Card Player Magazine , available in print and online, covers poker strategy, poker news, online and casino poker, and poker legislation. Sign up today for a digital subscription to access more than 800 magazine issues and get 26 new issues per year! Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better (O8) is probably the third-most popular poker variant in the world (behind Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha) and is fundamental to learn if you ever want to start playing mixed games. As a community card flop game, it helps break up the draw and stud variants that otherwise tend to dominate many rotations.
For those of you who have not been exposed to O8, it is a split-pot game in which everyone is dealt four cards and the object is to make the best high hand along with the best ace-to-five low. A qualifying low must be an eight or better and if a low is not possible or none of the players make one, the high hand will scoop the entire pot.
The best hands to play are low oriented holdings that also have high potential and thus a greater ability to scoop the pot. For example, suppose you have A 2 3 9 on a board of 4 5 7 10. Against an opponent holding A 4 6 8 who currently has the nut straight, you are a 60% equity favorite since you have the low side locked up and are freerolling for the high with your flush draw.
Low hands also have playability advantages on low flops (those with two or more low cards) and can often get better high hands to fold. In other words, low hands will tend to over-realize their equity relative to their opponents.
For example, suppose from early position you open-raise A 2 3 9 and an opponent calls from the big blind with K Q Q 10. With four cards ten or higher and suited at least once, this is a clear defend, however any high holding will be greatly devalued whenever two or more low cards show up on the flop.
If the flop comes down as 3 7 8 […]
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