Where is Limit Omaha High Played?

[Rick Nebiolo]

Is LIMIT Omaha high (NOT pot limit, NOT Omaha eight or better) being spread in any area of the country on a regular basis? Small, one or two table backroom cardrooms don't count and side action that only occurs during a major tournament doesn't count either.

I'm asking because a poker friend will be taking off from Los Angeles for a year or more traveling across the country. He plans on stopping in the major poker venues including Las Vegas, Arizona, New Mexico, Lake Charles, the Mississippi Coast, Tunica, Atlantic City, Foxwoods/Mohegan, and then back through the northern US hitting the major Indian casinos and riverboats, Pacific Northwest and Northern California before returning to Southern California. He plays the lower to middle limits (3/6 through 20/40).

Based on his one experience in Binion?s 4/8 limit Omaha game a few years ago (which I heard still goes) my friend thinks limit Omaha High is the best game around and he was told by a "reliable source" it is becoming increasingly popular outside California and in some places is more popular than holdem. I believe he is completely mistaken and studying this game would be a waste of time (Pot Limit Omaha High may be a different story but he is afraid of Pot and No Limit Poker).

I couldn't even find a limit Omaha High game online a while ago at three major sites. I do remember several 4/8 tables going at Binion's Horseshoe years ago and was told this game still goes 24/7. But other than that limit Omaha high never seems to come up on the various Internet forums other than to discuss how wrong certain authors were to predict it would be the "game of the future."

Any help is appreciated. In addition, any links to discussions on why the game failed would be helpful.

Regards,

Rick

[Randy_Refeld]

I have heard it is spread in Philadelphia MS. I will get back to you because someone told me somplace that a lot of Omaha High because someone told me we shoudl spread it and I told him that I doubted there were more than 10 Omaha high games gogin in the country and he knew quite a few places it was being spread.

Randy Refeld

[beernutz]

Harrahs in New Orleans spreads a mixed Omaha high and holdem game, I know at $4-8 and possibly at $10-20 also (never sat in the latter one).

[Jimbo]

Rick the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City used to spread a HO game on the weekends. It was not a 4/8 game though but usually 20/40 if my memory serves me correctly.

[Schmed]

they have the 1-4-8-8 that you spoke of, a 4-8-12 Omaha hi, and a 15-30 Omaha hi. It really is an Omaha high only room. Heck you have to basically look for people to play hi-lo and they only have holdm games going when the jackpot is big...(it's 36k right now and they have 2 3-6 holdm games going every night.......6-12 as well....)

[Rick Nebiolo]

[Theodore Donald Kiravatsos]

A year or so ago, I saw ads saying Sam's Town in Las Vegas was spreading 4-8 Omaha high with only a $1 rake. I have absolutely no idea if this game is still being spread.

My immediate guess is...with the kind of players that would be drawn to a game with a reduced rake...the action may have been underwhelming. But perhaps not.

"Your excuses are your own" -- Richard Roma

[ACPlayer]

I think Mason Malmuth has an essay in one of his essay series books as to why Omaha is a failing game.

Other than what others have mentioned, I would add Vicksburg MS, which has, as i recall, a 10-20-40 game.

[richardf]

I also like the binion's game, but the last time I was there, I heard that boulder station had a game which always has a long list.

[Satori]

Sam's Town only spreads O/8 these days, but both Sunset and Boulder Stations spread low-limit Omaha High.