Omaha Hi-Lo Strategy: Strong Pocket Cards and the Flops That Make Them Great

Pot Limit Omaha requires thought. Omaha Hi/Lo requires twice as much, because you have twice as much opportunity to succeed, and twice as many chances to fail in any given hand. The best hand you can get in “regular” Omaha poker is AA KK that’d double-suited. The best hand to get in Omaha Hi/Lo is AA 23 (double suited) because it offers the best chance of getting both sides of the pot and thus “scooping” it. For the purpose of this exercise, we’re going to say you scored this miraculous hand and review various flops and how they work with that hand.

Flop One (Decent, But A Bit Weak): 2/7/8 Off-Suit
This is a pretty decent flop, but you really need to temper your enthusiasm about getting a pair of twos. To score a great low hand, you’d need to have two consecutive low cards on the board to make your low hand or an ace to give you the chance to make the best high hand a little more easily. You’ll have to remember that Omaha is a game where a lot more players see the turn and river, so that your three aces are less likely to automatically win like they would in Teas Hold ‘Em. Don’t bother raising or semi-bluffing with one like this, but conservative play may net you some cash.

Flop Two (Strong): 4 (Spades) / 5 (Spades) / 10
Presuming that your ace and two are both spades, you’ve hit the motherlode and you really haven’t hit anything yet. You only need a 6, 7, 8, 2, 3 or A to win the low hand (or a low straight) and you only need another Spade to make the nut flush. For someone to beat you, they’d have to have a full house or quads but with the combination of your pocket cards and the board, you’ve got a situation where you can bet aggressively and get paid out.

It’s important to remember that in Omaha Hi/Lo that your pocket cards are only half the story, so even if you’ve got a killer setup, you’ll need delivery from the board to make it worth while. Something like AA23 double-suited is a veritable goldmine when played properly and you should make sure you look at all angles before committing.