Poker Articles by Women Poker Players!

Because the growing popularity of Omaha Hi/Low I am going to start posting one topic per week on Omaha Hi/Low. It will include , beginning, intermediate and some advanced tips and strategies. I am not a pro but can more than hold my own in Hi/Low and most of what you will see is a compilation of things I have read in books and on line and my own experiences.

For those who like a little more excitement and have some patience (well, more than some) and discipline, Hi/Low can be a great game.

First Omaha Hi/low is NOT Texas Hold em and should not be played that way. It is easier to grasp some of the concepts if you have played Hold em but the strategies can be much different.

Differences between Hold em and Omaha

• In Omaha each player gets dealt four cards which gives six possible starting hands versus only one in Hold Em. This means with nine players on a table there is a total of 54 starting hands pre flop out there instead of nine in Hold em.
• A player must use two hole cards and three community cards to make their hands.
• Both hi the and low hands can win.
• Because of the amount of starting hands the pots are generally bigger in Omaha. It is most likely that a good flop will yeild more people calling versus folding after a post flop bet.
• There is less bluffing in Omaha (not that it is never done......but that is for a later date.) There are more starting hands so the chances are much better that someone has the nuts. And bluffing against the nuts is useless!

I decided to cover two topics this week as without understanding one, it is tough to understand the other.

First, what constitutes a low hand: A low hand is five cards 8 and under (Ace through , which is pretty easy to understand. As in any Hi/low hand you must use two from your hand and three community cards. That part is the easy part.

Many times on a table you will see someone ask “why didn’t my low hand win? I had an ace” This is the tougher part. Low hands are ranked by the HIGHEST low card.

Example 1: Player A has A 3 5 6 8 Player B has 2 3 4 6 7 Player B has the best low hand as her 7(the highest low card in her hand) is lower than Player A’s 8.
Example 2: Player A has A 2 6 7 8 Player B has A 2 5 7 8. Once again Player B has the best low hand as her 5 is lower than Player A’s 6.
More on the low hand next week

Second, Hi/Low starting hands: Ask any player what the best starting hands are in Hi/Low and you will get a variety of answers. Some prefer to play only hands that contain high cards, others the low, other a mix of both and others will tell you that they play almost any starting hand.

1. Only playing starting hands with high cards and folding all others: This is great if you are satisfied with taking only half the pot. And it is not always a guarantee that the high cards are going to hit the board. To me it is very limiting.
2. Only Playing starting hands with low cards and folding all others: Playing any low cards is the same as playing starting hands with high cards. Very limiting.
3. Playing a mix of both high and low cards and folding all others: To me this gives you the biggest chance at scooping the pot as it gives you a chance whether it is high or low cards that come out. But to play these exclusively might hurt you in the long run.
4. Playing any starting hand as long as no one raises: I have heard more than one person say that they see more hands in Hi/low than they do in Hold em. Which considering the number of possibilities would make sense. It does not hold true however. The best thing to do is to throw away the garbage and play only hands that give you the most possibilities at the nuts.

So what are the best starting hands in Omaha Hi/Low?
The best starting hands are those that give you both high and low possibilities as this increases your chances at a scoop.

A2 suited A3 suited
AK suited A2 suited
These are the two top starting hands according to what I have read and through my own experience.

Both of these give you a shot at the, the wheel (A 2 3 4 5) which many times scoops the pot, two ways to catch the nut flush and also have boat possibilities. The second also gives you a possible high str8.

Other good starting hands

• A A and any two low cards below a 5 (A A 2 3; A A 3 5 etc…) Some say Any low cards but I find that anything above a five unless it’s suited has a very slim chance of taking all or part of the pot.
• A A suited with anything. (A 8 suited A 9 unsuited; A 8 unsuited A 9 unsuited)
• A 2 with any other two cards (careful with this)
• Four low cards (watch this one too!!)
• Two double paired high cards (K Q suited K Q suited)
• A high card suited and any other two high cards suited or not (A K suited Q J suited or unsuited)

Hands to stay away from……no matter how tempting:

• Any quads (9 9 9 9; A A A A) Yes, trips might come up on the table to give you a boat but it does not happen often enough to warrant playing quads as well as the fact that with trips on the table, there is always the risk that someone will have the fourth.
• Trips (except aces or deuces)
• Three or more unpaired middle cards whether suited or not (9 6 9 2; 8 7 6 5) Yes, these (especially suited) do have several possibilities but getting a flush or the str8 with this type of starting hand is not guaranteed to be the nuts and will cost you more in the long run.
  Ex: Player A has 9h 7c 5h 6d flop comes 10h Q h 2c, turn shows 3d, river gives up an Ah. Now player A has a flush and a low hand but neither is a guaranteed winner and easily beat. Neither is the nuts.