Short handed Omaha/8

Luckless57 · #1 03-09-2005, 04:45 AM

Last night I dropped quite a bit of money playing heads up omaha/8, something I very rarely play. I'm a winning player
in 20/40 - 10/20 full table live games. Online I play 5/10 - 2/4. I don't know if it was just that the player I was playing was on a rush or I was just making loose calls. It felt like a game of luck. Just wondering if there are many people out there who specialize in short handed omaha/8?

Nick709 · #2 03-09-2005, 05:08 AM

I wouldn't say I specialize in it so much as I love to play it. It is definitely something that takes some getting used to, and unlike a full ring O8 game, has a lot of variance.
I'd love to see you post some hands and have people take a look at them as that might help to stimulate SH O8. And when I say SH I mean 2-4 or maybe 5 handed.

AKQJ10 · #3 03-09-2005, 10:15 AM

Nick,

What would be your starting hand requirements for, say, a 4-handed O8 game? I know it varies with a lot of factors but let's assume moderately loose opponents.

Yads · #4 03-09-2005, 11:43 AM

I love to play shorthanded. Anyway hands like 2345, 3456 really go up in value in shorthanded games because they have great scoop potential almost any 2 low cards plus a high pocket pair are great starting hands. Any 2 wheel cards plus 2 2 high cards (excluding 9s and tens) are great. Double suited hands are good starting hands especially if you have 2 low cards as well.
On the flop unless you have a chance to scoop never call a bet. You want to be the one betting and raising either with a legitimate scooping hand or as a bluff.

Nick709 · #5 03-09-2005, 05:42 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Nick,

What would be your starting hand requirements for, say, a 4-handed O8 game? I know it varies with a lot of factors but let's assume moderately loose opponents.

[/ QUOTE ]

Read Yads reply, that is pretty close to the type of hands I play.

phish · #6 03-09-2005, 08:16 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I love to play shorthanded. Anyway hands like 2345, 3456 really go up in value in shorthanded games because they have great scoop potential almost any 2 low cards plus a high pocket pair are great starting hands. Any 2 wheel cards plus 2 2 high cards (excluding 9s and tens) are great. Double suited hands are good starting hands especially if you have 2 low cards as well.
On the flop unless you have a chance to scoop never call a bet. You want to be the one betting and raising either with a legitimate scooping hand or as a bluff.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree 100% w/ your first paragraph, but your second paragraph would suggest too tight a flop play. Your aggressive opponents will run over you if you never call w/out a chance to scoop. Example: you have A229, flop is 78K. You would not call this if your opponet bets into you?

iMsoLucky0 · #7 03-10-2005, 01:45 AM

In the past I have specialized in O8. I have played the 10 20 shorthanded on party ALOT. Recently, I have been playing more Holdem tourneys and PL omaha though.

I would say that these games can be very profitable. There are alot of very poor players. It is a fast paced game, and often times a LAG strategy can be the best.

As for hand selection, I really like the post above. You have the ability to play so many hands in this game. I have a VPIP of 65%, and I don't think that is too high at all for a 2-5 handed game.

As for headsup, you really have to get a read on your opponent. Some opponents you beat by LAG'in it up and buying pot after pot because they won't call. And others you just show down the winner over and over and let them take the small ones while you win the big ones.

benfranklin · #8 03-10-2005, 01:27 PM

The O/8 section in SS2 has a good (if brief) treatment of short-handed play. It's a topic most authors don't talk about.

Yads · #9 03-10-2005, 03:16 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Agree 100% w/ your first paragraph, but your second paragraph would suggest too tight a flop play. Your aggressive opponents will run over you if you never call w/out a chance to scoop. Example: you have A229, flop is 78K. You would not call this if your opponet bets into you?

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless there's more than 2 bets in pre flop why would I want to risk 5 bets to win 1 against a typical opponent? If the opponent is extrememly aggressive and bets almost any flop I'll most likely raise him. However, at 1/2 and 2/4 players do not adjust their game for shorthanded play, so I'm always the most aggressive player.

chaos · #10 03-11-2005, 09:29 AM

You need to adjust for shorthanded play, both preflop and post flop. In a loose, full game you will want to have the nuts or close to it in at least one direction. In a headsup game you are obviously going to be facing the nuts a lot less.