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Fixed Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Strategy

February 11, 2009

One of the best places to go for secure online poker, FullTilt Poker offers a variety of poker gaming styles. Of the many, one that seems to be gaining in popularity is the Omaha Hi Lo game style. Also known as the Omaha Eight or Better, this poker game has the potential for large wins.

In Omaha Hi Lo, each of the players is dealt four playing cards, known as pocket or hole cards. Then a total of five community cards are dealt which is shared by all the players at the table. The goal is to make the best hand using two cards from the pocket cards, and exactly three from the community cards.

Each player makes two hands, one high and one low. The two hands can use all the four different hole cards, so long as one hand is made up of only two hole cards at a time. The best high hand wins half the pot, and the best low hand wins the other half. A valid low hand can be a flush or a straight, but pairs do not exist in low hands. The cards must be made of denominations less than 8. In the eventuality that there is no qualifying low hand, the best high hand scoops the entire pot – a term also used to describe a scenario when one player has both the best high and low hand.

In Fixed Limit Omaha Hi Lo, there are four rounds of betting that are allowed. The first two rounds consist of betting that must equal the low limit bet. In the subsequent betting rounds, all bets must be equal to the high limit bet. An additional rule in Omaha Hi Lo, is that a maximum of three raises are allowed per betting round.

Since Omaha Hi Lo involves attempting to create the worst and the best possible hands at the same time, the play can get fairly complicated. This can work to a player’s advantage especially when an opponent slips up. The strategy to be adopted is to scoop the pot every time. Winning the pot is always good, but can sometimes be disadvantageous when a split occurs. And even worse scenario is being quartered. Quartering occurs when one hand wins half the pot, and the other half is split by two equal hands. This could actually work out to a loss.

Fixed Limit Omaha Hi Lo poker is perhaps the easiest game to win money at, especially at smaller buy in tables. This is definitely the case if the player has a knack for the poker playing style, because most players find it difficult to grasp its nuances, especially those who are more used to playing Texas Hold‘em. Omaha Hi Lo is a game of less probability that other poker variants, but it also banks on a higher level of skill. Full Tilt Poker is recommended place to start, as they offer a secure environment to try out all the multiple variations of poker.

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