The virtues of Omaha/8

[SheridanCat]

We spend a lot of time in this forum talking about Texas Hold'em. Sure, we have diversified in recent years to both limit and no-limit, but it's really mostly Hold'em. We are awash in Hold'em and in some real ways that game is killing all other games - at least in live card rooms.

This past weekend I had the chance to play $5/$10 limit "Omaha hi-lo split eight or better" for the first time in awhile. The game was at Trump Casino in Gary, Indiana. They rarely get an O/8 game going there but we got this one off the ground, and it was still going when I left. Even the dealers were doing a good job, which is tough for a room that rarely spreads the game.

The primary virtue of O/8 is that it's fun. That's the most important thing, of course. It's a great break from constant Texas Hold'em. If you can keep the game loose and keep the cranky rocks from running the game, it can be a hoot. How often in Hold'em do you get to crack a full house with your straight flush?

From a profitability point of view, O/8 can be a treasure trove. People with little Omaha experience are happy to sit down and try the game out. Hold'em players waiting for a seat will give it a try. Hey, you get the equivalent of 6 Hold'em starting hands - what a deal! A player with a modicum of Omaha/8 knowledge is at a huge advantage over many typical Hold'em players who sit down to try the game out. It's also easier to tell the Omaha/8 fish from the sharks. The guy who is betting/raising with only a low with three players in the hand stands out much more quickly than a correspondingly bad player in a Hold'em game.

Consider giving Omaha/8 a try. See if your card room will give it a try. At the very least, try it online where the games are plentiful and there are still plenty of fishy players.

To learn more check out the wiki and be sure to read Buzz's thread linked at the bottom of the wiki entry.

Regards,

T

[TaoTe]

I couldn't agree more. At the moment online I play almost all O8 and it's the biggest money making game I've found. I've read a few posts on the O8 forum about why the games isn't spread more and a lot of it is concerned with lack of interest and problems with finding good dealers. A mediocre O8 player (which I am) can easily pick off all the fish in a game, most of which are HE players playing two card Omaha, raising with AKxx, losing huge pots with aces etc. Another great thing I've found about playing online is that, since most pots are multiway and become very large, it's one of the best games to win money at and clear bonuses. The only downside is that the game is not as fast as HE and a tight player will play very few hands per hour and stay till the river with even less of them. However, multi-tabling can make it go faster but not much.

As poker, and when I say poker I mean texas hold'em, becomes more popular there will be an influx of interested players diving into Omaha and O8. I'm thrilled that ESPN will be covering the Omaha WSOP event and hope the game can gain some popularity and increase interest in the game's split poker cousin, Omaha8. Maybe next year they'll cover the PLO8 tournament. I'd love to see how pros play the game.

[aargh57]

Sheridan,

Another good post. I've been thinking of throwing my hat into other rings. I've only played that game in freeroll tourneys but it seemed that it was kind of complicated. I had a starting chart from a post somewhere here that was more complicated and I never read Zee's book but it was fun to play. My questions are: How much time do you invest in a different game? Are you worried that it will stunt your learning curve for moving up in Hold'Em (or would stunt a newer player's?)

In the first poker book I read it said something like "The crazy the rules the more advantage an expert has". I don't know if this is true or not but it sounds like it has a grain of truth for Omaha/8. Although a better explanation may be that more people play it that have no clue compared to Hold'Em.

(BTW, I used to work at the Trump in Gary. Hated it.)

[lighterjobs]

i never realized how many hold'em players who have never played any form of omaha will sit down at an omaha/8 table and give chips away. the lowest limit i had ever seen spread/i've played at my local casino was $10/$20 which had a lot of good players who at least knew what they were doing. the other day the casino opened a $4/$8 O8 game where the players didn't even compare to the .50/$1 players on party. i don't care what anyone says, omaha/8 is by far the best game to play in b&m.

[SheridanCat]

[ QUOTE ]
I've only played that game in freeroll tourneys but it seemed that it was kind of complicated.


[/ QUOTE ]

At first the low rules will seem complicated. Once you understand them they will make sense. Even better, those same rules for low carry over into Stud/8 as well - if you ever want to make the move to that.

What is really complicated is making sure you understand what a good starting hand looks like and what a bad starting hand looks like. A Hold'em player will be blindsided by some hands that look awesome but are pretty terrible.

Also, being able to only use two in your hand and three on the board will throw off some players.

[ QUOTE ]

How much time do you invest in a different game? Are you worried that it will stunt your learning curve for moving up in Hold'Em (or would stunt a newer player's?)


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure that if I didn't play any Hold'em for a week or so and then came back, I'd find I had to relearn some things. But I switch up my game a lot anyway in Hold'em - sometimes I play tournaments a lot, sometimes NL a lot, etc. - that I don't usually have too much time getting back in the saddle.

Will it stunt your learning in HE? It certainly may. One thing, though, that Omaha/8 really will drive home is how important it is to understand pot equity at all times. In Omaha, it's often clear what your minimum equity is (say if you're holding only the low in a six-way pot), so you really start thinking in those term.

[ QUOTE ]

In the first poker book I read it said something like "The crazy the rules the more advantage an expert has".


[/ QUOTE ]

I believe this is true, yes. The more grounded your knowledge of poker concepts is, the more advantage you will have in a "crazy" game.

[ QUOTE ]

(BTW, I used to work at the Trump in Gary. Hated it.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Were you a dealer there? I can definitely see that it would not be a great place to work. Of all the staff I've interacted with, the poker staff seems to be the happiest by far though.

Regards,

T

[aargh57]

Sheridan,

Thanks for the reply. I think I will give it a shot after I read up on the post and Sklansky article. The thing I found most complicated actually was the starting hands. The chart I had seemed pretty complex and I knew I wasn't going to be playing the game seriously at the time so I didn't bother taking the time to really learn it well.

I used to work in the Marine department as an A/B (able bodied seaman). Basically I managed 8 to 10 deck hands. I'm a merchant sailor and it was not what I was used to. Basically I was a lower manager and that in itself sucks. Also, the marine department is kind of looked down upon as you don't make the Casino money and you're only there because the Coast Guard says you have to be. The money was O.K. and the schedule was great. I worked 8 hour days 2 weeks straight then had 2 weeks off (they've changed to 12 hour days since I left though). Now I'm back out to sea and much happier.

[SheridanCat]

[ QUOTE ]
I think I will give it a shot after I read up on the post and Sklansky article.


[/ QUOTE ]

Read Buzz's article that is linked and peruse the Omaha/8 forum before jumping in. I'm partial to the Tenner/Krieger Omaha/8 book (along with Ray Zee's book) but not everyone has a stomach for T/K.

[ QUOTE ]

I used to work in the Marine department as an A/B (able bodied seaman).

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah, yeah. When I first started going there they had boarding times and there were uniformed sailor-type personnel around. I don't see those guys anymore at all since they just opened it up like a building. I bet it's frustrating for a sailor to be stuck on a ship that never sails.

Good luck,

T