OK, so you tried limit omaha high/low and you loved it. Chances are that you experienced some success with basic strategy and disciplined play. You learned the relative value of hands, the importance of position, scooping, and selecting your game carefully. You discovered when to stay in, when to get out, when to be aggressive, and when to just “play along”. A curious thought occurs to you one day: “What if I tried the pot-limit version? After all, it can’t be that different.” Fairly soon, you discover that what worked so well in a limit game will not exactly make you wealthy in pot-limit. There are certain minimal adjustments you need to make. Pot-limit is a different beast. Surprisingly, there is little information available on how to play the game. In this article, we will look at some of the things you need to be aware of in order to keep your head above water.
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I don’t know about you, but I am a multi-tasker. Nowadays I have two 19” flat screens set up side-by-side (sweeeeeeet) and want to go four screens soon! My babies are loaded with poker tables, forex quotes, opened chess games, my emails and a browser on the side. Let's focus on the poker aspect. Multi-tabling poker cannot only be fun, but can also add significantly to your bottom line. It can provide additional fun, challenges, and help you to work off bonuses much faster. In this article, we look at some essential things you should do or be aware of if you decide to multi-table Omaha 8. |
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In the past three articles, we explored the biggest leak that players experience: patience, or rather lack of it. We looked at how patience functions at the table, how it is connected to various harmful beliefs, and what character traits need to be developed to order to plug this leak. Today we will put everything together with some practical suggestions on how to maintain patience at the table.
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In the last article, we analyzed and dissected some common beliefs that impatient poker players have. In this article, we will look at the traits that poker players need to develop in order to fix their patience problems. |
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Last article, we started to explore the biggest leak that most players experience: lack of patience. We looked at patience in relation to outcomes, instant gratification, behaviors, limitations, other players, enthusiasm, and emotions. In this article, we will look at the most common beliefs impatient poker players have about themselves, the game, and their environment. If you recognize yourself, consider it a good sign! Understanding yourself as a player can yield immediate dividends. |
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Talk to your friends. Read the ITH forum. Play some poker. And then ask yourself: what is the single greatest need that poker players experience? Another angle from which you can approach the question is to ask: what is costing me the greatest amount of money at the table? What is my biggest leak?
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His friends thought that he lost his marbles. He took his savings and went to an auto show. When he came back, he jacked up his new shiny baby and started taking it apart. When he was done, he put it back together, and started over again. His neighbors did not understand. Then again, neither did they start a multi-billion dollar corporation. The man’s name was Walter Chrysler. There are many lessons in this story for aspiring poker players. One becomes successful by studying success (not criticizing it as many who are unsuccessful have the habit of), and then imitating it. In this article, we will look at three practices that invite success, whether it is in poker or in life.
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So you’ve mastered the basics. You understand the nature of the game, starting hand qualities, the importance of position, how high and low possibilities affect your pot odds, why a dry A2 is not the second coming…etc. The $64,000 question is: how far will this take you and how do you improve? |
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Perhaps the biggest reason why people lose money at poker is tilting. And perhaps the biggest reason for tilting is having unrealistic expectations. Many omaha high/low players live in a la-la land, a land of boundless optimism that knows no statistical limits. When the flop, the turn, or the river “ruin” their “premium hand”, sometimes people go nuts. “Not me again!” I think this can be prevented by adjusting one’s expectations with reality. In this article, we will look at some typical situations in omaha high/low and their accompanying expectations. |
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One dictionary defines fish as “any of numerous cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates of the superclass pisces, characteristically having fins, gills, and a streamlined body”. I am not sure how many omaha players fit that description but you will definitely find plenty of fish in the game. In this article, we will look at some of the most common characteristics that poor omaha players share. |
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Across different poker games, there is one thing that can be counted on: there will be players going on tilt. One often hears hold’em players complaining about losing large pots on the river (“oh man, another suckout, I can’t believe this”). Perhaps they have not played Omaha. It can be a game significantly more painful than hold’em. In Omaha, you will see many pots decided on the river because of multiple draws, re-draws, and “surprise” counterfeits. For example, if you flop the nuts for the high side, your hand is not nearly as strong as it may appear to you. The turn and the river will often make very strong hands possible (flushes, full houses, and quads). A player who does not understand this fact will be more prone to tilting. “I can’t believe I got outdrawn again!”. The first step is to understand the nature of the game. The second step is to prepare psychologically for your losses. |
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Sometimes players say that Omaha hands “run close together in value”. Others disagree with that statement and claim that they do not. Usually, neither side makes any cogent argument for their claims. What exactly does it mean to be “close in value”? A quantitative judgment presupposes some sort of a measuring stick, preferably a mathematical basis. Since most players come to Omaha from hold’em, it would perhaps be of interest to make some comparison between the preflop values of similar hold’em hands and Omaha hands. |
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In the previous article, we discussed two starting hand look-fors: key card and low possibilities. In this article, we will look at high possibilities. Look-for #3: High Possibilities:
What is the best hand with high possibilities? If you said AhAdAcAs, you should probably stick to play money for now (remember, use only two!). The best hand would clearly have powerful two-card combinations that allow you to make nut boats, flushes, and straights. Double suited aces with kings (such as AcKcAsKs) have many possibilities. You have top two pairs, two nut flush possibilities, and a straight possibility. Of course, double suited wrap-around straights are also good (such as ThJsQhKs). Again, co-ordination is very important (recall that “just” one un-coordinated card cuts your possibilities in half!). |
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Sometime in the 90s, I enrolled as a computer science student at a certain Canadian university. The first year was tough enough. The program had an 80%+ drop-out rate. I survived thinking how tough it was, not knowing what was ahead of me in the second year. I had to take a course in discrete mathematics with one of the best computer scientists in the world. No sweat. I took math courses before and always excelled. But this time it was different. |
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In the previous article, we discussed how winners play to scoop the pot. Winners always keep an eye out on how well their cards are coordinated. Most of their edge comes from playing better preflop than their opponents would with their cards. In this article, we are looking at how to apply these general principles in selecting and playing specific starting hands. What should you look for when you are dealt a hand?
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