Transition from Hold em to omaha

ShaunyT

For some reason I have never, up until recently, played any other variant of poker other than texas hold em (played hold em for about 4/5 years). The last couple of months I have been dabbling in Omaha cash. 

Now this is a kind of brag/advice/curious about other peoples experiences thread.  

I am about £300-£400 to the good from mainly 5p/10p 10p/20p ( I did dip my toe in the 25p/50p and have 1 winning session). I don't know if i'm running insanely hot, that's how it feels. I have only read the basic strategy, not bothered with HiLo and basically played a hold em type mentality with regards to starting hands. I have been fortunate for AAxx hands to hold up quite a lot and have won some really big pots with nut hands vs 2nd nuts etc.  To me the game feels really fun. Starting hands can have massive draws/equity when you get double suited/running hands and I never really know where I am in a hand because lots of things are possible. This maybe makes it quite easy for me to lay down big hands (something my hold em game might be lacking lol).

I just wondered what hold em players experiences of Omaha were? Or I am just the weirdo who didn't play both? I take it swings can be quite big due to the nature of the game? 

I might start an Omaha diary if I start to play it a bit more. Any advice is also very welcome


Shaun 

GELDY

thing i found with omaha is that you really have to focus not so much on your own cards but the villain's. This i found was a good discipline for improving my NLHE play. 

But then i found hilo plo8 and basically gave up playing standard omaha. 

ShaunyT

In Response to Re: Transition from Hold em to omaha:

thing i found with omaha is that you really have to focus not so much on your own cards but the villain's. This i found was a good discipline for improving my NLHE play.  But then i found hilo plo8 and basically gave up playing standard omaha. 
Posted by GELDY

Yeah I know what you mean.

A few players I have talked to at the Omaha tables have said about HiLo being superior to standard. I am obviously aware there is a low hand involved, but its a bit of a mystery to me as to why this improves the game.

Tikay10

In Response to Transition from Hold em to omaha:

For some reason I have never, up until recently, played any other variant of poker other than texas hold em (played hold em for about 4/5 years). The last couple of months I have been dabbling in Omaha cash.  Now this is a kind of brag/advice/curious about other peoples experiences thread.   I am about £300-£400 to the good from mainly 5p/10p 10p/20p ( I did dip my toe in the 25p/50p and have 1 winning session). I don't know if i'm running insanely hot, that's how it feels. I have only read the basic strategy, not bothered with HiLo and basically played a hold em type mentality with regards to starting hands. I have been fortunate for AAxx hands to hold up quite a lot and have won some really big pots with nut hands vs 2nd nuts etc.  To me the game feels really fun. Starting hands can have massive draws/equity when you get double suited/running hands and I never really know where I am in a hand because lots of things are possible. This maybe makes it quite easy for me to lay down big hands (something my hold em game might be lacking lol). I just wondered what hold em players experiences of Omaha were? Or I am just the weirdo who didn't play both? I take it swings can be quite big due to the nature of the game?  I might start an Omaha diary if I start to play it a bit more. Any advice is also very welcome Shaun 
Posted by ShaunyT

Do it!

And if you start a Diary, you'll get tons of advice.

It is really taking off now on Sky Poker, & both versions - PLO & PLO8 - are tremendous fun, with so many things to consider, & the equity of our hands often changing dramatically after every street. (Which is why it is almost never right to "trap" or give "free cards" in PLO or PLO8).

Wonderful fun.  

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Transition from Hold em to omaha:

In Response to Re: Transition from Hold em to omaha : Yeah I know what you mean. A few players I have talked to at the Omaha tables have said about HiLo being superior to standard. I am obviously aware there is a low hand involved, but its a bit of a mystery to me as to why this improves the game.
Posted by ShaunyT

Well that is a matter of opinion rather than a fact, but the attraction to many, me included, is the additional options, decisions & complexity it brings to the game.
 
It can, of course, be quite frustrating to flop a Royal Flush & only end up with half the pot, but it can also be quite satisfying if the you have a bad low & get a chop!

We will often see someone flop the abso buts & slow play it, only to allow someone to get half with the low. So even if we flop the nut high, if there is even ONE low card on the flop, a low chaser still has a chance to chop. 

You can also have "SCOOP" chances, the whole game is about "SCOOPS", so if we have, say, A-2-x-x with nut hearts, & it comes 3-4-5, with 2 or 3 hearts, we still POT POT POT because the low chasers are going to get quartered, so we need to bloat the pot as much as poss.
 
Oh, & if you "park the bus", & play defensoively trying to check call to catch a low, you WILL lose all your money in the long run.  It makes no sense to put money into the pot just to get half back, except in certain very rare situations. (It MIGHT work 4 way, but then again, 2 of the other 3 might have the same low, so its even worse).

You started that diary yet?  

ShaunyT

In Response to Re: Transition from Hold em to omaha:

In Response to Re: Transition from Hold em to omaha : Well that is a matter of opinion rather than a fact, but the attraction to many, me included, is the additional options, decisions & complexity it brings to the game.   It can, of course, be quite frustrating to flop a Royal Flush & only end up with half the pot, but it can also be quite satisfying if the you have a bad low & get a chop! We will often see someone flop the abso buts & slow play it, only to allow someone to get half with the low. So even if we flop the nut high, if there is even ONE low card on the flop, a low chaser still has a chance to chop.  You can also have "SCOOP" chances, the whole game is about "SCOOPS", so if we have, say, A-2-x-x with nut hearts, & it comes 3-4-5, with 2 or 3 hearts, we still POT POT POT because the low chasers are going to get quartered, so we need to bloat the pot as much as poss.   Oh, & if you "park the bus", & play defensoively trying to check call to catch a low, you WILL lose all your money in the long run.  It makes no sense to put money into the pot just to get half back, except in certain very rare situations. (It MIGHT work 4 way, but then again, 2 of the other 3 might have the same low, so its even worse). You started that diary yet?   
Posted by Tikay10

I think my brain just melted.......

Scoops? Quarters? 

Is a scoop where you take the high and low? Is that possible? I'm assuming the quarter is a quartered pot? 

When I said I'd only read the basic Omaha strategy I wasn't kidding lol

ShaunyT

In Response to Re: Transition from Hold em to omaha:

In Response to Re: Transition from Hold em to omaha : Well that is a matter of opinion rather than a fact, but the attraction to many, me included, is the additional options, decisions & complexity it brings to the game.   It can, of course, be quite frustrating to flop a Royal Flush & only end up with half the pot, but it can also be quite satisfying if the you have a bad low & get a chop! We will often see someone flop the abso buts & slow play it, only to allow someone to get half with the low. So even if we flop the nut high, if there is even ONE low card on the flop, a low chaser still has a chance to chop.  You can also have "SCOOP" chances, the whole game is about "SCOOPS", so if we have, say, A-2-x-x with nut hearts, & it comes 3-4-5, with 2 or 3 hearts, we still POT POT POT because the low chasers are going to get quartered, so we need to bloat the pot as much as poss.   Oh, & if you "park the bus", & play defensoively trying to check call to catch a low, you WILL lose all your money in the long run.  It makes no sense to put money into the pot just to get half back, except in certain very rare situations. (It MIGHT work 4 way, but then again, 2 of the other 3 might have the same low, so its even worse). You started that diary yet?   
Posted by Tikay10

I think my brain just melted.......

Scoops? Quarters? 

Is a scoop where you take the high and low? Is that possible? I'm assuming the quarter is a quartered pot? 

When I said I'd only read the basic Omaha strategy I wasn't kidding lol

mac24

Hi Shaun

I too have recently started playing hi-lo and without a doubt it takes a bit of getting used to.

I have to say since I started playing this, I don't really play that much NLHE anymore as I find this a much more engrossing game. Only been playing for a few months and am sticking to low stakes for now, but have won one tourney and third in another, so am well chuffed so far.
 
there are a few threads in the Forum that I have found very useful in getting started - the one by Tikay which includes info on the value of starting hands is well worth a read.


best of luck

regards

mac

ps - tikays thread is called PL08 DYM's, Tips Advice & Help in Sit & Go Strategy forum  here

Lambert180

In Response to Re: Transition from Hold em to omaha:

In Response to Re: Transition from Hold em to omaha : I think my brain just melted....... Scoops? Quarters?  Is a scoop where you take the high and low? Is that possible? I'm assuming the quarter is a quartered pot?  When I said I'd only read the basic Omaha strategy I wasn't kidding lol
Posted by ShaunyT

Yes, as in Tikay's example if we have A2xx with 2hearts and flop was 345hhh, then we have the best high (nut flush) unless board pairs (well, short of someone having 67hh), and we have the nut low (Ace to 5), so if we win the high, we know we're getting 50% of the pot, and the best anyone else can do is share a portion of the other 50% of the pot if they also have A2 so you want the pot to be as big as possible cos we're getting 50% + our share of the low.

ShaunyT

Cheers for the link Mac

And cheers for the info Lambert. I guess I have a problem with HiLo on a fundamental level, I cant get my head round the best hand not winning the whole pot lol!!

Ive had a little bash on 10p/20p cash tonight and won another £8

I think I will start a diary, although im not sure how much i'll be playing.

IDONKCALLU

Imo i play omaha now n then  u got to think  a minimum of a winning hand is going to be a str8 very rarely will a pair or 2 pair win a hand   

and dnt forget if u hit the nuts on the flop doesnt mean it will be good by the river   and if the nuts is out there it possibly is