Split-pot games like Omaha hi/lo (also known as PLO8) are even more action-packed than pot-limit Omaha (if that’s possible!). Omaha hi/lo offers canny players an edge over the inexperienced, just as long as you follow some basic rules…
- The key difference between PLO and PLO8 is that in hi/lo the pot is split between the best high hand and the best low. However, there MUST be three cards ranked Eight or below on the board for there to be a qualifying low, otherwise the high wins the whole pot as in normal PLO.
- Don’t slow-play and be wary of overplaying vulnerable hands like naked flopped sets and straights. However, if you have the nut high hand you should generally try to jam the pot and charge your opponents to draw to the low.
- Straights and flushes do not count against you for the low, therefore A-2-3-4-5 is the nut low and can often be good enough to win the high as well, especially if it contains a suited Ace so you can draw to the nut flush.
- You should be playing to scoop (win the whole pot) rather than playing to win half. This is key in PLO8. If you are only drawing to the nut low you could be up against an opponent holding the nut high with both high and low redraws. Basically this means that you will get quartered (only win a quarter of the pot) as the high will take half the pot and you will split the other half with the best low – not good.
Starting hand requirements
While every showdown in PLO8 will always have a high hand winner, there will not always be a winning low. Your focus for starting hands should reflect the fact you are looking to scoop. This means premium PLO-high starting hands like double-suited Broadway rundowns aren’t as valuable. Middling rundowns are even worse, as a hand like J-10-9-7 is never going to win the low and is speculative when it comes to the high.
The best holdings have strong draws to both high and low hands. A-H-H-L and A-L-L-H (where L is Five or below and H is Ten or better) suited gap connecters make excellent starting hands, as do double-suited big pairs like A-A-K-K to A-A-T-T. The hi/lo nature of the game means that hands like A-A-5-5 down to A-A-2-2 are now also premiums as are A-A-4-5 down to A-A-2-3. Rundowns like A-2-3-4 up to A-4-5-6 are good hi/lo starting hands especially if double-suited. However, hands like A-7-X-X or A-8-X-X where your other cards are uncoordinated middling-highs will just get you into trouble.
Naked A-2-X-X hands are worth a look if you can get in cheaply, but should not be overplayed out of position, especially if your Ace isn’t suited.
Now we’ll move onto some hi/lo fundamentals and the strategies required to cruise through the early and middle stages of a Sit & Go.
Early stages – tight is right
A lot of players tend to limp-call in PLO8, especially at the lower stakes, which means you end up playing a lot of flops. As such, picking your spots and starting hands carefully is a must. In early position you should be playing premium hi/lo starting hands like A-A-2-2 to A-A-5-5, A-A-K-K to A-A-T-T, top rundown hands like A-2-3-4 to A-4-5-6 (preferably with a suited Ace) and mix it up with the odd PLO-high double-suited Broadway rundown/big pair hand. Play tight for the first few levels and let the clowns knock themselves out while drawing to a quarter of the pot.
When you find a hand you want to see a flop with in early position you are better off limp-calling, even with a monster, as it is almost impossible to check-raise a large enough portion of your stack preflop to shove the flop. Even if you can, during these early levels when the blinds are low you have no preflop fold equity and will find people chasing draws and calling to the river with any mixed bag of spanners. Raise to thin the field, but be wary of committing a large portion of your stack unless you have the made high, both the nut high and low draws, or a massive nut high draw if there is no low.
Middle stages – opening the throttle
As the blinds begin to increase, so does the size of the pots. At this stage of the tourney it is possible to either check-raise most of your stack preflop or get it in on the flop. This is where your tight image will come to your aid; consider limp reraising from early position with your big hands to thin the field. Not only will this increase your fold equity, you also get first stab at the pot. Be aware though, PLO8 is a game with very little bluffing, so if you totally miss don’t be afraid to abort mission and conserve chips, unless you are already pot-committed.
Raising and limp-reraising with big Broadway hands now becomes viable, as you can bet a large enough portion of your stack (40% plus) to provide you with fold equity against the players left still to act.
Once you’ve made it to the late stages of a PLO8 Sit & Go, your play will depend very strongly on the size of your stack. Like any Sit & Go, the bubble and endgame are where you should be looking to punish the opposition if you are the big stack and pick good spots to make your stand if you are a medium to short stack. Let’s have a look at the sort of hands should you be going to war with.
If you find yourself with a medium or short stack on the bubble you are ideally looking for a hand that plays well both ways, with draws to both a good high and low hand. However, because there is often no qualifying low, you should lean towards hands with a good chance of making a monster high so you can scoop and chip up. The low is more like an insurance policy, as 30% of the time there won’t be one anyway. Any Ace – especially if it’s suited – gives you a card that works for both the high and the low and you shouldn’t be afraid to commit yourself preflop, especially if you think you can get others to fold.
Going for gold
If you are the big stack as the bubble approaches you should be taking shots at the short stacks with a wide variety of hands – especially if you find two low cards and two high. At worst you will be a 60% dog and you only have to hit once to eliminate the opposition. You are the one who should be doing the raising though – don’t call off your chips. Don’t go playing draws for all your chips unless you have your opponent well covered. You should however be playing your redraws very aggressively, especially if you think you are already ahead. For instance, if you have the high locked up then jam the pot and make your opponents pay to hit their draws. You should also be looking to take down pots preflop with well-timed three-bets and large position raises. If you lose a couple of large pots when the blinds are high then you may have tighten back up again and look for those hands that can go both ways.
Endgame
Even in PLO8 position is still key, and you should be playing your button aggressively even after the bubble bursts. Force opponents to play big pots out of position and ramp up that pressure. If you are second in chips you’re in a tricky predicament and should only be playing back at the big stack if you have a) a premium hand, and/or b) decent fold equity. As the short stack you have little to lose and need to get your chips in before you fade away.