. It is certainly not worth calling a raise and if you limp in early position, it can quickly become a trap hand. A key skill is to recognise when the value of your hand takes a nose dive. It often happens to players holding two aces.

If you catch a player holding four high cards on a board that flopped three low cards, crack open the champagne, tell your helpmeet to hold your calls and prepare to fill your pockets. It is a fundamental mistake. If it is ever performed by a player who raised from the small blind, then rip out the 2009 calendar and prepare to retire on the year’s profits.

There are few hands that are worthy of a raise from the blinds. It is an act of folly akin to charging into No Man’s Land from the safety of the trench. The positional exposure is just too much of a handicap to overcome in most games of Omaha Hi/Lo. In the dream situation when you are dealt the killer hand of A-A-2-3 fire away, but in most cases checking or calling will limit the damage.

Although A-A-2-3 is the best starting hand, don’t expect it to come along too often. In fact, it is less likely you will see A-A-2-3 (two suits) than it is you well peek at four of a kind. (Twelve combinations make the former, thirteen the latter). However the reason it is the dream hand, is because it illustrates the value of having a second low card for back up.

A second low card offers protection in the scenario when the board duplicates one of your low cards. Here is an example:

You have A-2-K-J and the flop is K-6-5. When the turn brings a 7, you have made the nut low. However, the river card is a 2, thus rendering the two in your hand useless. Although your low is 7-6-5-2-A, now that there is a 2 on the board, the nut low hand is 6-5-3-2-A. It will be made by anyone holding A-3. It is a common occurrence and can be costly.

That happens roughly (on the turn or the river) 25% of the time. If you have a back up low card, you will only find yourself in that situation 3% of the time. The advantage should be clear.

In the situations when you have made the nut low, particularly when you have a second card safety net, and the nut flush draw, you should play the hand aggressively. Yes, you have to remember Rule Two, but too many players don’t make enough money with the nut low as they play too passively.

You want opponent to make poor decisions. If you bet your made hands strongly, other players have a far greater chance of making bad decisions. If you play the hand passively, it reduces the impact of their poor decision and, in some cases, awards them the odds to call.

Just like Hold em, effective betting on the flop and the turn is based on knowing when you need to eliminate undesirables and when you would quite like more people to join the party. Some of those decisions have to be made based on situational circumstances in the middle of battle but there are certain rules. If you are drawing to a nut hand (or, ideally, both) calling is usually best as you want plenty of people to make deposits. However, if you are in the position when you have already made a hand, it is time to present them with an expensive bill for sitting at the table.

One special scenario occurs when you flop a set. When Hold ‘em players flop sets they are frequently moved to write poetry. However, a flopped set in the game of Omaha Hi/Lo is more likely to inspire a verse beginning:

There was a young man with three kings

Who was keen to begin betting....

Far too often, flopped sets end with cursing.

Exercise caution, particularly when you have flopped bottom set. In most scenarios, the best result lands only half the pot. In other cases, your high hand will be trashed. If you do become seduced by a set, I would advise to play it slowly and see what happens when the turn card moseys into town.

Playing it slowly disguises the strength of your hand and you will be in a better position to predict the direction of the pot. If the board contains only high cards, you can happily accompany your set to the river, where the pair of you will stand a good chance of having a chip picnic.

Betting on the river is quite an art form and one that many do not understand. If you are first to act with either nut hand, bet! It seems obvious, but some forget and either try to check-raise, or just flat call. There is no logic. A check-raise will only be called by others with a nut hand (in most cases) and you risk losing bets.

A far trickier situation develops when you are stuck in the middle of two players, with a hand that is marginal in both directions. The only decision is whether to raise or fold. Calling has no merit: you let the player behind you make an easy decision – and he/she could have a marginal holding that would be dumped to a raise. If you frequently make the correct decision in these scenarios, I guarantee that you will make a profit.

Omaha Hi/Lo is quite a complicated game and few variants of poker require the player to make so many appraisals. However, once you have absorbed the game and its complexities, it becomes relatively easy to beat, as so many players are either seduced by marginal holdings, or they remain a little baffled by its intricacies.

If you follow these guidelines, remain patient and stay focussed, you will show a profit.