Omaha Hi Lo,
Poker Odds
July 15 2008
As complicated as pot odds are for some mathematically challenged poker rookies to figure out, there is another nuance to consider when working out poker odds in Omaha Hi-Lo. The best way to explain it is with an example. In our example hand, you’re holding the following four cards and the turn has just been dealt revealing the following board:
Hole cards –
Board –
You’ve got a nut flush draw but should you call a bet and chase your draw? There are 44 cards unknown to you, but only nine of them are spades. With 35 cards of no use to you, your odds are 35-to-9, or roughly 3.8-to-1. Rounding that up to 4, that means you should call a bet if the pot is four times the bet or larger. So if the bet from your opponent was $20, the pot must contain at least $80 for you to call.
But here’s the Omaha Hi-Lo catch. In your hand you have no chance of making a low hand, but the possibility of a winning low hand exists on the board. If you did make your flush and there was a winning low hand, you would only win half the pot. If you can only take away half the pot, it stands to reason the pot would have to be at least $160 for you to call. If you can’t scoop the entire pot, make sure you take this into account when calculating your pot odds.
Get an edge by reading up on
Omaha Hi-Lo rules.
