Short handed omaha8

[miami32]

Does anyone have suggestions on shorthanded omaha8. I do very well playing ring games but sooner or later I should expand into shorthanded play. There is basicly nothing to help show me how to play though. Basic thought process tells me hands that play for scooping that have versitality would work best and not just straight low hands. Should I be playing that much more aggressive? What is the best strategy for 1/2 and 5/10 party poker 6 max games?

[Buzz]

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Does anyone have suggestions on shorthanded omaha8.

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Miami - I try to avoid them.

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Basic thought process tells me hands that play for scooping that have versitality would work best and not just straight low hands.

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Seems that way. Kind of depends on what is working. Sometimes the game is either smash the serve and rush the net or defend against such tactics. In these games it seems like you should look for good one-on-one hands. Otherwise, I think you try to adapt to how your opponents are playing. There are lots of possibilities.

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Should I be playing that much more aggressive?

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In general, you should be more aggressive - but you may not get many opponents who want to play with you if you play too aggressively. That is, in a casino, the game will tend to break up if it becomes too aggressive.

The same is true in private games. Losers who have been pounded on all evening (and who consequently didn't have much fun) may not want to play with you again.

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What is the best strategy for 1/2 and 5/10 party poker 6 max games?

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Someone else could better advise you on this topic.

Buzz

[templar999]

miami,

shorthanded omaha8 can get to be a pretty nutty game. hand values change a lot. for a 6 handed game, i think your basic starting strategy stays the same, but you obviously loosen up your starting hand requirements. A3xx plays much closer to A2xx, A4xx to A3xx, and so forth. hands like A57K double suited become decent hands that you might even want to raise with. 23's with a couple of high cards are playable as well.

in the real shorthanded games with 4 players (anything less than that, it becomes really boring as players are splitting every pot and the rakes and tips are too big unless you're at 20-40 or above), the game really changes entirely. in fact, it's a little counterintuitve. high hands gain a lot of value while low hands are usually drawing. when 4 players see a flop and a low is out there, it is almost certain someone will have it, and the nuts at that. when 2 players see a flop and a low is out there, there's a slightly moderate chance that low is either counterfeited or a really crappy low draw that may not make it to the river. A2xx, while definitely still playable, will not get paid off by two or three other players drawing to non nut lows. you'd really want some high pairs or connectors to go along with it, or at least one more card below an 8. a hand like QQT8 can often win the high side unimproved, and even hands like KQJ9 and have good prospects. being suited is still a bonus, but you usually wont have any odds to draw to them. even hands like KK45 are usually playable for a raise. these hands are strong for the high part and can often sneak into a low by accident. even a backup 27 for low is worth something. the best hand in my opinion is a suited or double suited 4 straight all under an 8. 2345, 3456, 4567, 5678, though the latter two are a bit more marginal and you have to be able to get away from it and realize when you're second best both ways. you have a lot of scooping potential with hands like this. one gappers are okay as well.

as always, stay away from the small and medium pairs. headsup or three way, they often wind up getting crushed, as you'll usually need to hit a set to win. dont play them unless there's a LOT else going for it. even beware of hands like A22x or A33x. in a pot with three or more players, getting half the pot is a profit. in a pot with two players, you have no prospects for high. if you hit your ace, your low is gone. i'd much rather have a hand like A3Q9 then a hand like A229 shorthanded, whereas in a full game, the latter is a bit more playable.

i think if you just keep in mind that the object of the game to scoop is even more important in a shorthanded game as there's no dead money to make getting half the pot profitable, it'll be easier to figure out which hands do better than others.

hope this helps.

respectfully,
temp

[stud7champ]

My advice dont play short handed there is too much variation. One night in 5/10 you could be up 400 and the next down 400. Apart from skill there is a lot of psycology which cannot be taught. its like options v stock you can make a killing or lose a lot.
No book adequately describes short handed play even Stewert rueben and Zee were killed by a short handed specialist and the they are in the top 15 of all o8 players.

[Wintermute]

I play almost exclusively short handed (PLO8 now, but used to play 5/10 & 10/20 limit short-handed). These three are in my mind the most important factors to consider:

1) Game selection becomes critical. You're pushing non-nut hands in SH play, so skill (or at least experience in marginal situations) is more necessary than restraint which might be the most important aspect of full-ring play. Make sure you're playing against people who have poorer judgment or less experience in guaging the strength of mediocre hands.

2) Bankroll requirements are higher. Someone already said it, variance will be higher in short-handed play.

3) Does the nature of the game mesh well with your natural tendencies. For me, SH is perfect because I am somewhat of a LAG. Full-ring makes me impatient, I play marginal hands and get burned on occasion. SH not only allows you to play marginal hands but requires you to be aggressive with them when appropriate. For example, there will be a lot of steal attempts going on from continuation bets from PF raisers, so sometimes you have to put in a raise on the turn with nothing to set up a river bluff that will pay off. If that sort of gambling is uncomfortable for you, it's not going to work.

good luck, hope this helps

[HajiShirazu]

I don't have good strategy advice to give, at least better than what has already been given here, but I will say that the rake is really, really crushing in these games, so make sure that you're either playing total retards which do tend to populate such games or are in a fairly high limit game where it isn't as bad, and also try to be getting bonuses or rakeback.