Strategy for Omaha H/L Poker
One of the biggest mistakes that I notice other players make when they are playing Omaha h/l is that they get way too excited about being dealt pocket Aces. Sure, this is a great Hold'em hand, and it is sometimes even dominant in Omaha (although not as much as you would think) but it is a great way to get yourself into trouble in Omaha h/l.
Remember, many times in H/l, you are playing for 1/2 the pot if you only have a shot at a high hand. It is not a good idea to chip too many chips committed when you are not going to win the entire pot. In a FL game, you can play this hand a little stronger, in a PL game, you may get yourself in trouble. A pair of Aces is just not going to hold up that often in Omaha. You are very likely to be beat when another players 2 random cards pair up, someone makes a straight or a flush, or even a full house. And this is all taking into account that someone else is going to win the low. Do not commit large raises to a pot based solely on the fact that you have A-A in your hand.
Now if you are holding A-A-2-3 double suited that is an entirely different story, but most of the time when I see players go nuts it is with something like A-A-9-5 or A-A-T-7 and most of the time they are making a play for a pot where there hand will not hold up against good Omaha players. One exception could be if you are only up against one opponent, although he could still pair random cards for 2 pair to beat your Aces. If you are up against more than one opponent, dump those Aces unless your hand improves to a set or a full house on the Flop.
Patience and knowing a good starting hand are key in Omaha h/l. Don't fall into the trap most novice players make of over-committing to those Aces.
One of the biggest mistakes that I notice other players make when they are playing Omaha h/l is that they get way too excited about being dealt pocket Aces. Sure, this is a great Hold'em hand, and it is sometimes even dominant in Omaha (although not as much as you would think) but it is a great way to get yourself into trouble in Omaha h/l.
Remember, many times in H/l, you are playing for 1/2 the pot if you only have a shot at a high hand. It is not a good idea to chip too many chips committed when you are not going to win the entire pot. In a FL game, you can play this hand a little stronger, in a PL game, you may get yourself in trouble. A pair of Aces is just not going to hold up that often in Omaha. You are very likely to be beat when another players 2 random cards pair up, someone makes a straight or a flush, or even a full house. And this is all taking into account that someone else is going to win the low. Do not commit large raises to a pot based solely on the fact that you have A-A in your hand.
Now if you are holding A-A-2-3 double suited that is an entirely different story, but most of the time when I see players go nuts it is with something like A-A-9-5 or A-A-T-7 and most of the time they are making a play for a pot where there hand will not hold up against good Omaha players. One exception could be if you are only up against one opponent, although he could still pair random cards for 2 pair to beat your Aces. If you are up against more than one opponent, dump those Aces unless your hand improves to a set or a full house on the Flop.
Patience and knowing a good starting hand are key in Omaha h/l. Don't fall into the trap most novice players make of over-committing to those Aces.
