Posted by Johnnymac 11:15 AM
Byron sends an email asking for advice in his first pot-limit Omaha hi tournament. I told him I would respond on the blog, so here goes -

First, it's a tournament, so you should adhere to whatever existing tournament strategy you know or like to use. Pay attention to the blind structure and the number of people in the tourney and at your table and keep in mind that you're not going to win the whole thing in an hour. Likewise, if you make it to the end, you have to eventually be willing to take smart chances if you want to win.

Second, it's Pot Limit, so remember that position is MUCH more important than in No Limit. Although I am not a fan and don't have much experience playing PL Holdem, a lot of people these days do and any stategy adjustments you might make for PL Holdem would be just as relevant for PL Omaha Hi. I have to admit, though, that PL Omaha Hi is a weird choice since there is no Lo component. One thing that differentiates PL from NL is that it makes pot management, and consequently, later streets, more important, because you can't necessarily go all-in and freeroll your draws whenever you decide to take a shot. This gives the decision to draw a more strategic implication and thus since there are "two" winners in each pot of a HiLo split game, Pot Limit makes for a better game. But this is Omaha Hi only - there is only one nut hand in each pot - and thus No Limit would seem to make more sense. Whatever, the structure is what it is, so just keep it in mind. It's Pot Limit and that plays different than No Limit. I would venture to say, though, that this structure is closer to PL Holdem than it is to PL Omaha HiLo, so that makes your proper strategy pretty simple.

In fact, it's simpler than Holdem: try and limp a lot and if the flop doesn't hit you square between the eyes, fold. The implied odds are huge, and you see 7/9th's of your hand on the flop. There is no need to draw in most circumstances because if the flop doesn't help you it's very unlikely that two more cards will, either.

Now here is the controversial part of my advice: almost any hand you're dealt has a chance to be a winner, so if it's a passive game you should be willing to see the flop with just about any hand if you can see it cheaply. But, if you don't flop the nuts, you should fold and try again on the next hand. Drawing is usually a bad idea.

Drawing is a good idea, though, when you are drawing to the nuts and are getting the proper pot odds. This is the standard advice for HiLo and it's good advice for Hi only, too. For example, the only straight you should ever draw for should be Broadway and the only flush you should draw towards should be the Ace flush or the nut flush after higher cards on the board. Another thing to keep in mind is that flopping a small set is not nearly as valuable in Omaha as it is in holdem - there is a better (albeit still small) chance that someone else has a bigger set - and if the board pairs and you fill up it could be a VERY expensive full house unless you have the nut full house. Similarly, If you have "three pair" and the board pairs one of your lower cards, be careful.

So what are good starting hands? Well, I say that any four cards can be a winner, but just like holdem, certain hands are winners more often than others and those should be played. Good starting hands are hands that have high suited cards (big flushes), pairs (sets and full houses), and face cards (broadway).

One thing to keep in mind about the broadway straight is that it cannot be counterfeited. Once you make that hand, its a winner provided there is no flush or full house out there, and thus you don't necessarily have to protect for the same reasons as you would the nut low hand in HiLo. You might end up quartering the pot, but it doesn't go from winner to loser like a counterfeited low hand does, and luckily, you don't have to worry about that, anyway.

Good individual hands to start with are hands like AAKK, AAQQ, AAJT, AAKQ, AAJJ, AATT, KQJT, TTJJ, etc, and obviously double suited is better than single suited which itself is better than rainbows.

The other big rule is that a good hand is a hand where all 4 cards work together or otherwise contribute. AK72 is not as good as AKJT even if both hands have AK. What I said about 7/9th's of your hand is important - and 7/9th's is better than 6/9th's or (gasp) 5/9th's. Playing all four cards versus indvidual combinations is the mark of a skilled Omaha player versus a novice. Similarly, you need to have the discipline to throw bad hands away, especially hands that look impressive but really aren't. 2222 is the worst hand you can have in Omaha, because it can't improve at all from nothing but a pair of deuces (you have eight of them, though!). Being dealt trips is bad for the same reason - you only have one out - and three or four suited cards, especially if they are connectors in some way, should also be thrown away. It may look nice in your hand but if there's no way to improve there is no way to win.

Interestingly enough, aside from clear examples like A2sAKs or A234 or AA23, the exact same hands I list as good for Hi only are also good hands for HiLo, assuming it's 8 or better. Proper HiLo strategy is to only play hands that have a chance of scooping the pot, and since there is always a hi hand it's proper to go after them, especially for the times when the low doesn't qualify. Combinations like AK and JT are good for the exact same reasons as in holdem, too, but combinations like KJ and AT aren't necessarily as bad in Omaha by reason of the "exactly 2 cards" component. (Notice that I said "necessarily" because they're still not quite as strong... it's just that the bad effects are a little bit dilluted.)

One final thing - a guy I work with loves to play Omaha HiLo and he swears by this calculation. He has the whole system memorized and dilligently acts according to the "requirements". There is also a system for Hi only, too, but I am not quite as sold on its value as, like I said, good starting hands should be pretty obvious.

So that's all I have for now. I am sure others have advice to share, too, but there's my part of it. Good luck, Byron, and let us know how it turns out!

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