HE player tries O-8

I am a fair HE player, recently winning more than losing in the local 5-10. This house game also has O-8 on another night, and I understood that O-8 is a game where edges can be larger between solid players and the fish.


Of course, I was the fish. Went down quickly and steadily, and got up and left when my stack was cut in half. Not gonna throw good money after bad. Funny, but the game broke up right when I left with my fish buddy!


Anyway, based on my limited experience with Omaha I drew a few conclusions and wanted some input. Game to me seems like it's a lot more simple than HE, i.e. wait for a nut draw and simply hang in there to see if anyone outclassed ventures into the pot with you. That seems boring to me, and counter to the spirit of poker. (Will probably spark a great debate with that comment...)


The players did not become animated at all during hands, and simply released hands at flop, turn or river without drama. All so very calculating, no fancy plays at all. It was almost as if each player had calculated a precise number of outs at the deal, and simply hung in as long as the board was favorable.


I suppose my problem with O-8, aside from losing, was that it seems to be a game of playing your cards. HE involves playing your man almost as much as the cards to me. I see Omaha as a game where you decipher values of complex relationships. The patient calculating players get paid, the rest of us pay off. How dry.


I will continue to play O-8 on Turbo and learn. Next time in a public card room I'll give it a whirl again, but I can't see having much fun unless I'm winning mad loot.


Anyone care to make any Omaha metaphors or explain why they like the game?

"but I can't see having much fun unless I'm winning mad loot."


Your descriptions and strategies are on the mark. Omaha is not a game of aggression. I think you would hate hold'em if you were a loser at it. The beauty with omaha is the sheer number of mistakes made by opponents. They call raises while drawing to half a small pot and in most cases lose to a better draw. Yes it is boring, but a win is always enjoyable, no matter what game you are playing.

I like it because there is usually so much more action than holdem. and as Drew said there will usually be mistakes


sounds as if you may have been in a real tight game....and you know the same thing can happen in he

Your descriptions are reasonable. Yes, generally play the nut hands and draws. Your description of this game, however, would be better if you let us know about how many players saw the flop, turn, and river.


But once you become at ease with the game you can start putting players on specific non-nut hands and can, through deception, steal half a pot now and then. For example you can make the nut low on the turn and NOT raise (figuring you'll get a quarter) but then raise on the river with your nut low and big pair since it would appear to other high hands that you just made some nut high and can get them to fold. If you DO get called well then its no disaster to get only a quarter of a 3-way pot.


- Louie

It was a short-handed 5-10 with a kill. No rake, blinds were 1 and 2. 5-7 players at the table at any given time.


Most that would see the flop seemed to be about 3 with some exceptions. Often blinds would be stolen. Turn might lose a player, same for the river.


Players were 2-3 old-timers, 1-2 young players (1 of whom was a tournament bridge player) and 2 < of which I was one.


It didn't help that me being new, I mis-read 2 hands. (Thought I had nut low once and raised into a 3-player field on turn and river - there was no low possible that hand, once I had a strong high and didn't see it so missed a bet or two.)


Suppose I could have done worse, but am not at all accustomed to losing 20 big bets in a couple hours! Gonna stick to HE where I can beat the 5-10, move up soon to bigger games and find out what I'm made of.

Ray Zee has an excellent book on advanced omaha 8 and stud 8 play (see "Books" under the directory to the left). I bought it several months ago and now play nothing but those two games in our dealer choice home games.