Avoiding Common Mistakes in Omaha Hi-Lo

First and foremost, that means you should NOT come in for as many hands. It’s funny because so many people play looser in Omaha because they’re dealt 4 hole cards. In fact, that is the reason they shouldn’t play so many. Think about it. Everyone else at the table is dealt 4 hold cards too. The chances that someone got a better starting hand than you did are often NOT in your favor.

Secondly, if you find yourself in a hand, and you don’t flop anything better than a set or a straight, it’s probably not a good idea to remain in the hand. Even these flops are iffy. A straight can be beaten quite easily by a flush. It will almost always be beaten by a flush if three cards of the same suit show up on the board.

A set is not a common winning hand in Omaha. If you can turn two-pair or a set into a full-house or 4 of a kind, well good for you; but, you must know that the odds are stacked against you, right? Don’t get caught in the position of where you’re constantly waiting on the draw. Nothing will drain your chip stack faster than chasing down cards. Nothing.

Avoid the temptation of waiting on runner-runner. Even if you have a premium starting hand like A,K,2,3, the flop can turn value into worthlessness like that. Don’t call bets that don’t make sense. Expecting to catch the cards you need is just a poor way to play any poker game. You can’t live on hope – so don’t try.

This next tip is going to seem a bit antithetical to the previous two; but, hey – like life, no one said poker was going to be easy, now, did they? There are many players who also underestimate the value of certain cards. They think that playing Aces is the only way to win. That’s not entirely true. Connecting high cards are honestly a really good thing. So many people chase after the lower cards hoping to get both the hi and lo pots. Unfortunately, in Omaha hi-lo, the potential to split the pot is high in this case. Someone will - at least – have a higher hi or lower lo than you do. At least. At worst, you may split with more than one player. In that scenario, it is possible to win a split pot but end up with less chips than you started with.

It’s sad but true. Really is.

If you’re holding cards like A,K,Q,10, for example, your first inclination may be to fold them. You may be thinking – ‘I can’t possibly make a lo, so why bother?’ Um, hello. Reality calling? The likelihood that you’ll get a high straight or even potentially a Royal Flush is there. If you can get the high, with some help with the community cards, you may win the entire pot by yourself. Remember that there has to be 3 low cards on the board for someone to make a lo.

You could see a flop with this hand. Why not? If the flop comes down to all low cards that aren’t leading you to the nut flush, then you can easily get away from this hand. The potential to win big and lose little is there. Isn’t that the whole point of poker, y’all?

I hope that these three tips have helped you to realize that in Omaha hi-lo, you need to play the cards and consider the possibilities. Play tighter, not looser, and you will reap the rewards.

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