Omaha Hi Lo Poker Strategy - Strategy for Omaha Hi Lo Poker

Omaha Hi Lo is a poker game that needs its own strategy and should be learnt by all poker players.

Omaha Hi-Lo is an exciting poker variant, also known as Omaha 8 or better. The variant is rapidly gaining popularity, owing to its striking resemblance to Texas Hold’em and the innumerable challenges and opportunities it offers. Omaha Hi-Lo can be played in the fixed limit (FL) or the pot limit (PL) betting structures.

The rules of Omaha Hi-Lo are the same as those of Omaha Hi, except that, in Omaha Hi-Lo, the player with the best low hand and the player with the best high hand get an equal share of the pot. In Omaha Hi-Lo, each player is dealt 4-hole cards. At showdown, players must use 2 cards from their hands and five community cards in order to make the best high or low poker hands. In the absence of a good low hand, the entire pot goes to the player with the best high hand. The goal of a smart Omaha Hi-Lo player, therefore, is to win the entire pot. The next best thing that can happen to an Omaha Hi-Lo player is getting half the pot.

Usually, poker players with average skills are attracted to fixed limit Omaha Hi-Lo. For success, players ought to ensure that they have very good hands right at the beginning. Players should also avoid getting quartered. The term “quartered” indicates a situation in which the pot gets split into 4, with 3 parts going to players with 3 equally good low hands and 1 part to a player with a high hand.

In pot limit Omaha Hi-Lo, bluffing is of great importance. Adopt the tight style of playing for success. In Omaha Hi-Lo, a powerful starting hand is more important that anything else because it can fetch players the entire pot. Players who have a strong starting hand can try creating a bigger pot before the flop. In the absence of a strong hand, players must consider folding in order to save their chips.

In pot limit Omaha Hi-Low, players are in danger of becoming pot committed, a situation they must avoid at any cost. Players who are pot committed put so much money in the pot that they don’t want to fold even when they are in danger of losing. Position is also of great importance; so play borderline hands in late positions.

Players should also avoid getting quartered. If they are in danger of being quartered, they must strive to keep the pot as low as possible because, after all, they will get only a percentage of it. So, when their opponents bet, they should avoid raising or re-raising and just call.

Finally, players should also bear in mind the importance of the ace, which can help players make a good low as well as a good high hand. In fact, famous poker pros such as Scotty Nguyen are of the opinion that without an ace, no hand of Omaha Hi-Lo can be played. Some players even fold any hand that does not have an ace.