With all the T.V. exposure no limit hold has received I have seen a significant drop in the number of “other” poker games, such as Omaha Hi/Low and Omaha Hi only. These were some of the best games in the house with pots four times the size of hold em games and that was the norm. They were also some of the most profitable to play in if you had the right tools at your disposal.

For those of you who don’t know, a high low game is normally played eight or better, meaning you must have five non-paired cards eight and lower. A “wheel”, Ace to 5, is the best possible low followed by a 6-432A. The straight hands go both ways and may scoop the entire pot. The pot is normally divided in two halves, a high side and a low side. So if you had a wheel in your hand you would be assured of winning some money back. You might have to share it with other players who also have a wheel, a very common occurrence. You hand may be very powerful if you had a flush with your wheel, the higher the better of course. Omaha 8 or better is a flop based game where you receive four hole cards and must play two from your hand to make a hand.

To play the game well you need some basics. First, play four cards that work together. An A234 would be a great low hand if you were suited with your ace. AK23 is a great two way hand also if you were suited with either the A or K. AKQ2 is a great two way hand as well, but much better on the high side and stronger still if you had suited or double suited cards. Many players will say that you should go for low all the time and throw away the high hands. Sorry folks, that would be a recipe for disaster. The high side scoops the entire pot if there is no low, isn’t that better than the probable half a pot if there is a low possible. Many boards need a low card on the river for there to be a low and every time they miss someone with a high hand scoops the pot. The hands listed above should all be raised preflop, another mistake the average Omaha player makes is that they for some odd reason like to see flops cheap with bad hands and a profit player will exploit this. These same bad players will see that flop no matter what. They will take those bad cards and call a capped pot in hopes of the deck jumping up and kissing them on the cheek with a magic flop. This doesn’t happen very often though.

Remember to play with four cards that work together and always, always, always have an Ace in your hand. The other three cards should be paint, a K, Q, J or 10 or wheel cards, a deuce, trey, four or five or some combination of the two groups. Go for the high side when ever there is a single or no low card on the flop and fit your hand to the flop or fold. One last thing, draw to the nuts, on either the high or low side or at least be aware if you don't you'll gambling.