Omaha Hi
/Lo: Avoidable Mistakes
Omaha Hi/Lo is a game that brings
in a lot of room for mistakes. The game is
fairly complex, which of course means there is a
lot that could go wrong. If you can manage to
avoid these common mistakes that are so often
made by players, you will already be a step
ahead. It is very easy to get anxious in this
game and make wrong moves. In any poker game;
just one wrong move could mean the end of your
night. In some cases even the end of a
successful poker campaign.
Over Estimating the Low Hand
The biggest mistake that the
common Omaha Hi/Lo player will make is over
estimating the low hand. This is something that
a lot of players like to do. You will see
players going all-in all the time because they
have the lowest possible hand. There are several
different reasons why this is all wrong. Even
before the flop, you will see people putting all
their chips in the pot just because they have A
2.
There are a couple of different
reasons why the low hand is not all that it is
cracked up to be. Is it important – of course?
Is it worth putting all your money into the pot
with just a low hand? No – definitely not. The
first thing to remember is that you are only
going to win half of the pot with a low hand.
Sometimes that may mean you are not even making
a profit. If you do, it won't
be very much. The other thing to consider is the
chances of splitting the low pot with another
player. In that case, you are talking about just
a quarter of the pot. There would have to be
four players in the pot for you to break even.
The low hand is good, but you
have to consider what you are risking and what
you are risking for. With only the low hand, you
do not want to put very much of your stack into
the pot. Best case scenario;
you will split the pot. Is that worth calling an
all-in for?
Playing too many Hands
Another big mistake that people
make is that they play way too many hands in
Omaha Hi/Lo. That is definitely not a smart
thing to do. Considering the fact that there are
a whole lot of cards out there and you can
hardly ever win without good cards;
playing every hand just doesn't seem right.
Players look down at four cards and assume they
have a great chance to win. What they forget is
the fact that every one of their opponents has
four cards as well. In most cases, they will
probably have four better cards.
Playing a conservative style of
poker is the best way to go in Omaha Hi/Lo. If
you can mix that up with an aggressive style and
learn to get paid off when you do get good
hands, you will be a winning Omaha Hi/Lo Player.
Forgetting about the High Hand
This one goes back to over
estimating the low hand. Believe it or not, the
high hand is just as good as the low hand. In
fact, it is better. It is much more likely to
split a low pot than to split a high pot. Not
only that, but there will always be a high hand.
There will not always be a qualifying low hand.
That is why your cards need to work together.
Giving yourself the best chance to win both the
high and the low will be the most profitable
style of poker.
In many cases there will not be a
low hand; only a high hand. It is just as good
to be the only winner of a high hand when there
is no qualifying low hand as it is to win both
the high and low hand. Either way, you are
winning the whole pot; not just half of the pot.
If you are trying to win Omaha Hi/Lo by
splitting pots, you will find that it is a long
hard road to making a profit from this game.
The three mistakes outlined above
are very common mistakes. If you can learn to
avoid making those mistakes, you will be sure to
perform better than 70% of your opponents. Mix
that in with some good strategy and decision
making, and who knows how good you can be.
Limiting your mistakes in this game is just as
good as anything else you could do at the poker
table. |
