Omaha High Stratgy

Anybody feel like giving a succint crash course on PL Omaha High strategy. (In a tourney now and can't find a hand worth playing for a raise, which is most pots.) If so, I appreciate it

-- embarassed to give normal handle. TX

Lucky 13 ideas.

(1) Connected starting hands.

If you only play hands where all four cards are working together, you will have redraws whenever you hit the flop. The game is not about hot and cold performance of hands. With big stacks, you have to have a hand that is better than the other guy in with you. If you have 5678 and flop a straight, and your opponent has AJ75 and flops a straight you will be freerolling on him. You are getting the implied odds because you chose better than he did when you played the hand.


(2) The flop texture. If you play pretty tight you can steal lots of money on disconnected flops. People get incredibly used to looking at the nuts, and don't adjust. If the flop is J10x two-flush, all kinds of draws are around. If the flop comes K82 offsuit, a king, or even a raw bluff (bet or raise) is pretty likely to take it down.


(3) Beginners lose most money when they flop trips, with a pair on board. Don't risk your whole stack unless you have a house - a good one.


(4) Beginners also don't play AAxx properly. If you have good side cards or are double suited, raise. If you don't just call and look to hit a flop. If you can achieve a heads up or short handed pot where you have only the pot left or so to bet that is also good with AA. Don't make the mistake of only raising with AA and then holding on to them with no improvement.


(5) Preflop raises. Raise with high rundowns to fold out low pairs that could give you problems when you hit top two (they make bottom set). Raise with pairs to accelerate the hand. If you have a good drawing hand you want money left on the end to give you leverage. If you hit a set, you want all the money in before the draw arrives - i.e. nothing left to bet at the river. The nature of the game is that something comes in on the river, and the made set has to give up some value to the drawer on the end. (Calling some made hands and or folding to some bluffs)


(6) Tempo the hand properly. If you have a made hand, get all-in when you have the nuts. If he has the made hand and you are drawing strong, try to get half his stack in on the turn so you have money left to bet on the end.


(7) Learn who likes to bluff and give them rope.


(8) Position. Don't play any speculative hands up front, and don't open the betting up front on the flop without a good hand plus redraws. Don't raise up front. The value of position, particularly when you don't know your opponents well is high.


(9) Top two is usually a betting hand, but good idea to have some cover if you bet it from early position. Don't call a raise with anything less on the flop, unless you are heads up or have a massive draw or know why you've done it.


(10) Stealing on the turn is a major source of profit in short handed pots. Watch out for who is doing it and occasionally re-raise them on disconnected flops, especially if you have top pair - you'll get good players mucking middle set to this play. Against weaker players, who will always pay you off, you can pretty much wait for the nuts; against good players, you need to duck and dive a bit.


(11) Be very careful with middle and bottom set. If you are against a draw he can beat you, if you are against top set, you are dead to a card. Bottom set is actually less scary than middle set in some ways. Heads up you may get action from top two. If you have middle set, that a much less likely holding. But DONT PLAY LOW/MIDDLE PAIRS WITH A BIG STACK.


(12) If you are in a position to raise, all-in on the turn, you have a made hand that might be losing and there are loads of draws out there, NEVER call. Raise or fold. If you have lots of nut outs, then consider calling.


(13) If you flop a straight with nothing more, proceed with caution when you have lots of chips. If your opponent has the same hand, going higher with a flush draw, you can be in serious trouble.

Two quick things to think about (but you should read Ciaffone's book).


The first basic rule is: do all four cards work together? In other words, do you have 6 2-card hands you can use?


A mistake many poor omaha players make is playing a hand for the value of only one or two of the 2-card hands possible. While this might be okay for certain limps, it can be death in raising situations.


For example. You have Ah7h7c2d. Many think, "wow! I've got a nut flush and a set possible!" This is though a pretty mediocre hand as Ah7c, Ah2d, 7h2d, 7c2d are all junk. (and the A2 could make a real nice losing end of a straight). You can think of this as 2 out 6 hands.


Good hands don't come often. I've never cross checked PF fold% but I would guess that you end up playing just about as tight in Omaha as hold 'em. Just playing tight and waitign for those hands that can hit the flop in 4-6 ways will win you the money as so many players call based on one or two possible hands (or call with every hand--"in Omaha, ANYTHING can hit the flop!").


The second thing to think about in a hand is, "Do I have redraws?" Because you can only use 2 cards bad players overlook the value of 3 and 4 card straights. These extra staright cards can save you the pot when your flop a staright and get counterfieted. Another exampel would be havign a flush or straight draw to go along with your set.


Another aspect of redrawing is the overcard kicker. Say you have 8765 and the flop comes 887. Yeehaw! right? Well say you get some action. You are ahead, but if the other guy has 89TJ (or an 8 with any three high cards) he has 9-out to beat your boat.


Hope this helps, I only play Omaha occasionally so if I screwed something up or left something out I hope others will jump in.


Regards,


Paul Talbot