The game of poker exploded in the early 2000's with the advent of online poker and mainstream television show coverage. The game that everyone was talking about and playing was Texas Hold 'Em. A few years on, many players have made good money playing poker and calling themselves poker players, but in truth they have yet to expand their horizons and become true poker players. Looking beyond Texas Hold 'Em to other games of poker players is part of any good player's maturation. This article addresses some key prerogatives to add other games of poker to your skill set. In particular the focus will be on the game of Omaha Eight-or-Better split pot poker.
Simple Decision Making
Players who have played Texas Hold 'Em their whole poker lives look at the rules and structure of Omaha High/Low split poker and figure it to be a much more complex game. Sure, the fact that players get two extra cards in their hand and that the pot is split between the best high and low showdown hands makes the game harder to understand at first. However, as you get your head around the structure of the game itself, the strategical decision making behind playing and winning at the game is a lot easier to master than Texas Hold 'Em.
It is often said that Omaha/8 is a game of drawing to the nuts, and therefore there is a lot less grey area than there is Texas Hold 'Em where marginal situations are usually where profit is made. If you understand some basic concepts of poker such as outs and pot odds then you can do quite well quite quickly at Omaha/8.
Lower Variance and Bankroll Requirements
Poker players often bemoan the financial variance associated with their chosen pass-time. Much has been written on the size of a poker bankroll that a player should have to withstand this variance at a particular betting limit. The game of Omaha/8 has a lot lower variance than Texas Hold 'Em does for two key reasons. Firstly, the pot is split, so on more occasions a player will be winning some money back and not losing an entire pot. Secondly, given that the nuts is often required to win, good players will only be putting lots of money into the pot when they are big favorites to win all or part of it. The lower variance of Omaha High/Low means that players can play at a given betting limit with a smaller bankroll than they would require for the same Texas Hold 'Em betting limit.
Mental Break/Fresh Perspective
Texas Hold 'Em poker can become a real grind after a while. If a poker player puts in a good number of hours every week, there is a good chance that after a long period of playing they are going to experience some sort of burnout. Often the lure of making money keeps them playing even though they aren't enjoying it as much or aren't as sharp. Developing skills in other poker games though provides an outlet for new experience and an opportunity to change things up a bit. The great thing is that if you can turn other forms of poker into winning games for yourself then you are not giving up your profit making while you take a break from Texas Hold 'Em.
A Lot of Players Have No Idea What They Are Doing
There is far less literature and discussion about good Omaha High/Low poker strategy than there is about Texas Hold 'Em. Just do a web search and you will see that the resources available for Omaha/8 players are very limited. Hence, you can expect the average opponent you come across at the Omaha High/Low table to be worse than the average player at a Texas Hold 'Em table. If you put in the time and effort to learn about the game then you will be in a position to exploit these players.
Great for Releasing Bonus
A lot of online poker players make good money just from receiving online poker room bonuses and promotions for playing at particular sites. These bonuses are usually released to players when they have satisfied certain playing requirements, usually measured in raked hands. For hands to be counted as raked, the pot must be of a certain size. Often times in Texas Hold 'Em games, the pot never reaches this level. In Omaha High/Low though, players are striving for two different sides of the pot and action can become quite heated. The average pot size for Omaha/8 at the same betting level is much higher than that of Texas Hold 'Em and therefore bonuses and promotions are released at a faster rate while playing Omaha/8.
Copyright 2007 - Andrew L. Ferguson. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
The Eureka Kid is an up-and-coming young poker player who publishes free poker strategy content. Visit The Omaha Split [http://www.theomahasplit.com] to learn more about the game of Omaha High/Low poker today!
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