Adam
I am a reasonably "OK" omaha 8 limit player (micro limits), but I know I cannot continue to play the same as I move up. Can you give me an idea of raising hands from EP and MP, and things like that? AA23 dble suited is a no-brainer, but the middlin' raising hands confuse the heck out of me, so I usually just call and see the flop...I understand the texture of the game changes many things, I am just trying to get a "feel" for maximizing some of my better pre-flop hands...Thanks
Bobby

Well, Adam may have some more specific advice, and thus I'm sure he'll be back to you on this.

In the meantime, I'd just weigh in with the point that you SHOULDNT worry unduly about not raising enough hands preflop in O8. In the micro limit games online, there is usually enough weak-looseness around the table that sometimes the best way to maximise your good, but not great, preflop hands is to limp in and get as much money into the pot (i.e. a lot of limpers) as cheaply as possible. Typically, these sort of hands would be "one way" sort of hands, that can only realistically hit a big flop in one direction. A hand like A26J unsuited is realistically highly unlikely to make a major high, and if it does there's almost certain to be no low out there. Even suited to the jack, in a loose game, is unlikely to be the strongest flush out there, and is thus of limited high value, when no-one will fold a flush draw. Thus, you want to get in cheap with these sort of hands and give yourself the best chance (if your strong hand hits "one way") to win 1/2 or even a 1/4 of a multiway pot with 5 or more players seeing beyond the flop.

You should also refrain in general from raising high-only hands in these incredibly loose games; you have very limited fold equity and these hands again need very specific flops. Unlike in a tight game, where a "high" (2 high cards, 1 low) flop with 2 pair for you would be enough to bet out and thin the field significantly, in looser games you're likely to be called in multiple spots and high pair/two-pair combos are not worth a lot with the sheer volume of draws out there. If you're going high you need the NUTS or a draw to the nuts, nothing else will do, without a significant low.

Again, with low only hands that are strong (A239 unsuited etc) you might be best limping and letting in multiple callers; the A2 hands are not going to fold to one raise in these games BUT by limping you may let in A3/A4 type hands that'll pay you off a couple of bets with dead lows. You have no reason to push these out of the pot, when you need a specific flop.

Hands that can go two ways generally have makeable high-type features that can also put a card into your low (i.e. a flush feature, A high, that can hit a low flush card to help you both ways, a low straight feature along with your A2, such as 56, with the added benefit of an additional wheel card, or a medium-low pair that can catch a set and give you a nice card to fill your low; note that in these very loose games A288 often plays better than the like of A2KK as a single high pair is unlikely to hold up alone, and if you catch your set in the first example you'll have multiple players likely putting money in the pot to draw to low, when you also hold the nut low draw).

In later positions, when you have a field of limpers who figure to have some raggy hands, you can raise a lot more liberally in early spots with hands like A2xx with a suited ace; you figure to be better than the average hand in the pot, and although you'll be folding many flops, you have good position to raise early bettors for major value on the turn and river if you hit a good board. If you're playing micro level pot-limit, you will have limited fold equity compared to more tight games, and thus the best raises (unlike in PLO high) with good, but not great, hands, may be small "pot builders" of 1 or 2 BBs rather than a full pot raise preflop. O8 is the only game (as far as I know) where, on a loose table, these small "pot-building" raises, preflop and postflop, can often have value.

Anyways, food to thought, I will exit stage left and defer to Mr Cadle to impart his knowledge. I believe omaha 8 is his best game!

Monk
xxxx

ATe likes to raise a lot, in omaha. Don't EVER let your opponents, know that you have an A 2 3, whenever you raise. The essense of raising in omaha, is ONLY to build up a pot, so that if you hit, the pot will be attractive enough, to get the callers.

This is even more important, in B@M games, where the live ones wanna see a lot of chips in the pot.

The last thing in the world you want, is a flop of 2 5 6, with your A 3 4 k suited hand, and no one calls, because the pot was not big enough.

This does not mean that you should raise with mediocre hands, such as

A2 x x

A 3 4 5 unsuited


AK J Q suited only on king


But, ATE likes to raise with Any suited A2 with any wheel card, and a big picture Q or K

A 3 4 suited combo, with good other card, such as 5, 3, 4

Good high card hands, such as A K Q J suited ace

even something like KKQQ should be raised.

All of these hands, have good to great potential. If the suckers are going to play 2 4 6 8

why should they get away with only one bet?

But, you, the good player, will NOT get involved, with inappropriate flops, just because you put in an extra bet, but THEY will.



ATE is available for private tutoring, over the phone, for the great price of 109 for three hours.

Wanna learn omaha, from the MASTER, please cough up the dough.

By the way, If I win with this money, you get all of part of your money back

You just can't beat that.