Omaha Hi\Lo

Q

queenie279

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So, I am very confused about the Lo part. I signed up to play an Omaha tourney but didn't realize that it was Hi\Lo. I tried reading up on the basics on how to play this game but was more confused. I know that you must use only 2 from your 4 card hand and 3 from the board.
Is there a SIMPLE explanation of the LO in Hi\Lo?:confused:
 
Reptar7

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So, I am very confused about the Lo part. I signed up to play an Omaha tourney but didn't realize that it was Hi\Lo. I tried reading up on the basics on how to play this game but was more confused. I know that you must use only 2 from your 4 card hand and 3 from the board.
Is there a SIMPLE explanation of the LO in Hi\Lo?:confused:

The lowest hand possible is A2345. It is PLO8, so it is 8 or lower for the low. So possible hands could be any 5 cards of the A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. It has to be 5 separate cards, so you can't have two 4s or something.
 
FastOne

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The low part is just Razz with a twist, the twist being that all five cards must be 8 or lower, otherwise it doesn't count as a low hand.
 
Lafayette2

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The low is that you take three low cards from the community and the to low cards from your hand. The low cards go from A-8. If you have an A2 in your hand and community cards are 2578Q your high would suck but you might win low with A2578. If someone has A3456 they would win.
 
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queenie279

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So, A2345 wouldn't be considered a str8 &small pairs do not qualify? So how do I know when to call? Also, I have seen people call with I am guessing they think is a low hand and the other person won the pot. Are there certain hands that take down the whole pot?
Thanks for your feedback.
 
flatcaller

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Yeah if your hand can make the high and low you win pot. Ex: hc-As Qc ks 2d Flop-3s 4d 5s T- 9s R-Jh you make nut low and nut flush high for pot. Aces are huge card for H/L
 
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c9h13no3

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Its better to read low hands from the high cards first. Don't write it 24578. Write it 87542. The highest cards are what matter.
 
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Its better to read low hands from the high cards first. Don't write it 24578. Write it 87542. The highest cards are what matter.

This confused me a bit for low. so say flop has 876. I'm holding A5xx and someone has 23xx. Would the 23 take it with 87632 with the 3 being lower than 5 or would 8765A take it since Ace is the lowest?
 
LeanAndMean

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This confused me a bit for low. so say flop has 876. I'm holding A5xx and someone has 23xx. Would the 23 take it with 87632 with the 3 being lower than 5 or would 8765A take it since Ace is the lowest?
Yes, the lowest of the five cards wins. 87632 is beat by 8762A. A 2 is very powerful in this game. A23 is even more so because you have a backup low if a 2 hit the board. A 2 3 K is a powerhouse, you have the nut high and the nut low possibilities.
 
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This confused me a bit for low. so say flop has 876. I'm holding A5xx and someone has 23xx. Would the 23 take it with 87632 with the 3 being lower than 5 or would 8765A take it since Ace is the lowest?

Ok. Now I'm confused about this as well. IMO, the 2-3 wins this hand as the highest unique card the other payer is playing is 3 while you are forced to play the 5. This seems to go against some of the other answers given here, but I believe this is correct. Guess I'll have to do a quick search....
 
catchitfool

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in ho/low its better to play a234 a245 hand like that it a way to sweep the whole pot if u hit a small str8.
 
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Yes, the lowest of the five cards wins. 87632 is beat by 8762A. A 2 is very powerful in this game. A23 is even more so because you have a backup low if a 2 hit the board. A 2 3 K is a powerhouse, you have the nut high and the nut low possibilities.

OK, in this example, I agree the A2 wins, but in the original example he doesn't have A2, he has A5. So the hands play-out as 87632 v. 8765A. Pretty sure 87632 wins.
 
iec

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23 obviously wins over A5, the player with the lower highest card wins as soon as all 5 cards are <= 8.
Ok. Now I'm confused about this as well. IMO, the 2-3 wins this hand as the highest unique card the other payer is playing is 3 while you are forced to play the 5. This seems to go against some of the other answers given here, but I believe this is correct. Guess I'll have to do a quick search....
 
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23 obviously wins over A5, the player with the lower highest card wins as soon as all 5 cards are <= 8.

Yes, that's what I thought. seems to be a little disagreement here with a couple of the other posters, though.
 
iec

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Yes, your formulation "highest unique card" was correct.
Just don't forget even if you have the nut low hand, you can still be quartered, because the opponent can have it too but in addition to that he can also have nut high hand.
 
JusSumguy

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Your primary hands are high. That's where most of the scoops come from. They call, and they call, and when the low doesn't come, the best high scoops.

A good high and low hand is less valuable as you're usually only going to get a split . This isn't really as profitable as it appears on it's surface.

Playing a low only is somewhat of a suicide run. Though... you do see good players laying on A2 hard. The reasoning is that if the make the nut low they can bet with impunity, and they might be able to bet the high off their hand. Resulting in a scoop. Scooping is the goal in PLO8.


-
 
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Your primary hands are high. That's where most of the scoops come from. They call, and they call, and when the low doesn't come, the best high scoops.

A good high and low hand is less valuable as you're usually only going to get a split . This isn't really as profitable as it appears on it's surface.

Playing a low only is somewhat of a suicide run. Though... you do see good players laying on A2 hard. The reasoning is that if the make the nut low they can bet with impunity, and they might be able to bet the high off their hand. Resulting in a scoop. Scooping is the goal in PLO8.-

Hmmm...this is an interesting take on things. I've never seen it expressed quite that way. Obviously scooping is the objective, but the low only comes-in something like 60-70% of the time IIRC. Food for thought.

Just on a side-note... it's a shame this game isn't more popular. I really enjoy playing it, but seldom do, and never seriously. I've never even seen it spread live and nowdays, with the US online situation, rooms that cater to US players have very, very few tables of this game running, ever.
 
flatcaller

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yeah not enough dealers able to deal games like this. also normally higher limits 10/20... i would like to play 1/2 plo8 but i def dont feel comfortable playing high stakes. need online poker
 
Lafayette2

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Ok. Now I'm confused about this as well. IMO, the 2-3 wins this hand as the highest unique card the other payer is playing is 3 while you are forced to play the 5. This seems to go against some of the other answers given here, but I believe this is correct. Guess I'll have to do a quick search....
The A5 would win both hands finish with the 8 in the low. The Ace would be lower then 2. I was writing about the low hand since the high plays just as normal ranking go. You can win both ways. High and low, they split the pot if you have a low hand, {5 cards under 8}
 
Lafayette2

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Hmmm...this is an interesting take on things. I've never seen it expressed quite that way. Obviously scooping is the objective, but the low only comes-in something like 60-70% of the time IIRC. Food for thought.

Just on a side-note... it's a shame this game isn't more popular. I really enjoy playing it, but seldom do, and never seriously. I've never even seen it spread live and nowdays, with the US online situation, rooms that cater to US players have very, very few tables of this game running, ever.
If you watch the micro Ohama Hi/lo i find quite the opposite. Maybe cause its micros and you don't have a lot of good players but when most get either 32A in their hands they seem to inflate the pot to make sure they get a good share of the split pot.
 
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The A5 would win both hands finish with the 8 in the low. The Ace would be lower then 2. I was writing about the low hand since the high plays just as normal ranking go. You can win both ways. High and low, they split the pot if you have a low hand, {5 cards under 8}

This is incorrect. 87632 beats 8765A for the low.
 
iec

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I think the advantages of A2xx starting hands are they are going to do well expecially when a low flop comes, even more in multiway pots.
And if you have nut low after flop, it's less likely to be upgraded in favor of the opponent unless A or 2 comes, while with high hands it is more complicated and player in position can use it to create some pressure, for example you flop straight and turn/river open flush or fullhouse possibilities for the opponents, so you are not sure where you stand anymore.
Of course calling too much with just a draw to low might be a road to hell very often :)

Particularly when I chose to play plo8 cash game at times, it was also because it was easier to earn rake/points in rooms with rake type "dealt", because there are bigger pots. Normal plo is more straighforward, although the power of position is bigger there than in plo8 I think.

Your primary hands are high. That's where most of the scoops come from. They call, and they call, and when the low doesn't come, the best high scoops.

A good high and low hand is less valuable as you're usually only going to get a split . This isn't really as profitable as it appears on it's surface.

Playing a low only is somewhat of a suicide run. Though... you do see good players laying on A2 hard. The reasoning is that if the make the nut low they can bet with impunity, and they might be able to bet the high off their hand. Resulting in a scoop. Scooping is the goal in PLO8.


-
 
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Big_Rudy

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Particularly when I chose to play plo8 cash game at times, it was also because it was easier to earn rake/points in rooms with rake type "dealt", because there are bigger pots. Normal plo is more straighforward, although the power of position is bigger there than in plo8 I think.

This is exactly why I originally started playing PLO8 on PS years ago. It's a great game for clearing bonuses and such. Especially with big pots and split pots that the game generates.
 
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I think the advantages of A2xx starting hands are they are going to do well expecially when a low flop comes, even more in multiway pots.

I think I agree more with JSG on this. I find that, very often, if you have A2 and there is a low out with lots of action that you are going to be chopping the low side of the pot. That leaves the person with the high in great shape and those splitting the low in trouble. If I'm playing just A2xx with no suited A, no big high card, etc, I'm going to tread very lightly in most cases.
 
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