• If the flop contains big cards, you are likely to scoop. If it contains all low cards, you can easily release your hand. This Omaha/8 hand offers the opportunity of a nut flush, nut low and straight draws. With a pair you can also flop a set or even quads. Counterfeit protection is part of its upside as well.
• Omaha Hi Lo 8b Strategy. Omaha Hi Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or Omaha Eight or Better) is a “split pot” version of the popular Omaha poker game. In this version of the game, there are two winning hands in each round: the high winner and the low winner. The high hand winner is the player with the highest value winning hand – the same as in the standard version of Omaha.
• Chapter 13: Omaha Eight or Better. Unlike most of the other chapters that the Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition dedicates to games other than No Limit Hold ‘Em, Mike Matusow’s “Omaha Eight or Better” really is dedicated to tournament strategy rather than to the fundamentals of the game. Unfortunately, I ultimately found.
• Bart gives you his best tips for how do to well in Omaha 8 tournaments.If you want to call in with a hand or question for Bart use the number 323 348 1281.

Pot Limit Omaha 8 Strategy Winning pot limit Omaha eight strategy has many similarities to solid limit Omaha 8 strategy, but also has a few important additions. There are not many pot limit Omaha or pot limit Omaha high low split games spread in land based casinos, but they are available at many of the larger online poker rooms.

There’s an old saying “Never let the odds stop you from doing in your heart what you know you should do.”

Up to a point, I like this saying. Poker is all about heart: Players with courage and conviction, plus the ability to read their opponents, are often the most successful. But as a maths guy, I also think that it helps to have a good understanding of the stats. If nothing else, you need to know the odds which you are disregarding! This is especially true in the limit games, where you can’t blast your opponent off a hand with a big raise.

On this page I’m going to be adding various O8 odds and stats over the coming weeks. It’s quite a big project, so we’ll take it step by step. My main source is going to be the excellent site ProPokerTools. I also recommend Wikipedia’s Omaha Probability page. I will refer to other sources as appropriate.

A2 hands

A starting hand containing a bare A2 (with two high cards) can expect to make a low on the flop 7% of the time. This increases to 21% by the turn and 37% by the river. In other words, with a bare A2 you will make a low a little more than one third of the time when the hand is played out to the river.

Note also that when you make a low on the flop, you will be counterfeited (by another A or 2 falling on the turn or river) approximately one time in every four, in which case your hand could become worthless.

You can expect to have the nut low (whether on your own or shared) 25% of the time.

A23 hands

Plo 8 Or Better Strategy

A starting hand containing A23x (where x is a high card) can expect to make a low on the flop 12% of the time. This increases to 31% by the turn and 49% by the river. You can expect to have the nut low on the river 43% of the time.

The significant advantage that A23 has compared against A2 is the protection against being counterfeited. On a flop of 678, for example, the A23 should only expect to be counterfeited by runner runner cards 2% of the time. On a flop of 458, a counterfeit A, 2 or 3 will of course make you a very welcome wheel.

The strong counterfeit protection afforded by A23 along with the increased wheel potential shows why this is generally regarded as a ‘capping’ hand pre flop.

A single suited Ace

Omaha 8 is all about scooping, and nothing provides better scooping potential than a suited A2. So how often can we expect to make a flush with a suited Ace?

With a single suited Ace, you can expect to flop a flush just under 1% of the time. You will make a flush 3.3% of the time by the turn, and 7% by the river. For those who like playing your flush draws strongly (a particularly good idea when you also have a low draw), you should expect to flop four to a flush (e.g. one card needed to make a flush) 13% of the time.

Double suited Aces

With double suited Aces, the probability of making a flush by the river is (not surprisingly) twice that of the single suited ace. So you will flop a flush 2% of the time, make a flush on the turn 6.7 of the time, and make a flush on the river 14% of the time. If your hand also has decent low potential (with another wheel card) you should certainly be looking to cap the pot pre flop if you can.

5 Card Plo Strategy

Bare Aces

If you’ve read my book Winning at Hi Low Poker then you’ll know that I think bare Aces are the most over-rated hands in Omaha 8. Aces with wheel cards, or holding single or double suited Aces gives you more than one way to win a hand. However bare Aces such as AA78 or AA99 are asking for trouble. The problem is that unimproved Aces will find it difficult to hold up in a multi-way pot, and their scope to improve is limited. For example:

– There is only a 10% chance that AA78 will make a full house or better by the river.

– If the hand is unsuited, then there is only a 21% chance that it will make a straight or better by the river.

In a heads up pot this may be sufficient, but multi-way you will often find yourself second or even third best. For example, against two other opponents with random hands, AA78 unsuited holds only 44% equity. AA99 unsuited has a deeply unimpressive 35% equity against two other players with random cards.

Moral of the story: If you hold bare Aces, then try to get the pot heads up if you can. Strongly consider discarding the weakest Aces, especially where the pot is multi-way or has already been raised and re-raised.

Coming next

Next I’ll be covering marginal hands, including Kings and wheel cards e.g. 2-3-4-x. Any other requests, let me know.

Omaha Hi Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or Omaha Eight or Better) is a “split pot” version of the popular Omaha poker game. In this version of the game, there are two winning hands in each round: the high winner and the low winner.

The high hand winner is the player with the highest value winning hand – the same as in the standard version of Omaha. The low hand winner is the player with the best hand featuring five unpaired cards valued 8 or lower. Flushes and straights are ignored in the low hand. If you know the basics of Pot Limit Omaha Hi strategy, you should have no problems getting to grips with Omaha Hi Lo strategy, so here are some tips to get you started.

Be prepared to fold on the flop

An essential Omaha 8 strategy is to recognize when you have a weak hand early on and get out quickly. The game favors the highest value hands so if the flop offers you little, it’s time to fold. Betting on average hands is a flawed Omaha Eight or Better strategy that will quickly end your game.

Forget about bluffing

If you are planning on bringing your Texas Hold’em bluffing skills to the Omaha Hi Lo table, think again. The game is driven by strong hands so when the betting starts, the chances are you are going up against players with high-value combinations. Bluffing in this situation is a sure-fire way to get beat. There are some Omaha Hi Lo strategy advanced situations where bluffing may be useful, but it takes time and experience to understand such nuances of the game. Until you reach that point, bet the hand you have.

Don’t commit too early

If you are dealt a strong early hand such as A-A-2-3 double-suited, don’t be tempted to raise early. You will reduce the field while committing a lot of money before you have seen the flop. It’s much better to keep as many players in the game as possible if you have the potential to hit the “nuts”. Some players may raise early if they have a good but not strong hand to try and force other players to fold but this strategy can backfire after the flop.

Remember, the key decision you need make after being dealt with your hole cards is whether to play your hand or not. If you have a premium hand, you should play but avoid raising until after the flop when there is a multi-way pot there to be scooped.

Omaha Hi Lo 8b Strategy

Plo Poker Strategy And Tactics

• How To Play Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8-or Better — Clear And Concise Guide – The Rules Of How To Play Omaha Hi-Lo.
• Omaha Hi-Lo Starting Hands Guide — Starting Hands Guide For Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better and PLO8
• PLO8 Poker – Ace-Two Errors & How To Spot Them — Every PLO8 Player Enjoys The Sight Of A2 As Part Of Their Starting Hand, However There Are Times When A2 Errors Can End Up Costing You Chips.
• Omaha Hi-Lo Point Count Systems For Starting Hand Selection — Dr Hutchinson’s Omaha Hi-Lo Point Count System Reviewed – Useful For Online Play??
• High Only Hands In PLO8 Poker – For The 30% Of The Time A Low Is Not Made, An Introduction To Profitable High-Hand Play.
• How To Avoid Being Quartered In O8 Poker – Avoiding Being Quartered In Certain Situations Can Make A Big Difference To Your Bankroll.
• Playing Static Flops In PLO8 – Cardrunners Coach Dan ‘CampFireWest’ Deppen takes us though some advanced strategy ideas.
• Omaha Hi-Lo Probability Math – How Often Will You Make A Low? — How Often Will You Make A Low For Different Starting Hands.
• All-Ins Pre-Flop In No Limit Omaha Hi-Lo — No-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Strategy Should Include Defense Against The Constant All-In Overbets Pre Flop in NL08.
• Straights In Omaha Hi-Lo, A Closer Look! — Straights, Draws To Straights and When To Play Straights In Omaha Hi-Lo… A Closer Look!
• Omaha Hi-Lo Probability Math – How Often Will You Make A Low? — How Often Will You Make A Low For Different Starting Hands.
• Scooping PLO Hi-Lo Pots – The Why And The How! — Lets take a look at taking the high and low splits of the pot in O8 games.