Well, it’s time that I learn a completely new game. Hold’em is great, and I’m building my bankroll, but I want to learn another game that I’ve had my eye on: Omaha Eights-or-Better (Omaha/8 for short).
Omaha/8 is a great game. It’s generally played Pot Limit or Fixed Limit, and it is a split game. In split games, if there is a qualifying low hand, the pot is split, half to the high hand and half to the low hand. Omaha/8 requires low hands to have five cards of different ranks that are 8 or lower. The best low hand is A2345, also known as a wheel.
I like the complications hi/low games add. If multiple people have the nut low (which happens frequently) they split the low half of the pot. That means you can actually have a winning hand and lose money, since you only won a quarter (or even a sixth) of the total pot. This means you need to have draws at the high and the low end of a pot to win in the long run. If you take both halves, it’s called a scoop.
Besides the added mental challenge of added cards and the hi/low potential, I’ve had my eye on Omaha/8, because I think people don’t understand it. Hold’em is so popular that many people play fairly well, considering they’ve never read a book or a single article on it. It’s on TV all the time, and thousands can see the hole cards and actions taken by world-class players. Omaha/8 doesn’t have this problem. And, with added cards, Hold’em players who migrate to Omaha/8 play far too many hands, since they see a lot more potential in the hand.
Playing Omaha/8 means two things to my hourly rate. First, because I think my opponents will make far more mistakes, I should earn many more Big Bets per 100 hands. Second, because I’m new to the game, my moves are not automatic, so I won’t be able to play as many tables at once. I consider this a learning experience, and perhaps as I get better, I’ll be able to multi-table with Omaha/8 like I do with Hold’em.
I’ve been reading Winning Omaha/8 Poker, and I’m trying my hand at it for the first time tonight. Once I hit 1000 hands on those tables, you’ll get an update. Wish me luck!
