Omaha 8ob tournaments.

[Gewurtztraminer]

I am in the process of learning to play Omaha 8ob, I found that watching tournaments from start to finish observing each board, determining what the nut high and low hands were after each card, and trying to figure out what the players were betting with was good practice.

I also entered a few low buyin tournaments myself.
The first two tournaments, I went out quick, I could make a case in my mind for playing virtually any hand I was dealt
(with a few exceptions like 9992), because I could recall a hand where it had been the nuts. I would would win some monster hands, but then quickly lose it back.

It then dawned on me that a lot of the other entrants were playing the same as I was, they seemed to be in every pot, their chip counts fluctuated wildly, and ultimately they busted out during the 3rd or 4th level.

I decided that the next tournament, I would be a rock.
I have never folded so much in my life. For the entire tournament, I think I played 5 hands outside of the blinds. The big and small blind hands connected enough to keep my chip count steady.

I soon found myself at the final table, but well below average in chips.

At the final table, I did not play a hand outside of the blinds, and watched the other short stacks bust out one by one.

I ended up third out of 51, and was roundly complemented for playing a 'good game'.

I did not mention that I was a total novice at this game, and really had no grasp yet of the finer points.

Did I stumble across a viable strategy for placing high in Omaha 8ob tournaments?

I doubt I could ever win one playing this way, since the chip differential at the final table was so great.

Gewürtztraminer

[JustPlayingSmart]

Was this limit or pot-limit? I think your strategy is very good for the early rounds. Wait for the nuts and then get your chips in. I played in a PLO8 tourney the other day, and got my chips in with a made hand and huge draw, and lost. It happens. The player who busted me ran his stack up to the chip lead and then busted out well before the money.

Your strategy will usually get you far in a tournament, but rarely will it get you far enough to make any real money. Once the "crazies" go out, you should loosen up slightly, and start open raising with more hands in order to steal the increasing blinds. Do not loosen up with the hands you call with, however. If you haven't already. Check out Tournament Poker for Advanced Players. The book never really mentions O8, but its strategies apply to all poker tournaments.

[Gewurtztraminer]

These are limit tournaments, at my current skill level, I could not imagine playing Omaha8ob in a 'big bet' format.

I have Tournament Poker for Advanced players (it helped my Hold'em and overall tournament play tremendously).

I also have Ray Zee's High Low Split poker for Advanced Players, which is starting to make a lot more sense now than it did on my initial read (it is not titled HLSP for complete newbs).

My biggest problem is trying to figure out when I am likely to be quartered, or when I have a shot at quartering someone else.

I think taking a break from Hold'em and tackling Omaha and 7 stud has improved my Hold'em play as well.

Gewürtztraminer

[jedi]

Any 2 cards can win at Hold Em, and any 2 cards can make the nuts at Omaha and since you have 4 cards, that's more cards to play with, right? Well, not exactly.

In loose games, the biggest Omaha/8 skill is hand selection. You noticed this when you turned into a rock. The trick is figuring out what hands are good to play and which hands make "good" nut hands. A hand with an 87 in it can make the nut straight with a 654 on the board, but it will also make a possible low for anyone out there. Unless you also have an A2, you're only winning half the pot, and that's assuming the board doesn't pair on the river.

Having pocket pairs lower than 9 are also very vulnerable. In Hold Em, you're mainly looking to hit a set. In Omaha/8, hitting a set of 9s or lower will be very vulnerable. If it is the top set, then there will be a low on the board AND a possible straight. If it isn't the top set, then you're very vulnerable to the set over set phenomenon that is rare in Hold Em, but common enough in Omaha. Look to be making nut lows, nut flushes, nut straights, and big full-houses. Much money has been lost chasing after non-nut hands.

In a loose game, you don't need to grasp any "finer points." Just practice good hand selection, and things will be all right.

Now, my problem is playing in Omaha/8 tournaments. My strategy is really for ring games. It's a little tougher for me to adjust to the increasing blinds and stuff. I don't want to start playing crap hands just because the blidns go up, but I don't have much choice. Any hints on that one?

[Gewurtztraminer]

The way I was doing it:
1. I did not enter the pot outside of the blinds without A2, with either something else suited to the ace, or a high pair or two high straight cards.
2. If counterfeited on the flop, turn or river, tossed the hand, unless I had the high locked up or a good draw to it.
3. Call single raises or take the free plays from the blinds with all but the worst hands, continued afterwards if I had the nuts to either high or low, or draw to them.

Probably too tight and pretty predictable overall, but I am still learning.

I probably missed some prime bluffing opportunities when the counterfeit cards came, after all the 'play any four' cards players had busted out.

My biggest chip winners were the straights by far, usually I would be up against a high set and a busted low draw. The person with the high set, and the low draw would go to war early in the hand with me and maybe a flush draw caught between.
I did not get much action on my made flushes.

I did get lucky on a trash hand when all-in in the big blind once, connecting on queens full of sixes when the board came Q6KQ2. That moved me up one place as another player was blinded out on the next hand.

Gewürtztraminer

[jedi]

Learning is good. I'm always learning. Too tight? No. Tight is right. Predictable? No one pays attention at these levels.

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Probably too tight and pretty predictable overall, but I am still learning.


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