I want to talk a little about my favorite poker game, Omaha 8. I have frequently said that if I could play Omaha at every casino that I would never play another hand of Texas Hold'em. I have several reasons for this. First, it is a more complex game, thus relying more on skill. For example, the number of possible distinct starting hands in hold 'em is 1326, but discounting suits, there are only 169. In Omaha, there are 270,725, and leaving out suits, 16,432. So, you can immediately see that you seldom see the same exact starting hands, unlike hold'em. This requires more critical thinking before deciding to play a hand. That said, the pots in Omaha are usually pretty large due to loose pre-flop play and the large number of interesting looking starting hands. It is not unusual to have 6 or 7 players in a pot, sometimes to the river. There are always pot odds working either for or against you, and the river is unusually brutal (or generous). Drawing hands are sometimes more powerful than made hands, and you can lose or win half the pot anytime during the hand. To me, the keys to winning at this game are starting with reasonable hands, analyzing the possibilities after the flop, not chasing when the board is obviously scary, and saving that river bet or call as often as possible.
So, after playing probably 100's of thousands of hands, what is my advice for the novice Omaha player?
1. Discard the junk hands. These include those with a dangler (a card that doesn't fit with the other 3 cards). Also unplayable are middle cards, even those in sequence. This particularly applies to 9/8/7, which are called "pirates", presumably because they steal your chips. I am not a fan of ace/5 or bigger, unless suited ace and a couple of cards that work together. For instance A/5/K/J, single or double suited is playable, while A/5/9/Q non-suited is not.
2. Premium starting hands always include an ace, with A/A/2/3 double suited being the best starting hands in most opinions. I particularly like 4 cards below a 6, while I really love any A/small with a 6. I will even play these with a "dangler", like a jack. The reason is, the 6 gives you the option of a 3/4 pot. Imagine the action you get with an A/2/6/x on a flop of 3/4/5. You may get jammed and re-jammed by other A/2 hands, but end up chopping the low and hogging the high.
3. I like, and will play, hands containing 2 high cards and 2 low cards. Many people will not, but 2/3/10/J can make many nut hands.
4. Sometimes "taking one off" will yield very good results. You must evaluate your hand for drawing potential when the "perfect" card comes on the turn. Since it is a less expensive street, I find it sometimes possible to call a bet, but usually not a bet and raise.
5. The river changes everything in Omaha. You can go from a hogger to nothing or a chopped pot with one card. I find that it is usually best to fold when the action is heavy unless I have a nut hand on the high or low side. If it is THE nut hand on the high, this is when you can dearly charge the lows and second nuts.
6. I quit chasing anything except nut low when the board is paired.
7. A flopped straight or 2 pair almost never works out well. You can bet, or raise but with many callers you are treading a mine field against the flopped sets and flush draws, not to mention the low draws.
8. Small pairs are playable, but you have to be very cautious about making the underfull or smaller set. Best not to be too aggressive with them, better to check call. Eights are my favorites of the small pairs. Don't ask. I just tend to flop sets more often with them, and they have enough high card strength to crush smaller sets. Also, you are often going to lose half the pot, since an eight is essential for low hands. But, if you are playing a couple of low cards too.........
9. The worst situation, the one that costs me the most money is being sandwiched between a nut low and a made high (which I have a draw against...like a straight or flush with my set). Even though it may be a huge pot, I must remind myself that I am only playing for 1/2 most of the time. The absolute worst situation is having 2 nuts both high and low that you cannot force yourself to muck. Imagine sitting with 2/4/K/Q suited king. The flop is A/3/10, two of your suit. Great, you have nut nut draws as a 5 will give you the wheel, a jack gives you the straight. In it to win it. Now the turn brings a 6. It is bet and raised to you. Wow, nut low. River is a 2. You lose to the 6 high straight from the 4/5 who hogs the pot. The other player turns over 2/4/10/10. You were playing for a chop on the low and a 3 outer on the high. Great.
10. Most players play too many hands. That said, I am in about 65% of the pots. Many players would say that is too high, but given the limpfest, you are playing virtually all blinds and buttons, so that is a third of the dealt hands. Position is not king like in hold'em, but it is still important. Much better to see the action from last position.
11. Another unplayable hand: trips (even aces, unless your 4th card is a 2 or 3 suited). You will seldom have more than a pair. You are drawing to one out for a set.
Hope this helps. I highly recommend playing Omaha on a free site like pokerstars.net. You can gain experience and it is fun.
So, after playing probably 100's of thousands of hands, what is my advice for the novice Omaha player?
1. Discard the junk hands. These include those with a dangler (a card that doesn't fit with the other 3 cards). Also unplayable are middle cards, even those in sequence. This particularly applies to 9/8/7, which are called "pirates", presumably because they steal your chips. I am not a fan of ace/5 or bigger, unless suited ace and a couple of cards that work together. For instance A/5/K/J, single or double suited is playable, while A/5/9/Q non-suited is not.
2. Premium starting hands always include an ace, with A/A/2/3 double suited being the best starting hands in most opinions. I particularly like 4 cards below a 6, while I really love any A/small with a 6. I will even play these with a "dangler", like a jack. The reason is, the 6 gives you the option of a 3/4 pot. Imagine the action you get with an A/2/6/x on a flop of 3/4/5. You may get jammed and re-jammed by other A/2 hands, but end up chopping the low and hogging the high.
3. I like, and will play, hands containing 2 high cards and 2 low cards. Many people will not, but 2/3/10/J can make many nut hands.
4. Sometimes "taking one off" will yield very good results. You must evaluate your hand for drawing potential when the "perfect" card comes on the turn. Since it is a less expensive street, I find it sometimes possible to call a bet, but usually not a bet and raise.
5. The river changes everything in Omaha. You can go from a hogger to nothing or a chopped pot with one card. I find that it is usually best to fold when the action is heavy unless I have a nut hand on the high or low side. If it is THE nut hand on the high, this is when you can dearly charge the lows and second nuts.
6. I quit chasing anything except nut low when the board is paired.
7. A flopped straight or 2 pair almost never works out well. You can bet, or raise but with many callers you are treading a mine field against the flopped sets and flush draws, not to mention the low draws.
8. Small pairs are playable, but you have to be very cautious about making the underfull or smaller set. Best not to be too aggressive with them, better to check call. Eights are my favorites of the small pairs. Don't ask. I just tend to flop sets more often with them, and they have enough high card strength to crush smaller sets. Also, you are often going to lose half the pot, since an eight is essential for low hands. But, if you are playing a couple of low cards too.........
9. The worst situation, the one that costs me the most money is being sandwiched between a nut low and a made high (which I have a draw against...like a straight or flush with my set). Even though it may be a huge pot, I must remind myself that I am only playing for 1/2 most of the time. The absolute worst situation is having 2 nuts both high and low that you cannot force yourself to muck. Imagine sitting with 2/4/K/Q suited king. The flop is A/3/10, two of your suit. Great, you have nut nut draws as a 5 will give you the wheel, a jack gives you the straight. In it to win it. Now the turn brings a 6. It is bet and raised to you. Wow, nut low. River is a 2. You lose to the 6 high straight from the 4/5 who hogs the pot. The other player turns over 2/4/10/10. You were playing for a chop on the low and a 3 outer on the high. Great.
10. Most players play too many hands. That said, I am in about 65% of the pots. Many players would say that is too high, but given the limpfest, you are playing virtually all blinds and buttons, so that is a third of the dealt hands. Position is not king like in hold'em, but it is still important. Much better to see the action from last position.
11. Another unplayable hand: trips (even aces, unless your 4th card is a 2 or 3 suited). You will seldom have more than a pair. You are drawing to one out for a set.
Hope this helps. I highly recommend playing Omaha on a free site like pokerstars.net. You can gain experience and it is fun.
3 comments:
This is a LOT to digest. Unfortunately, I don't think I can even play on free sites in this state at this time. I don't know for sure. I would like to get better at Omaha. I really like it and play it at Jokers once in a blue moon. Someone told me once that when first learning it might be best to try for high only. Is that a good idea or not? High-Low is quite a strain on my brain. I probably won't see you (or play much) until Pendleton so in the meantime - Good luck! (Glad you outlasted Jabba the Hut!)
High only Omaha is great, not as much to worry about. Someone once said that O Hi Low was a game designed by sadists and played by masochists. I believe them. While there is more to digest, that is part of the fun. As far as playing free poker online, there is no law against that. Only playing for real money.
Cool. I just might have to give it a try. Hold 'em does get boring once in awhile. I can't believe I said that. See you sometime.
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