Omaha High/Low is a popular version of Omaha Poker. In this game the winnings are shared by the best and the worst hands, fifty-fifty. The lowest hand should be 8 or lower and no pair. You can use different cards for both hands and it is possible for one player to win them both. If no player has the lowest hand then the highest hand wins it all. Like in Omaha Poker, players use only 2 cards of the pocket cards and 3 communal cards but they can also use different cards for both low and high hand. Each player is dealt 4 cards face down. The betting is exactly the same as in Omaha Poker and Texas Hold'em. Tips and strategy for Omaha High/Low Poker. Low hand must be 8 or lower (8765432A). The lowest of high cards wins (A2345678). If 2 or more players have the high card of equal value, the next high card determines the winner. This part must be understood by players. The lowest hand is always determined by the highest card it contains. The 5 examples below demonstrate how it works.
Player 1.
8, 6, 4, 2, A
Player 2.
7, 6, 4, 3, 2
Player 2 wins because 7 is the lowest high card.
Player 1.
8, 6, 4, 2, A
Player 2.
8, 7, 4, 3, A
Player 1 wins because 6 is the lowest high card.
Player 1.
8, 6, 4, 2, A
Player 2.
8, 6, 3, 2, A
Player 2 wins because 3 is the lowest high card.
Player 1.
8, 7, 6, 4, 2
Player 2.
8, 7, 6, 5, A
Player 1 wins because 4 is the lowest high card.
Straight or Flush is not a low hand. The only exception is 5, 4, 3, 2, A – this is not a good hand. You can win a big pot with this type of hand.
Wi?kszo?? uk?adów zawieraj?cych karty 6-9, zalicza siea do uk?adów s?abych. Cz?sto tworz? silne uk?ady, które jednak s? bite przez pozosta?ych Playery.
Grywalne r?ce:
A-A-2-x
A-A-3-x
A-A-4-5
A-2-3-x
A-2-K-K
A-2-Q-Q
A-2-J-J
A-3-4-5
A-A-x-x
A-2-K-Q
A-2-K-J
A-2-x-x (suited Ace)
A-3-K-K
A-3-4-x
2-3-4-5 (fold je?eli nie ma Asa na flopie)
J-Q-K-A
T-J-Q-K
K-K-Q-J
Q-J-T-9
2-3-4-x (fold je?eli nie ma Asa na flopie) Wszystkie uk?ady sk?adaj?ce sie z kart od 10 do Aainst 8-2 off). Here no combination has a greater advantage than 65 to 35. A pot limit will add additional restriction – before flop it is not easy to considerably cut the number of players in the game. Remembering that there are 6 combinations in each player's hand, you realize how complicated the game really is.
The only hand that you want to get all-in before the flop is like in Hold'em a pair of Aces. Of course it's also better to have A-A-K-Q double suited than A-A-7-2, because it so often happens it's those 2 cards that win the game for us. Each hand consisting of Aces has an advantage over those without. Sometimes this advantage is not that great but it's always there. Of course, we're talking about a pre-flop game. After the flop, discarding Aces should not be a problem if the communal cards are disadvantageous. Players who are obsessed about their hands lose most of the time. They may get A Flush without an Ace, a Straight that is not the Nuts, or a low Full House. Those are hands that most frequently lose in Omaha. You have to know when to quit. So-called calling stations (players who call to the bitter end in Hold'em) are dream opponents in Omaha.
Since you know that Aces are the best cards before the flop, there comes a question of how to play them. Especially when there is a Pot Limit restriction. According to Phil Hellmuth, there is a very simple rule there: “don’t raise with Aces, reraise!”. The first raise in Pot Limit Omaha is usually very small and it will not scare a great number of players away. If you are in early position and you double the pot, the pot is still very small and you'll find a few eager players who will want to call, and your Aces will have a difficult task ahead of them. If you call first and wait for someone to raise, then a reraise will have a much bigger impact. Generally, you should reraise any time when you are in a late position and there are a number of players in a game. If despite of a huge reraise some players continue to play, then you have to be prepared to double the pot when your turn comes regardless of what cards have come on the flop. It is a very difficult task but you will benefit from it in the long run. Remember that it is your opponent who's got more difficult task. If one of you opponents calls after the flop, you will have to start to play extremely carefully. At this point a lot depends on how well you know your opponents and how they play. It's probably easy to guess what tactics is used against players with Aces or other strong hand who decided to reraise before the flop. On average, these bets will not be very high, that's why you have to be prepared for a greater number of calls than in Hold'em. Of course, it's always better to call when your hand has a great potential: J-T-9-8, Ah-7h-J-J or Q-Q-T-T. Later on, on the flop you should be able to assess whether your hand is worth anything. However if you are playing only against one opponent whose play suggests that he's got a pair of Aces, the strength of your hand considerably goes up on the flop. If you are sure that these are Aces that you're up against (a single opponent), there's a pretty good chance that you might win with a low Flush or Straight. Remember that sometimes you may take your chances and call a big reraise together with a few other callers, even with at first weak hand. It is possible that some players who have called will use the same out's. As a result, the strength of hands like 7-7-6-5 or 6-6-5-5 goes up. But this is a you're right or you're wrong type of play.
Now when you know what to be looking for and how to play before the flop, it's time to get to actual play on the flop. The real game is about to begin.
