REVIEW
By
my reckoning, limit Omaha High-Low Split
(or Omaha8, as it's sometimes called)
is the third most popular form of poker
played in the United States. One might
not suspect this based on the relatively
small number of books on the topic. One
of the difficulties in analyzing this
game is finding a way to cope with the
large number of degrees of freedom as
a consequence of each player starting
with four cards. Therefore, it seems natural
to use computer simulations to attempt
to gain insight into this game, and this
is the approach taken by Bill Boston in
his book, Omaha High-Low: Play to Win
with the Odds.
Boston
starts the book by explaining how he arrived
at the figures in his book. He used Wilson
Software's Turbo Omaha High-Low Split
to evaluate the results of Omaha8 starting
hands against a representative field of
players. The author says he selected "tight
player" profiles to perform his evaluations.
I really wish that he had provided more
details on exactly what profiles were
used. This lack of specificity makes it
extremely difficult for someone to attempt
to verify or expand on his work. Further,
I'm not sure that one would always want
to evaluate one's starting hands based
upon this particular profile.
Boston
slowly introduces us to is results in
support of his recommendations regarding
hand selection, table position, the value
of flush draws, the value of connector
cards, and playing later streets. There
are places where I'm not sure I agree
with the author's ideas, and I'd like
to see to what extent his numbers would
change as player profiles change, but
I found some real insights in the information
presented. I intend to take another look
at some of his data to see whether or
not it supports some of my own conclusions
regarding Omaha8 hands, but since all
the data are present, I have the opportunity
to do this.
About
two thirds of the book is taken up with
the statistical tables that are the result
of Boston's simulations. Fortunately,
readers don't have to perform their own
analysis of all this information in order
to gain something from this book. Boston
has condensed portions of the data into
a few tables that are easier to digest.
For example, he lists 50 hands that don't
contain an ace that his simulations say
are profitable, hands with an ace and
deuce that aren't profitable, and his
top 100 most and 50 least profitable hands.
On top of an already solid strategy, these
charts can assist a player in finding.
By no means is this a good first book
for players who want to learn to play
Omaha8, nor is it the most important.
I believe that it is, however, likely
to be a useful tool for Omaha8 players
who already have some experience with
the game. At the same time, the book has
some pretty significant flaws. Despite
the author's claims, 100,000 trials per
hand is a lower sample size than I'd like.
I disagree with some of Boston's interpretations
of the data and many of his strategies.
Plus, as I already said, it's really too
bad that a complete explanation of the
methodology wasn't provided. Basing poker
strategy on computer simulations can be
a risky venture. Even though I believe
the data in Boston's book could have been
compiled better, that doesn't mean it
isn't useful. I would expect that serious
students of Omaha8 will find its contents
valuable.
Capsule:
Computer
simulations are a dangerous basis on which
to base poker strategies. Nonetheless,
with the right perspective, they can be
very valuable tools. Omaha High-Low:
Play to Win with the Odds provides
some good supplemental information that
could be very useful to an experienced
Omaha8 player. While the book has some
problems, and it certainly shouldn't be
the first, only, or primary book for Omaha8
players, I believe it would be worthwhile
to serious students of the game.
Nick
Christenson
Gambling
Book Reviews
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