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High-Low Split Poker for Advanced Players

by Ray Zee

General Concepts

In games where people play approximately correctly, you must play not only correctly on the flop but also very tightly before the flop. Notice that there are two different strategies. In a really good game, the primary strategy is to play correctly and tightly on the flop. In a game that is not so good, you still have an edge as long as you play fewer hands before the flop than your opponents.

When playing low-limit Omaha eight-or-better, if you are simply the tightest player both before the flop and on the flop, you have a significant edge. However, if the game is fairly good, you will cost yourself a lot of profit if you play too tightly before the flop. For example, an ace-deuce in a loose game is almost always profitable, even if your other cards are nothing special. This is because if the flop gives you a low or a draw to a low, other players with ace-trey or deuce-trey will draw to the second and third nuts.

But if the game is reasonably tough, your ace-deuce loses most of its profitability, since other players won't be drawing to the second and third nuts as often. And when the low does come, you may have to split the low half, plus there will be fewer people to collect from. (Even so, an ace-deuce is usually still worth playing.)

Because Omaha eight-or-better has the same structure as Texas hold'em, and because even reasonably good players tend to find reasons to play certain hands, if you just play tight before the flop, you will beat even the toughest games. (This should change as more people study this text.) But remember, in the looser games, you will cost yourself some profit.

There is a lot more play to this game than there appears to be. For example, if someone bets, you might need to raise to squeeze another player off a low draw when you also have a low draw. Even though it doesn't seem that you can knock out an ace-deuce draw, sometimes it doesn't pay for an opponent to draw after the flop. Consequently, if he plays well, he just might throw away his hand. (This works against only a few very good players.)

Even before the flop, you sometimes must make plays like reraising to knock out players behind you so that you are last to act. It is very advantageous to have the last position. It also is often good to be first to act. Problems can occur when you are in the middle.

The idea is to play hands that can develop into two-way hands, where you can either scoop or three-quarter an opponent. For example, suppose you have

Notice that this player can make a higher straight than you can make, plus you can get quartered by tying for the low with some other player. Again, there is a lot more to this game than just playing technically correct.

The hands that tend to do well are those containing ace- deuce and ace-deuce-trey. Having a suited card with the ace is also beneficial. In a lot of spots, four high cards do well, because if this hand wins, there probably will not be a low.

Three big cards that include an ace, plus a deuce or a trey, are also good hands. But if the other low card with the ace is not a deuce or a trey, you should throw the hand away. For example,

Also, note that when two low cards hit the board, all high hands go way down in value. Assuming that you win the high, you are now likely to split the pot if another low card comes.