Omaha high low strategies, to keep you out of the nut house!Which hole cards you choose to play is the first of your omaha high low strategies. Omaha high low is a split pot game, you want to play hands that can win both high and low. Playable hands in omaha,
are not playable in this game, unless it's your big or small blind and it's cheap to play. As-Ac-2s-3c is the best starting hand you can have in omaha high low, your cards work together well and there is a good chance that you could win both high and low, depending on the flop. Playable hands have to have an A-2 or A-3, A-4 and A-5 can be played if the ace is suited with another card. Any other low cards should be folded until you have a good grasp of the game. Your starting cards should also work together with your two low cards. Ah-kc-Qh-2c, Ac-Qs-Js-3c are playable hands. The more combinations your cards make, the stronger your hand is. Always play strong hands aggressively and try to play them in position. Omaha high low strategies for the flop: your cards have to connect in order to continue! Most times you will flop some sort of draw, so only draw at the nuts! You can draw at the low if you can also make a high. Drawing at just a low, even if it's the nut low, will cost you more money than it's worth. Always make sure that you're getting good pot odds to draw. You need at least 4 to 1 on your money to draw at a straight or flush. Say your hole cards are Ac-Kh-3c-2h, a great flop for your hand would be 4c-5c-2d. Your hand makes a wheel (a wheel is a five high straight) and you have a redraw, the club flush. This is a huge flop for your hand! You should play it for maximum profit. If the flop comes 6h-6s-7s, you should get rid of your hand. This flop doesn't give you any draws for a high. You do have a low draw but you're drawing, at the most, for half the pot. That's a bad time to be drawing. Tight is right on the flop. If you hit the flop continue to the turn and river, muck your cards if you miss. Doing this can be very tough. Since omaha high low is a split pot game, people with sets and two pair could also have a bad low hand and will justify chasing because they have a low, even though it could never win. If you have the best hand bet, raise and re-raise as many times as you can. Taking the earlier hand and flop example, a good turn card would be any club. The board would look like 4c-5c-2d-10c. Not only do you still have an un-counterfeitable low, but you've made a nut flush, your hands a monster. A bad turn card would be one that pairs the board. If a card pairs the board someone could have a full house and your hand is
only good for half the pot. If you can only win half the pot, try to see the river cheaply. If you make it to the river and still have the best hand, omaha high low strategies would be to bet/raise to get the most money out of your opponents as you can. If you can only win half the pot, checking and calling are your best options. A good river card would be one that doesn't pair the board. A board of 4c-5c-2d-10c-Jh, would give you the nut high and nut low, AKA a scooper! A scooper means you get the whole pot, it's the holy grail. Play hands that can scoop pots. Don't chaise for the low, you could get a quarter of the pot or worse. Always get the most money from your opponents you can. Patience is more important in this game then any other community card poker game. The more you practice omaha high low strategies the more you'll understand. Good luck! |
