What features make a good O8 hand?

In Omaha High/Low 8's and better (O8), as in straight Omaha high, the strength of a starting hand is dependent on numerous features. These are the game structure (limit/pot limit, fixed or max buy-in), the type and quality of opponents, and (by far the most important) the constituent features of the hand itself.

The first step - game selection! Game selection in O8 dictates that the best games to play are relatively passive, weak games with many players seeing the flop. In a ten handed game, this usually means flop % of 50% and more, with players seeing the flop generally a sign of a decent, beatable game. In a pot limit game you don't want to see a lot of check-raises and other tricky plays, but you DO want players who will chase a naked one-way draw for pot-sized bets. Ideally you want to look for a table where preflop raising is very rare (although if there's 6 or 7 players seeing most flops for a raise, this is less important). If the game features a very low buy-in (for a pot-limit game) you want the table to be even more passive as there's less opportunity to chase or make marginal plays when implied odds are so low. Overall, the looser the table, the looser your starting hand requirements. I would suggest that a VPIP (voluntary putting money into the pot) percentage of around 20% is somewhere close to the personal figure you'll want to be looking at in most passive games. In more tight-aggressive O8 surroundings, this could fall down to 15% or so but you don't want it to drop significantly below that. Anything above 25% would be considered excessively loose unless about 75% of the table is regularly putting money in preflop. Anything above 30% is probably too loose for nearly all game situations, and anything above 40% is downright fishy. On pot-limit (PL) tables with bigger buy-ins and a lot of large stacks (giving strong implied odds) you can see a few extra % of the more marginal hands but don't go crazy. You can be slightly looser in the typical unraises PLO8 pot as pot sizes tend to be bigger and the hands that can win by hitting VERY specific pots have greater implied odds than at a limit table, HOWEVER, if the PL table is tight and difficult to get calls from post-flop, you should not add additional hands so much for implied odds but for potential to steal on drive-bluffs post-flop in GOOD position.

What makes a good hand? So, what hand features are you looking at in this game? The first rule is that in O8 you make the most money by SCOOPING and THREE-QUARTERING pots. You are NOT looking for hands that can win half a pot, but hands that CAN win the whole thing. The bi-directionality of the game is such that there are very few truly good O8 hands that can't win BOTH ends of the pot (high and low). The few playable hands that have no bi-directional equity are the "high only" hands which are looking for flops of high cards that don't put out a low, and thus have a shot at scooping a one-way pot.

ACE-DEUCE Well, the best 2-card feature in O8 (or at least the one that wins the most money in multi-way pots) is A2, which makes nut low whenever a low is out (three board cards below an 8) where an A or 2 doesn't arrive to counterfeit your low. There are VERY few extremely good O8 hands which DON'T contain A2 (I'd go as far as to say there are NO extremely good O8 hands that don't contain A2 OR AA). A2 without much help from the sidecards is generally a limping hand only, and one that heads-up you might even consider dropping in a PL game to a pot-sized raise (although I'd call it in just about any situation to a single raise in a limit game). Lots of types of sidecards work well with A2. You're liking high-orientated cards that can spike high straights and flushes (A2KJ double-suited would be a very useful starting hand, with equity to win high a couple of different ways and the A2 low feature), and also to a lesser extent low cards that are likely to make a straight or 2-pair type hands when you make your low draw (for instance, A267 isn't fantastic, but the 67 are hardly garbage because a LOT of flops that give a made low or a low draw will also make you either two pair for high (6's and 7's) or put out a straight draw, giving you equity in both directions). However, the best features to go with an A2 are: a) A high pair (this gives good equity for high in a SHORT-HANDED pot, especially. Some players (me included) would advocate raising strongly in PLO8 with hands like AQQ2 in LP in order to resolve it into a more short-handed pot with good equity for you to win both directions, PROMOTING the strength of your high pair by reducing competition. HOWEVER, many would prefer to limp with that hand and hope to hit a set of queens and/or low draw, and scoop a BIG pot. A lot depends on the table-type, but I'd say raising these hands is rarely a bad move even if several callers come along for the ride. They are very strong). b) A suited ace. Not a monster feature on its own but in a fairly dry A2 hand at least this gives SOME high equity. Although not fantastic, hands like A268 with a suited ace may readily be raised in late position (LP) after a group of limpers to escalate the size of the pot, if you think they'll all call. Hands like this figure to be better than the average limper hand, especially on loose tables, and may scoop a big pot with some reasonable ways to make high. However, usually this hand would only be limped. I would probably raise this only in a loose-passive limit game with a lot of limpers in LP. c) Another low (wheel) card. This is an oft-underrated feature in this game. It's useful to know that after a low-draw flop (say, 68K) with your A2 hand you're 15% more likely to hold a low by the river if you have another playable low card (3 or 4 being the main culprits, although a 5 may play in a short handed pot where it seems clear your opponent(s) have high-orientated hands). Also, with a third wheel card, a lot of low draws and made lows on board will give you a straight draw for high as well, giving you more of a 2-way hand. A289 is much, much weaker than A239. A2 MAY be a great feature, and the basis of most truly strong O8 hands, but it doesn't play so great heads-up. In general, with MOST A2 hands you want the pot to be built up (unless you have no real shot at high) and multiway. Do whatever you can to achieve this (i.e. limp or make small raises in the earlier seats, make pot-building raises later on, or merely limp in to give no info about your hand; raising SPECIFICALLY to bet players out of the pot has little place in O8 in MOST situations (I'd only do it in a tournament, or when holding AA or perhaps KK in addition to a major low hand) and is not a smart move with A2).

ACE-TREY A3 hands play a little like A2 hands, only they're much weaker. The chances of another player in a full 10 player table holding A2 when you hold A3 are slightly better than evens; thus, to make the nut low you either need to force out the A2 by betting heavy when you hold a very powerful high hand, or by getting lucky and one of the other 2's hitting the board. Drawing to non-nut lows in O8 is generally bad news, unless you have some equity or drawing strength to high as well. A3 is still a nice feature though, and I'd usually play it for a limp with an extra wheel card or two, or if it carries some of the other strong features recommended with A2 hands above. A357 is a playable hand, you can make some decent lows and a low-orientated board is likely to give you a straight draw of some sort. The worry with hands like these it that you're liable to be drawing to non-nut hands, and thus in pot-limit games with heavy betting they can be seriously costly trap hands. A simple rule to follow is never to draw to A3-low as your ONLY out, but consider it as an additional value in a hand that has some means of drawing to high (or a high that is already playable).

OTHER LOW FEATURES Other low features are much less strong. Hands containing 23 are only playable in correct positions, if the odds are good to see a flop, and if there's some help from the other cards. 2345 looks great (plenty of straight and low equity) but you NEED to see an ace to have any realistic shot at low in a multi-way pot and any straights you make are unlikely to be nut ones, so really it's only just about limpable in great position and with several callers. Something like 23KK with double suits to the kings is much more playable, as you have a couple of shots at high and a decent low feature (although once more BEWARE non-nut draws in this game, especially in pot-limit!). It is rarely a good idea to play these sort of hands for a raise unless the odds are good (2 or 3 callers, minimum, and decent implied odds) and you should proceed with caution. Beginners especially should beware these hands, and make liberal use of the "fold" button post-flop when they're unsure of where they are in the hand. A4 is another big trap feature in O8. You need to hit TWO cards on the flop (2 and 3) to make the nut low or nut low draw, so it's a lot weaker than A2 and A3. A4 almost never wins low without a 2 or 3 on board, unless the pot is very shorthanded. Even when shorthanded, it's likely to have been a raised pot so an A2 or A3 is probably hiding there somewhere. That said, A4 is not complete garbage and may be a useful addition to a decent high hand that might just be limpable in the right conditions or in the blinds (I would consider investing one bet on this hand if I had something like AQJ4ds in late= position, as it's easy to get away from if you DON'T hit, but with a very specific flop might turn into a fairly strong holding. Beware that this hand is pretty much garbage, though, and you need to be a decent player up against some goons with big stacks to make this a playable hand). Again, you should beware that A4, like 23, is no sort of holding on its own and should be mucked without a second thought unless you hold VERY strong side features in good position. As a low, though, it's better than nothing.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION! Virtually all other low-orientated features are so weak they're barely mentionable. You might consider playing "any three to a wheel" in late position with a ton of limpers, or in the blinds, as again with a very specific flop these can hit pretty hard. A hand like 2459 is pretty much garbage though, that said. 2356 has a better shot at low and is more connected for straight-hitting purposes. Very weedy low holdings like A5, A6, 25 etc etc are basically worthless in multiway pots but might just play for low (as a BACKUP and NOT something to directly play for!) in a heads-up pot. This is why sometimes in a small buy-in game it's not too bad to play something like AA56 for a big re-raise, to isolate one player with a hand that is looking strong for high and may make an emergency low if your opponent's A2-type hand (most likely) counterfeits on the board.

A NOTE ON 6'S and 7'S The middling low cards (6's, 7's, 5's etc) are not much use in most hands BUT in hands with lots of other low cards they can play a role in winning you high. This is an oft-overlooked aspect of strong low hands. A246 is a fair bit better than A249 because it's more "two-way". That is, the 6 plays no role whatsoever as a low card BUT if you flop well to your low draw (35K, 57J, 58Q etc etc) the 6 means that you'll nearly always have some equity for high in the shape of a straight draw. WITHOUT A2 or perhaps a GOOD A3, there are really NO hands containing these middle low cards (5 through 8) that are playable, even for a limp. You will lose little equity folding pretty much EVERY hand that contains one of these cards and no A2, A3 or AA (with suits).

A NOTE ON 8's 9's and T's These cards are the typical "bricks" of this game. Although they are all occasionally played WITHIN hands, they very rarely are part of a strong hand and are usually major detriments to an O8 starting hand (the only noticeable exceptions would be wraps including the ten (TJQK) and hands that have three strong cards with a limpet on the end, like A238 etc). It's often been said that you lose little by folding every time you see a 9 in your hand. I wouldn't go that far (in fact I'd play for my stack every time with AA29) but these cards certainly have little to recommend them and without major help from your other cards they make most hands very muckable.

ROCKETS AA is probably the second best feature in O8 (although AA actually owns more pot equity than A2 in a straight heads-up battle, A2 is better in multiway pots and plays in a more clear-cut manner). HOWEVER, AA is not a hand in itself, and is weaker than you'd find in straight omaha high (because of the bi directionality of hi/lo). In fact, an AA hand with no playable side features should be passed, it's not even really limpable. The good news is that nearly all AA hands are playable because they mostly include side features. Obviously the ace is a monster card because it plays strongest for BOTH ends (i.e. it's the highest AND lowest card). Thus, throw a 2 in with your AA and you have a nut low drawing hand with the biggest possible pair for high. If it's a pot limit game, you can play for your stack preflop (if anyone gives you chance) with this alone. You're favourite over everything except another AA2. Throw in another wheel card, and you still have a strong enough hand to play aggressively (although I wouldn't get too excited about AA5 etc, unless you can get all in preflop in which case you're likely a marginal favourite over a maniac overplaying A2 etc.). Rockets play strongly in "high only" hands as well (see later section on this). You'll need a suited card or to (to give you one or two shots at making a nut flush), another PREMIUM pair, and/or some broadway cards, and they become a playable hand. HOWEVER, as a high-only hand you DON'T want to be raising. You want to see a cheap flop and bail if you don't hit a very strong high with no easy low out. AAQJ with one suited ace is very playable, but you want a multiway pot with lots of limping NOT something that's short-handed. This is one of many O8 hands that needs a SPECIFIC flop to do the damage (any high only flop, a flop that hits the flush, or an ace, will be what you're looking for here). Without the big flop, this pretty looking hand will quickly become a liability. So, unless you have the big wheel card, AA is usually best limped. With a big shot at low (AA2, AA3 and maybe AA4), you can be more aggressive with this hand if you like, or (some would suggest) with an utter monster like AA23ds, keep it cheap and let in some callers for (hopefully) a collosal scoop. Unlike in holdem, it's not really an error in O8 to let in callers when you have a strong starting hand, so don't worry about doing so.

GOING HIGH High-only hands are about the last playable type of hand that you should worry about (pretty much everything i've not covered should be mucked!). Because of the bi-directionality of O8, when you've got no equity for low, you need a much stronger high hand to limp in with than you would in straight high omaha. One nice way to judge is to look for at least TWO ways to make the nut high. That is, if you have AQQT with a suited ace, you can hit a nut flush, a set of queens or a broadway. This is a good high hand and you should usually play it unless there's a ton of raising preflop. Another occasionally quoted rule is to look for hands with 4 cards 9 or better, although I'd suggest you need to be a bit more choosy. 9TKQ is a bit of a raggy hand in O8; I'd like to see either a suited ace or king, a double-suited high wrap hand (e.g. 9TJQds), and high pairs in my high hands. I'd play something like KKQTds, but fold something like AKJ8 with no suits in MOST cases. Basically, if the high hand contains no cards below a 9, and would be raisable in straight high omaha, it's usually playable in O8. Some handy rules.. a) A big pair is a strong feature going high only BUT is not a hand by itself. Big pairs should ALWAYS be mucked even for one bet without SIGNIFICANT additional high help. b) A suited ace is a strong feature (kings and queens less so as a lot of ace hands will be played in O8, thus you can't be sure a K or Q high flush will be good). c) Big wraps are very nice. d) Mid-high wraps are NOT good because a lot of the flops that connect with them also put out low cards. 89TJ and 789T are examples of these. If you connect your straight draw on the low side, a low board will be out (2 or 3 low cards) and thus these hands lose a LOT of value and should generally be folded. e) You are looking for hands that can SCOOP (win the whole pot) by winning high; that is, hands where you're looking for mostly high cards to hit the flop to allow you to win. Hands that need low cards to win high are much weaker. f) These hands are good because you can get away from them easily if you miss; like a low pair in holdem, these are fit or fold - you either paint a big flop with your hand (I would consider something like top 2-pair an absolute bare minimum, though, with no flush or straight draws; otherwise, you're looking at nut set, nut flush, big draws with 12 or more outs and no low possible etc etc) or it's in the muck. Thus the implied odds with these hands are good, in both limit and pot-limit. g) A good rule is to look for at least two relatively easy ways to make a nut high hand with no low cards required. h) Don't raise with high only holdings. Although they are good, they actually DON'T hold as much equity in the pot as you'd expect against a group of random hands; they also don't play so well in shorthanded pots. Thus, as with all hands that need a very specific flop, it's best to keep it cheap until you've seen a flop and invite limpers to swell the pot size for you putting money in to chase weak low hands that won't bother your high-orientated holding.

OMAHA HIGH: A GOOD MODEL FOR HIGH ONLY HANDS? Players with some background in omaha high should note that certain hands that play fine in this game are NOT good "high only" holdings in O8. Any hand that contains low-making cards, or needs low cards to make a high hand, and which does NOT include A2 or A3 etc, is likely to be a liability in O8. 6789ds is a strong hand in omaha high, but in the high/low game, any flop that makes a decent straight will put out a low, and you'll be playing for half the pot, which is a horrible situation to be in. You should basically fold hands like this in every spot on the table unless you get a free look from the blinds (and even then proceed VERY cautiously!). Also, marginal high only hands (say, TTQA with no suits) that look pretty but have few ways to make the nuts are pretty marginal in this game and should only really be played if the odds are EXTREMELY good, or it's free to see a flop. I would usually go as far as to fold this hand in the small blind.
Raise or call? The reason for raising in most games is to remove competition (promoting the strength of your hand) and increase the amount of your stack in the pot (reducing the implied odds of the chaser). In O8, however, the strength of limping hands on a loose table is often very weak; they're virtually putting dead money in the pot. Also, you often need to hit a specific flop for a big SCOOPING hand, and you generally want opponents in to pay you off. Thus, raising in O8 is almost exclusively done NOT to reduce your competition, but simply to increase the size of the pot. Indeed, because you're often drawing to a hand that needs to hit the nuts or strongly in both directions, AND because you want players to draw (and pay off) non-nut hands, it's in your interests to keep as MANY opponents in the pot as possible. This often means you should limp early (or make small raises to build the pot when you play a reasonable hand), or, if there's multiple limpers to you late on, raise in good position with the propect of multiple calls. There are very few hands that actively want to REDUCE competition going into the flop; these exceptions to the rule are almost exclusively the AA hands with decent low draws (AA2, AA3, AA4 etc) which win more in both directions with a more short-handed pot, and which are favourites over any other hand in a heads-up battle. In fact, it's often said that raising preflop in O8 is simply not necessary. Personally, I like to raise the level of the battlefield with my best hands, and put in a few more chips preflop (this has the added advantage of opening up more chance of making a drive-bluff down the line and winning the pot without flopping too strongly). You don't really need to raise ANY hand preflop to be a winning O8 player, however, and I think in general there's nothing wrong with being a little more patient. The best raises are those which keep interest in the pot high but allow you to make a larger move on the flop (if it's favourable) by increasing the pot size.

A few hand examples..

AA23 double suited: Best hand in the game. Always play (of course!) and strive to get in chips preflop (but don't scare off callers, as this hand decimates most others in a heads-up duel or even a multiway pot; there's not a situation this DOESN'T play well in!).

A268 suited to the ace: Marginally playable. Any A2 with some sort of high feature is always worth a look. The suited part is nice here, and the 68 (though weak as side-cards) can always hit an ancilliary straight draw or pair to the A2. A lot of O8 pots are 3/4ed by players holding a mediocre high (two or even one weak pair) when both players are betting on a nut low and forced out the high draws. You could fold this to a pot-sized raise if heads up, but I think this is strong enough to see a flop with for all but the tightest of rocks.

A3K9 suited to the 9: This is probably foldable in many spots, although a loose player might consider it playable. This is about as weak an A3 hand as there is. You have very little high equity and so I'd probably muck this hand everywhere but the blinds or very marginally the button with a few limpers in.

KKT9 suited to the K: This is a very marginal high hand. Although a king makes a strong set, the straight and flush possibilities of this hand are limited. Again, only play with VERY favourable odds and muck in most, if not all, circumstances. Might take a look from the small blind.

AA5J double suited: Not a great low holding but this is a monster high hand. Many would limp and hope for a massive flop (I would in a limit game) but in a pot-limit game I might hope for a raise (either if i'm in late position, or by limping from an early seat) and try to narrow the field to heads-up by making a big re-raise. This plays great heads up, despite the weak low. It's fine also to limp. This hand is too strong to fold, though!

A345 suited to the 5: A pretty clear limp. This needs to see a deuce and then you're looking good with most flops. Little high equity, but the chances of making a wheel or some other decent 2 way hand is good enough to look up a flop.

A299: Again, a limp. 99 is not a great feature but at least it's something for high. You never know when a small pair (or a set, if you get lucky) will be enough to win the high when you're playing off against another low hand. I'd call a raise with this, although play it carefully because this is a hand which can easily be quartered against a raiser.

A45T suited to the T: This is a bit of a trappy hand; you have three to a wheel, an ace, and a suited feature, but really you're drawing very thin. I'd see a free flop from the blinds and perhaps limp late on with implied odds or in a multiway pot, but you require a VERY specific flop here and your hand doesn't really play two ways (in fact it barely plays one way!) so I'd suggest a tight player might fold this. Don't get trapped with low holdings weaker than A2 or A3.

23QK double suited to the queen and king: Just about limpable in a multiway pot. Again, you have some marginal holdings in either direction. You are looking for a very specific flop, but either of the two aces suited to your hand would be lovely to see (giving you a probable low draw and helping your flush features). I wouldn't call a raise, without a stack of callers, though I would certainly consider defending my blind heads up with this in an aggressive limit game. In EP if the table is aggressive I wouldn't wish to call a raise out of position so would probably muck this.

A789 double suited: This is pretty much garbage and should really be mucked. A cheap flop from either blind would be reasonable enough, but your high features (the flush and straight draws) are not too great and will probably generate a low, whilst your low is so weak as to be absolutely immaterial. Don't pay a single bet with this cheese.

A3KK single suited to the K: This is a reasonable hand with some equity in both directions. I'd never raise with anything like this (unless it's a tight game and I'm first to speak late on, in which case a semi-steal raise might be useful). If I hold A2 here instead of A3 i'm much happier with this holding and might make a legitimate raise, but here if you raise there's too much chance you'll find yourself up against an A2 hand and be drawing with marginal hands in both directions. Again, you might cold call a raise with this if the odds are favourable, and I would consider playing it heads up with position to one raise, although out of position it could be a tricky hand to get right.

KQT9 double suited to the K and T: This is a so-so high holding that's worth seeing a flop. I would call a moderate raise in good position with multiple callers, as it's easy to get away from if you don't hit. The T-high flush and single gap in the hand make it rather weaker than, say, KQJT with the Q and K suited, which can stand a raise much more comfortably. Fold on the flop unless you hit a biggie.

A24K suited to the ace: This is a little stronger than it looks, the 4 giving you much more for low and a better chance of hitting a wheel or other low straight, and the suited ace giving you a little equity for high. I would still only raise it if there's a fairly large field limping to me in LP, however.

3456 double suited: Dispense this hand in the direction of the muck. Makes no playable low withou an ace AND a deuce on the flop, and makes a lot of high hands that are likely to be second best.

QQJJ single suited: This is a so-so high hand with two ways to hit a decent set. Straight and flush draws are dangerous in O8 though (someone usually backs into one whilst chasing a low, and a high flop is likely to put one on board), so your chances of scooping with this hand are limited. I would limp but proceed very cautiously. This is a tough one to play so it wouldn't be a major error for an inexperienced player to wait for something better.

Conclusion More so than in omaha straight high, preflop hand selection is a massive tool in this game. Play tight and smart preflop, and it'll make postflop decisions so much easier. Playing marginal hands before the flop for a single limp can be a big leak for an inexperienced player; you'll find the flop and later streets presenting much harder and less-clear cut decisions than if you concentrate on playing with the big guns. Don't raise very often, and if you're playing good players mix your raises up a bit (on poor tables I make small raises with drawing hands and big ones with AA-type holdings, and hands like A2KK which play nicer in shorter pots; good players will pick up on this so on better tables I make more blind steal raises with a wider variety of hands and almost never raise in EP). Position is not as much of a factor in O8 as in most other flop games, but should still come into consideration. Raising is a much stronger play in the last three seats, as you may buy the button and take control of the hand, as well as the usual result of escalating the pot size. Keep thinking about the game, and read some good books. If you're a complete newbie, look up Ray Zee's excellent split hi/lo book (which also covers Stud8), if you've played a bit before (or once you've read Zee) look up Michael Cappelletti's excellent literature. I'd also recommend Lou Kreiger, Bob Ciaffone and (online) Adam Cadle to be good references for O8 information. There's a lot of conflicting views about how to play this game (more so than any other) and so you should be THINKING about the game at all times, and trying to get beyond the ABC thoughts of a rudimentary player into the real nuts and bolts of how this game plays. It does seem complicated at first, but with a bit of thought and application, for a smart poker player, it can be one of the highest earning and lowest variance games available online, especially at the low levels and limits. A good O8 player can make at least 150% of a similarly skilled holdem player at a given level of play; this, at least, makes it a highly attractive game to learn. If you enjoyed this article and found it useful, check out my PLO high literature and bio, and the Bet the Pot Omaha forums. Feel free to send an (optional!) referral my way for any online poker sites you're planning on joining! And, last of all, in omaha 8, don't leave home without an ace!

by Monk (Ian Berry)