Some Thoughts About High-Stakes Omaha Eight-or-Better

In this column, I am going to discuss specifics regarding high-limit Omaha eight-or-better. For purposes of definition, we will consider "high-limit" as $75-$150 and higher. Most high-limit Omaha eight-or-better games are played either $80-$160 or $75-$150 with a kill, changing the game to $100-$200, $100-$200 with a kill to $150-$300, $150-$300 with a kill to $200-$400, or $200-$400 with a kill to $300-$600. The kill is a third blind put in when a player "scoops" (wins the entire pot). In some cardrooms, the kill acts in turn (my preference) and in others, the kill has last action. This third blind, or kill blind, both raises the stakes and creates additional action, and must be taken into account when evaluating starting-hand requirements, position, and betting strategies, particularly preflop.



The other arena of high-stakes limit Omaha eight-or-better is found among mixed games. Most games today among high-limit players, $300-$600 and higher, tend to be multiple games – usually three or more, and sometimes as many as six – and Omaha eight-or-better is frequently one of the games that is chosen. Very rarely is a kill or third blind introduced when Omaha eight-or-better is played as one of multiple games.



It's also important to remember that when played as a single game, it's more likely that the table will be full (nine players), and when played as one of several games, the table frequently has fewer than nine players and is often shorthanded (three-five players).



In a brief column, it's difficult to cover all of the strategies and important items to consider in the different scenarios outlined above, but I will try to point out the key elements. Two common factors that apply to all high-stakes Omaha games – whether shorthanded or full, whether limited to Omaha eight-or-better only or multiple games, or whether played with a kill or without – are the speed of the game and raising before the flop. What I mean by speed is that these games are played very, very fast, probably twice as fast as middle-limit games ($10-$20 to $60-$120) on all streets. The players, regardless of skill level and experience, make their decisions very fast, and even the inexperienced player tends to get into the rhythm and will act much faster than he ordinarily would. If a player is not prepared, this can lead to a lot of mistakes. If you are going to play in this game, be prepared, and "buckle your seat belt." The other common thread that distinguishes high-limit Omaha from low- and middle-limit Omaha is that the overwhelming majority of hands are raised preflop. If you are going to play for these stakes and usually play conservatively with high-quality starting hands or marginal speculative starting hands, and expect to see the flop cheaply, you will be in for a rude awakening.



I now would like to discuss specifically the full-table Omaha eight-or-better only game, which tends to be played with more players (more likely a full table) and is likely to be played with a kill. As mentioned earlier, this game plays very fast, with virtually every pot being raised, and frequently has two or more players who are Omaha eight-or-better specialists. It is at this level that position becomes almost as important as it is in hold'em. For example, playing high cards only from early position (not in the blinds), not knowing how many players are in the pot and not having any indication of the likelihood of the deck being rich in high cards, thus being unable to make assumptions about scoop potential for high-only hands, can be dangerous. However, such hands in late position can be very playable, raisable, and reraisable, depending upon the knowledge gained from preceding action. For example, if a player just to the left of the big blind has called or, more likely, raised, and one, two, or three additional players have come in and you are holding four facecards, hopefully with one or two flush possibilities, assumptions can be made about the low holdings of your opponents and the likelihood of the deck being rich in high-value cards. A disjointed or high flop could well coordinate your hand, and put you in excellent value-betting/bluffing position. Because so many hands are raised and so many hands are played with kills (the previous pot was scooped, thus raising the stakes; more than 50 percent of hands are scooped), there tends to be less "chasing," and aggressive play is rewarded, particularly on the turn.



Due to the skill and experience of the players at this level, as well at the stakes and the frequency of the third blind, a high percentage of the hands are reraised to a third bet preflop, and far more frequently than at the lower stakes, four-bet in order to create heads-up or three-player pots. For example, if the pot is raised in front of you and you hold A-3-6-K with a suited ace, it's a far better play to reraise (three-bet) and hopefully play heads up against the original raiser than to call, which most Omaha players tend to do. Folding is also a better play in this situation than calling. You also will find situations in which an ace with another wheel card and a high pair, such as kings or queens, will three-bet from late position with only one raiser in the pot, hoping to shut out the two blinds or the two blinds and the kill, if applicable. It's this kind of thinking that one has to have in one's arsenal when playing in the "big game."



It should be obvious that due to the frequency of preflop raising, players are forced to tighten up their starting-hand requirements, and therefore fewer players see each flop. In a full game (eight or nine players), it is common to have only three players, and sometimes four, see the flop. Very rarely do five or more players see a flop. Because of this, the best hand on the flop tends to be the best hand on the river, and there are fewer "suckouts" and miracle draws. If you are an Omaha player who never met a hand he didn't like, you'd better live under a lucky star or bring lots of money.



When Omaha eight-or-better is played as one of multiple games, the game does change somewhat. It still is played very fast and most pots are raised before the flop, although due more to the shorthanded nature of the game. All other things being equal, there tends to be a little more preflop calling than in the kill game. Because those who play the game tend to play all games, but are not necessarily experts at Omaha eight-or-better, I find that the starting-hand requirements are somewhat more marginal. Now, although the oftentimes shorthanded nature of the table allows for more marginal starting-hand requirements this can often lead to bad habits that you don't want to develop. In these games particularly, the importance of having an ace in your hand goes up even more, not just because of the two-way nature of the card, but because of the skill and know-how needed to take advantage of how to play the card in relation to the exposed cards on the board, your position, and your opponents. If you are going to play in this game, you had better be able to read your opponents and be able to take full advantage of and utilize the value-bet. This is not a game to be playing check and call. The key street for value-betting is the turn. The bets have doubled and you have to know if you are playing to scoop or to split, and if you are on offense or defense. You do not want to be calling on the turn to catch a card to get one-half of the pot. If you are calling on the turn, you should believe that you have an excellent hand for half and a draw for more.



In conclusion, I would like to leave you with two fundamentals of Omaha eight-or-better that, if you are going to play at these stakes, have to become your mantra. This is a game of flushes – not of straights, not of sets, not of full houses. This is a game of scoops, not of splits. I also would like to leave you with a few tips to help your pocketbook. If you are the first one in the pot before the flop, in my opinion, you should usually raise or fold, not call. On the river, if there are three players left and it's bet into you, and you have a high and a low (not the nuts either way) and want to call, it's OK to do so if you have the second-nut high and the second-nut low. Otherwise, either raise or fold. This is the only time that it is appropriate to call.



You can contact Mark Tenner at http://www.cardplayercruises.com/. He, along with Lou Krieger, is the author of Winning Omaha/8 Poker.