Omaha 8 or better basic strategy

Omaha 8 or better is one of the more difficult poker variants that you will run across due to the numerous drawing possibilities on both sides of the pot. Omaha Hi-Lo requires that you select quality starting hands in order to be a consistent winner. Let’s start by reviewing some of the stronger starting hands.

You want to play hands that give you the best chances to scoop the entire pot. You want four cards that are coordinated and can work for both high and low. When playing a hand in Omaha 8, you really want a hand that contains an ace. Aces play both high and low in Omaha 8 and having cards coordinated with the ace gives you a lot of strong drawing possibilities.

Starting hands with A-2 in them are among the top ranked hands in Omaha. A hand with A-2 and a third wheel card in them are especially strong as you have a hard time being counterfeited with three wheel cards. You want your hands not only coordinated but also suited. Suited with the ace is preferable. This way you have a potential nut low draw but also a nut flush draw. The best starting hand in Omaha Hi-lo is A-A-2-3 double suited. Hands with A-3 with other coordinating or wheel cards are strong as well. With a hand containing A-3, you really want a deuce to hit the flop with another low card in order to give you the nut low draw.

Hands with A-4 and A-5 can be a little sketchy to play. You may want to reserve playing these hands from late position or in the blinds early. These hands have to hit the flop very well in order to consider staying in past the flop. You will want you hands with A-4 and A-5 to contain a suited ace and preferably a couple of high cards. A-6, A-7, and A-8 are really hands that you should stay away from while learning the game. You are drawing to the worst low and are stuck drawing to high only.

Playing a hand with 2-3 and two coordinating cards can be tricky. This type of hand requires that you flop an ace and another low card to avoid drawing to a 2nd nut low or worse. I would reserve playing this hand for very loose games or even playing the hand in the blind only. Other hands such as 2-4 and 3-4 I would recommend to play those only in the blinds while learning the game.

Middle wrap hands are very dangerous to play in Omaha 8. Hand such as 7-8-9-10 or 6-7-8-9 look like great wrap hands, but they usually wind up being 2nd best hands due to the fact that they make the worst low and usually are drawing to the sucker end of most straights. I may see a flop to no raise in the big blind with this hand, but otherwise shy away from this hand while learning the game.

Big coordinated cards and wraps are also tricky to play. K-Q-J-10 is a great looking hand, but becomes worthless when a low flop arrives. These types of hands are good hands to see from the blinds. Another situation that you may want to consider playing this hand is when multiple players limp into a pot. In this scenario, there is a good chance that most of the players are holding low cards. As a result, a high flop is likely.

Unsuited hands in Omaha 8 can become trap hands. Even hands such as A-2-3-K become slightly marginal when they are unsuited. I would still play the above hand, but if the board starts flushing, you will want to abandon the hand unless you make a nut low hand.

A couple of topics that should be covered briefly are drawing to nut hands, counterfeiting, and getting quartered. When playing Omaha 8 or better, you want to be drawing to the nuts in order to consider chasing a hand down. With multiple players in most hands, and each player holding four cards, the chances that the nut hand is out rises more than in games such as holdem. Also, keep in mind which hand is the nuts with each turn of the card. If a board pair, give credit to a full house possibility. Full houses are much more common in Omaha than any other form of poker.

Counterfeiting occurs when one of the low cards in your hand hits the board, effectively nullifying your low hand. The same is true if your nut low becomes a 2nd or 3rd nut low. Just because you flop a nut low, that does not mean that you will keep it. Another situation that you will run into frequently is that of being quartered. When you are quartered, that means that you have tied for one side of a pot with another player. This happens the most with the low side of the pot. When you are in a pot with an A-2 against multiple players, the odds of you being quartered are high. If you make a nut low and see a lot of action, you will want to be cautious of going crazy with betting. If three or fewer players are in a pot and you are quartered, you will lose money.