Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better

Pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better is still frequently played.

Basically, a winning strategy in this game boils down to selecting the same kind of hands, except for added emphasis on the high hands, hands with redraws to still better hands, and high hands that can back into lows.

Most of the time, the pots are raised and reraised fairly early in the hand, and the play becomes heads up.

In this case, high hands will take the majority of the money if played properly, and high hands that also have low possibilities, as well as flush potential, are exceptionally good.

Thus, if you get outdrawn on the turn, you still can win half the pot or possibly redraw for high.

Bluffing in a limit game is fairly futile, unless you are heads up or the game is very tight.

In looser games, there is little bluffing, with the possible exception of making a bet or a raise to slow down the action on a later round.

However, in a pot-limit game, the bluff comes up frequently, since you can raise or check-raise someone’s bet three times, assuming that he bets the pot.

Also, betting the size of the pot makes it tougher to chase with a marginal hand.

Consequently, you will need much stronger hands to play as the pots get bet and raised.

You almost always will get poor odds to try and draw out. So if you don’t have the best hand, chasing is usually wrong.

As a result, pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better is probably a dying game, because the players who play too loose will get cut up too much and too fast.

They won’t catch enough miracle cards to survive. When playing pot-limit, the check-raise is very strong.

By check-raising, you can raise a lot more and shut someone out of the pot a lot easier than by just betting.

Sometimes it may not even be necessary to have the best low, since you might be able to drive out the best low.

Your check-raise could force the player with the nut low to put his whole stack in if he wants to play, and he may think he will get quartered.

If you have a low hand and check, the player with the other likely low will check, the likely high hand will bet, and you can check-raise.

A good player will fold, since it looks as though you also may have the nut low.

In fact, he will know to do this, because he does not want to put all his money in and get quartered.

In a limit game, It is difficult to knock out someone in this spot, although you sometimes should try it.

The most likely exception is early in the hand when there is not much money in the pot.

The better players will be more inclined to fold.

Thus, pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better affords a few more bluffing opportunities, which add to the skills required to be successful.

But the game should play much tighter, and only position in relation to the button, but also – and even more important – position during the hand as you fall in relation to both the high and the low hands.

Introduction / Automatic Play

High Versus Low in Three-Handed Pots / Loose Games

Multiway pot Versus Short-Handed Play / Scare Cards

Getting Counterfeited / Getting Quartered / Playing Against Steamers

Playing Against Tight, Solid Players / Your Playing Style

Fluctuations / Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better / Afterthought