Online Poker Forum at Full Tilt Poker

MJW0327 · Pair Joined: 08 Apr 2007 Posts: 48 Location: Missoula, MT

I decided I wanted to expand my poker knowledge to something beyond Texas Hold 'em so I could call myself more of a legitimate poker player. After reading some really good strategy tips I was set to play. I bought into a .10/.25 pot limit table (I was told PL or Limit is the best) for the $25 maximum expecting to lose it but learn some things from studying my hand history.

What happened was I tripled my money in 3 hours playing extremely tight and disciplined exactly as the reading material suggested. At first I was grimmacing while folding my 2 pairs, but after seeing showdown after showdown prove that my 2 pair was beat I began to understand.

Anyway, I just assumed it was beginner's luck. The next day I made the same buy in at the same stakes and doubled my money. The day after that I did the same. I had 7 winning sessions before I lost an entire $25 dollar buy-in in my first losing session. The river gave me an Ace high straight, but in my excitement at drawing out (I had a wrap), I failed to notice that that King of clubs on the river was also the third club to hit the board. If you play Omaha, you know how disastrious this would be and was. Well, no matter what you play, just imagine thinking you have the nuts and finding out you don't....the hard way.

I guess my point is: why aren't there more people playing this game? It's so much easier than Texas Hold 'em once you get the hang of it. I don't play Omaha Hi, just Hi/Lo because it's easier to make money at as people will chase their Lo hands and I just wait for good hands to quarter them with.

If you are a smart poker player and you want to make money, I suggest learning Omaha Hi/Lo. I don't even play Texas Hold 'em cash games anymore. I just play hold 'em tourneys and Omaha Hi/Lo cash games.

Keep in mind, I don't think I fully understand the game, but I understand I win when I play the way I play so if anybody has some advice to increase my profit even more, please let me know.

vectorspace · High Card Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 12

You hit the nail on the head. This is a game of the nuts. There are a lot of players who will go broke with 2 pr or straights when flushes and full houses are possible. Also, having just the nut low can be scary when you get a lot of action on it because you might get quartered. Keys to this game are hand selection and playing big draws. For ex: I see people playing crap like 2367 all the time. When it flops 345 with 2 of a suit they go crazy raising you every chance they can. Well if I'm sitting there with AA2J with 2 of the suit then I'm reraising. Then they complain when a flush comes on the river. Or worse, someone else in the hand also has 67 so they split the high and I scoop the low. I agree about the quality of play. Seems like everyone is at least competent and better than they were a year or 2 ago at holdem, omaha, and stud. IMO, Omaha hi/lo and stud hi/lo are the games with the weakest players. This one more so b/c it can be played pot limit to get more money in the pot.

sixandfour · Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 3:45 pm Post subject:

I agree with OP and vector in that you can definitely make a lot of money on OL8, as the general masses tend to be less capable than in other games. I would also suggest you dabble around with Razz. To me, this is by far the easiest way to separate suckers from their money. Better have a lot of patience though, as it can be a very frustrating, hot and cold type of experience... all in one setting.

funnydude34 · High Card Joined: 07 Feb 2008 Posts: 6

yea, i also realized that playing omaha hi/lo is easier than hold'em. I almost exclusively play 5 or 10 dollar sng's. Anyways, I was wondering where you found tips on playing omaha hi/lo. I usually have trouble in the beginning playing with 8 other people. I feel like unless I have the absolute nuts, I'm beat.

ange_exalte · Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:09 am Post subject:

yeah if anyone knows any good tips or strategy articles/books/videos pease share!!

bizarroquinn · Royal Flush Joined: 02 Oct 2006 Posts: 623

biggest thing I can recommend is in O8 is play big cards more than small cards. when 3 unpaired cards 8 or under fail to hit the board, someone's going to scoop the whole pot, and this is where you make your profit. Not usually in winning both sizes, but scooping the whole thing when there is no qualifying low hand.

Wink

Muskogee Mike · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject:

Hellmuth's book, "Play Poker Like the Pros" has a great section on O8B. After reading this section, I decided to dabble in some O8B ring games, and I'm now in love with the game. As mentioned before, if you know some basic strategy, it puts you lightyears ahead of most other players. I have started making money at this game.

One of the biggest keys to the game is hand selection. Ideally, you want to play hands that give you a great chance of winning the high and the low. In hold'em, a pair of Jacks would be a great hand, as would Ace-King. So many O8B players think that AKJJ is a powerful hand. In reality, it is a mediocre hand at best.

You have no way of winning the low, so even if you win the high, you will likely only take in half the pot. But often, you will not win the high with a hand like AKJJ. A lot of the time, somone will be starting out with a higher pair than you, and even if you hit top pair or even top two pair, you will probably lose to a set or better.

Look for hands that have an Ace and a 2 in them. You almost always can't go wrong with a A2xx. Of course, probably the best starting hand is AA23, as this gives you the highest starting pair, and the three lowest cards giving you the best draw to the low. Making the hand double suited makes it even stronger, giving you more ways to win the high.

Here is a short list of strong starting hands: AA23, AA2x, AA3x, A234, A23x, A2KK, A2QQ, A345, AA45, AAxx, A2KQ, A2KJ, A2xx, A3KK. Other good hands are A34x, 2345, AKQJ, KQJT, KKQQ, KKQJ, and 234x. Obviously, any of these hands that are double suited are stronger than if they are not double suited.

The reason these hands with all low cards are on here is because it is easier to make a winning low hand than a winning high hand. For example, when you have A2 in your hand the board reads 34K5J, you know you will win part of the pot. But if you hold KK in your hand and the board reads QJ3A4, you could very will lose to a straight.

Some other key bits of advice:

1. Jam the pot with a made hand. It is almost always wrong to slowplay in this game, as you are giving your opponent a lot more ways to beat you than when you slowplay in holdem.

2. If you're going to chase, chase the nuts. Don't try drawing to the low end of a straight, to a staight when there are already 3 flush cards on the board, or to a flush when the board is paired.

3. When you have a lock on the low but are facing a lot of raising an re-raising from multiple opponents, the correct play is to flat call. It is likely that someone else has made the low with whom you will split half the pot. In other words, for every bet that you make, you will only get 1/4 of it back.

Dorsal Fin · High Card Joined: 17 Mar 2008 Posts: 9

Just keep doing what you're doing, and you will be fine.

biggler · High Card Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 9

It is beginner's luck. I've played hundreds of thousands of hilo ring game hands and hundreds of hilo sitngos at Full Tilt and I can tell you that you are just fortunate to have the "Full Tilt Switch" stuck in the win position right now. It is very hard to consistently make money at any game playing the lower level of ring games and sitngos, and God help you when Full Tilt moves that switch into the lose position bcs things are gonna get real ugly real fast. All of the sudden those 1, 2 and 3 outers the plethora of poor players are chasing on your all-ins will start hitting at an 80% rate and those guys playing 2 pair against your made flush or straight, yeah they win pretty much every hand.

Hilo is the best poker game on earth, the "beautiful game" if you will, but nowhere near as easy as you think it is.

whiteduck7 · Pair Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 25

hey man, o8 is a fun game, and can be very profitable. However, if you are a player that tilts at all this is a horrible game, as you can lose all your stack before you even notice. Good advice in this thread about playing tight, pushing made hands, and not drawing to less than the nuts.

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