Omaha Hi/Lo - Part Two

Welcome back to our series of posts dealing with the complex beauty that is Omaha Hi/lo. The previous text covered the first of our fundamental rules for profit. Just as a quick reminder, here are those guidelines again:

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.

Today, we will cover Rule Two.

If you are to consistently beat Omaha Hi/Lo games, you have to recognise when to fold your nut low. It can be quite difficult – after all, you have a holding that cannot (yet) be beaten – but it can be tied and subsequent cards can destroy it. Sometimes, you will only take a quarter of the pot and that can result in a net loss for the hand.

Here is an example. You are holding A-2-Q-T in a four-handed pot and the flop has brought 7-6-5 to the action. Two of the cards give a flush draw. You are last to act, but by the time all eyes are staring at you, there has been a festival of raising and re-raising, and there are signs that the fireworks may yet to continue. You have no chance to make a worthwhile high hand and the possibility that your low has tied is very strong, possibly by a player who has both sides of the pot covered.

You have to fold. It is going to cost a high proportion of your stack to win a quarter of the pot. So far, all you have paid is a single bet to see the flop, so the cost is small. There is also the possibility that one of the next two cards may bring an ace or a two (if not both) and if that happens, it will bust your hand because your hole cards are duplicated – someone could then take the low with 3-4 in the hole.

Reading this article, the logic of the decision should scream at you. Unfortunately, when you are in the middle of all the gunfire, it is often seductive to double-check your arsenal and then perform a combat roll into the action, possibly while bellowing ‘Don’t push me.’

I understand.

Believe me, I do.

In light of that tendency, it is now time for this instructional guide to poker to perform the obligatory nod to Sun Tzu. Please excuse me while I go to that special place on my shelf and perform the highly dextrous finger movement that causes my bedroom wall to spin and reveal my secret chamber. No, alas, it is not my gimp room. It is where I keep special books archived and where, today, we gently open the special dehumidifier to access The Art of War.

Roughly 2,300 years ago, the following words were written:

If it is not advantageous, do not act.
If it is not attainable, do not employ troops.
If it is not in danger, do not do battle.

Clearly, the Sun Tzu lineage had quartered the occasional pot.

In the previous example, it is not advantageous to stay with your hand. Your stack is not in danger and the whole pot is not attainable. It is one to let go.

There are plenty of times when you should not drop the nut low. Some will be self evident. Others will be difficult. The example above is easy.

If you are playing low stakes, the consideration becomes more difficult as there will be plenty of punters who ‘came to play’. In those scenarios, you should probably call more frequently as there is a greater chance someone has overrated their low hand. You can also give calling more consideration when you have a third low card in the hole, a three for example, as it helps to avoid the pain of the board duplicating one of your cards.

Knowing when to fold the nut low is essential if you plan to maintain your profit. If you are aware of the texture of the flop, the styles of your opponents and can maintain a level head, you will do it. Don’t feel too bad when you occasionally quarter a pot but learn from the experience and try to recognise when to fold.

Follow these guidelines, study the table and you’ll be well on your way. You’ll probably even take three quarters of the pot yourself.