Omaha Hi Lo,
Beginner Strategies
August 17 2008
Just like in every other variation of poker, the most common mistake made by beginners and even poker veterans in Omaha Hi-Lo is playing too many hands. The more hands you play, the more you are going to have to win in the long run to break even or turn a profit. The more hands you play, the more trouble you’ll potentially get yourself into.
One mistake players make in Omaha Hi-Lo is only going after the low or high side of the pot too often. Your main goal in Omaha Hi-Lo should be to try to scoop the entire pot. By chasing after only half of the pot all the way to the showdown, whether it is the low or the high, you are likely losing more money than you are gaining. Unless there are three or more players in the pot, you’re likely making very little money when you take in only half the pot. If you end up getting quartered, you could actually lose money despite holding a winning hand.
Chasing after half the pot connects to our next common mistake, playing a hand with little potential. In Omaha Hi-Lo the best hands are ones in which you can use all four cards to go after the low and high portions of the pot. Most players do not fully analyze all of the possibilities, or more commonly, the lack of possibilities, in their hand. Be sure that all four of the cards in your hand are useful, not just two of them.
The final common mistake Omaha Hi-Lo players make is playing hands that include middle cards such as 6, 7, 8 and 9. In Omaha Hi-Lo these cards can be considered some of the worst in the deck because the 6, 7 and 8 are rarely useful in making a low hand, and none of them are very useful in making a high hand. Remember, the next time you’re playing Omaha Hi-Lo and your hand has 6, 7, 8, 9 or a combination of them, it’s most likely a very weak hand.
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