Omaha High/Low:

HAPPINESS IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

BY: Russ Fox

"Money doesn't always bring happiness. People with ten million dollars are no happier than people with nine million dollars."
- Hobart Brown

You're sitting in a nice, juicy Omaha high/low game (say $6/$12 with a kill to $12/$24). You just won the last pot, a kill pot, so you've posted the $12 kill. It's also your big blind, so you're acting last. Everyone at the table calls, and you look down and see an ugly mess: 27TK. Well, it's free (so to speak), and you check. The dealer lays down the flop, and you look twice to make sure you haven't missed anything: 89J. You flopped a straight flush and you will be winning the high (and scooping if there's no low). And the small blind bets! You call, someone raises (!), and seven see the turn of an offsuit Queen. You know you're going to scoop the hand, and then, the alarm rings….

This month, though, I am not going to talk about good games (that hand, if it really occurred, would be the sign of a great game); instead, I'll be talking about games to avoid. Here are some things that you do not want to see.

1. Rocks in quantity at your table should make you nauseous. When you sit down in a game, and every flop is heads-up, that's bad. When it's heads-up and the players ever so slowly nudge their chips into the pot: that's worse. And when the winner mentions that he almost didn't play his A234 because he was only single suited, that's worse. You can make money in this game but you're going to do it at a rate of 0.1 chips per orbit. The only times I'd play such a game would be either to pass time or in a must-move situation (when I knew I'd be able to get into a better game).

2. Your table is composed of real experts and yourself. You sit down and notice that everyone has a bracelet. Not just any bracelet but a world championship Omaha poker bracelet. You ask yourself "Why are they playing in my $6/$12 game?" Their reason is irrelevant; you immediately remember a previous appointment, dinner, etc. and get out of the game quickly. (There is an exception to this: if you wish to learn. But I assume that you're more interested in winning.) Remember one of the cardinal rules of Omaha: a game where everyone plays well is an awful game. (There's another rule, too, that comes into play here: if you don't see the sucker look in a mirror.)

3. The dealers can't deal Omaha. Omaha is a slow game under good conditions. It's also a difficult game for the dealer (most pots are split; reading the board and hands can be difficult; etc.). But if the dealer is having a problem and that's the best dealer in your club, choose a different game. You'll go bananas by the end of the session.

Here are a few things to look for and/or use in evaluating the Omaha games:

1. Look for a Table that's Having Fun. There are always losers, but if the losers are happy, they're likely to keep on losing!

2. Look for a table where a lot of players are seeing the flop. This is really obvious - the more players seeing the flop, the looser the game. Mike Cappelletti says you should look for a game where five players are seeing the flop. I don't look for a specific number; rather, I'm able to sense how loose and/or tight people are playing (I've been doing this too long).

3. If you see the loosest players racking their chips and/or leaving, nothing forces you to continue to play in a game if you no longer like the game. You play in a great game for an hour, winning a rack. But then the two loosest players look at their watches, remember their dinners with their spouses, and head off. And you see two local rocks taking their places. You notice that the next five names on the board make the two new rocks (in the game) look loose. It's time for you to remember your spouse and treat him or her to dinner with some of your winnings.

Game selection is just applied common sense. Play in games you can win in (there are no guarantees), and have fun doing so. Don't upset the applecart and treat everyone in your game with kindness (even as you try to take their money). In the end, you'll come out a winner.

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