Myth #1 – Raising With a Low is Wrong

I cannot recount the number of times I have raised with the nut low and players at the table complain about the fact that I was raising with a low.  While the possibility of being quartered is a concerned, unless you are playing the pot heads-up, it should not be that big of a concern.  Raising with a low does several things.  First, it gets more money into the pot.  Many players will make a bad call with a 2nd or 3rd best low in the hopes that someone is going for high.  Next, there are times that a player will fold a weaker hand based on the board.  Let’s say for example you have A-2-K-Q and the board runs out 4-5-6-K-6.  On the river, you raise the low and someone with two pair, and in some cases better, will get out of the way.   What was a sure split may become a scoop due to a bet.

Myth #2 – Never Raise Pre-Flop

Why would you never raise pre-flop.  While it is true that you will have more callers in Omaha Hi-Lo than in other games, you need to raise your strong hands.  If you are dealt A-A-2-3 with one suit raise, your opponent with a 6-7-8-9 rainbow will definitely get out of the way.  If you don’t raise and there are two or more limpers, that garbage hand will try his luck and see if he can flop a monster.

Myth #3 – Playing High Hands Only is Wrong

I once heard Mike “The Mouth” Matusow state that if three or four players are in a hand pre-flop, he will play high only hands since there is a high chance that a lot of low cards are out.  You should consider doing the same.  There are scenarios where you may be facing four hands full of low cards.  If the flop comes high, you likely just flopped the winner.

Myth #4 – Bluffing is Pointless in Omaha

Bluffing is not as difficult in Omaha as you think.  For example, in the earlier scenario, we likely have three or four players hoping to make a low.  Let’s say the board runs out 2-3-K-J-9.  You have 10-10-K-A and hold only a pair.  However, a bet here will likely force multiple if not all players to fold.  The same goes with a bluff bet into a board holding a potential straight or flush.  If your opponent has a weak hand such as a pair or two pair, and you start betting into that potential hand, you can force a bluff.  Naturally, this will work better on players that know what they are doing.  Calling stations are going to call regardless.

Myth #5 – Only Play Starting Hands with and Ace

While it is true that you will need the ace to complete most nut hands, what happens if the board runs out with an ace on it?  Then you likely have been counterfeited.  You need to expand your range of hands.  John Cernuto has been quoted as saying that you should play and three wheel cards.  That is a good tip.  You have three wheel cards, especially three including an ace, you have little chance of getting counterfeited.  Hands such as 2-3-4-K, 2-3-4-5, 2-3-5-K, etc play well when the ace hits the board.

As you play more Omaha Hi-Lo, you will come to realize that the above myths are false and you will learn to expand your game.  Also, many of these dispelled myths rely heavily on keeping close tabs on the board and how the action is unfolding.  Keep in mind what your opponents may have in addition to your own hands.  Do so and you will be on your way to becoming a winning Omaha Hi-Lo player.

- James Guill

The first thing I would do would be to quit playing heads up PLO and focus on the slightly lower than nosebleed stakes games at Texas Hold’em. Isildur1’s stats are clear in that PLO heads up is a major leak for him. According to the Isildur1 pokertableratings.com stats, which are not 100% accurate but poker databases are accepted as a reasonable indication towards a players results, he is in a $2.3 million hole after playing $500/$1000 Heads up PLO. He has also lost a further $2.6 million at $200/$400 Heads up PLO. A $1.4 million loss in Holdem heads up games suggests that if I was Isildur1 and was offered a heads up game at the highest stakes by anyone I would run until my legs could not run anymore. Pride is proving very costly to this poker prodigy.

Why do good poker players simply refuse to accept that they are not able to beat a certain game? It looks to me as though Isildur1 is a player whom admitting to himself that he is a bad heads up player against the very best players would be a good move. He would be around $6 million richer (in theory as we all know what happens when he goes into large profit) if he avoided these games. One look at his stats shows this glaringly obvious leak in his game. Sometimes the hardest thing to spot is the obvious truth, but someone close to Isildur1, and there are those that know who he is if you read the forums must have a word with him and say these games are not good poker games to play.

If I were Isildur1 I would focus more on the short handed Texas Hold’em games as he is a big winner to the tune of $1.6 million in these games which is a great winning rate. The amount of hands he has played (15,000) is not a huge sample size but enough for him to assume he has a decent edge against most people at the $500/$1000 level. The problem for Isildur1 is that he is not bankrolled to play in these games; it is too high for him at the moment although you could say that for most of the other pros too.

Away from the highest stakes cash games I make Isildur1 (by some pretty crude calculations) around $400,000 ahead in the lower end of the high stakes games where he is not facing players like Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey and Brian Townsend everyday. This does not sound much when you consider his massive bankroll fluctuations but would you be happy with $400,000 from poker cash game play? I know I would and if I were Isildur1 I would be focusing at this level where he is a big winner. The kid obviously never stops to think what this money is worth. I would certainly be cashing out some of the winnings and realising just how much better life becomes even with an amount he may perceive as small considering the $5 million that came and went from his bankroll.

Our research above clearly shows that his $-2.3 million current standings need not be the end of his story. He is obviously a good player but he makes terrible decisions. He needs to stop battling the top players because he is not a top poker player. He is a top gambler, but a big loser. This can be changed. If he starts being bankroll savvy and sensible in his game selection this young man, whether he is Blom or not, can live a good life through Poker winnings. Play smaller, earn more. That is exactly what I would do if I was Isildur1.

By Malcolm Clarke

Poker professionals have a bizarre relationship with money. They accumulate it yet they do not protect it. They must risk their livelihood to make a living. Although the regular nine until five job can be a bore it all but guarantees a steady income each month. If you are sensible with your money you will live a monthly routine where you know how much to spend on food, bills, council tax, clothes and entertainment.

When we use the term “professional” when discussing poker players we are wrong to mentally replace what would be a normal wage with a poker wage. If you play poker for a living you will not slowly earn money at the same rate each month. You will have months where you win a lot of money (hopefully) and downswings where you lose money. If you are not somebody who generally has large amounts of savings then this is a requirement of poker. Some people earn $2000 and spend $2000, this is not good poker living.

Many poker professionals go broke regularly. If you travel for poker tournaments you have food, hotels, flights and general spending to consider along with buy-ins. Any experienced poker tournament player knows luck is a big part of tournaments so you must be bankrolled to cope with these expenditures without getting into difficulty. Plenty of players with million dollar prizes to their name live off borrowing from better bankrolled poker acquaintances after blowing all of their money. Often assuming that a player has enough money to do whatever they want is misleading, they are often paying make-up to other players or that large prize they did win was divided among their vast array of stakers.

There are many players to whom playing poker tournaments around the world and partying is their life and this sounds great to someone sitting at home playing online poker before going to work. But many of these players are not financially sound. You need to consider many factors when turning professional. Your standard of living and approach to money is an important factor. Do you use rakeback from lots of grinding as your wage and cash game profits as a bonus or do you grind the sit and go’s to make a living? There are very few poker tournament professionals who do not supplement their income elsewhere. Most have either a business background and earn money that way or are the lucky few that had a great win that allows them some degree of freedom.

If you did win $5 million dollars playing poker consider for a moment what you would do with it. Would you simply pay $500,000 per year travelling the poker tournament circuit and be broke in ten years or less? Many professionals simply play poker without thinking long term. I would question whether their attitude to life or poker can be considered professional.

Before you take the plunge and quit your job even if you are a great online player think about your financial plan. Will you save 50% of any wins for a rainy day? Rainy days happen in poker they are called downswings and come about more often than in standard living. Being professional in your approach to poker means acting in a way that eliminates as much of the gambling as possible. There is nothing wrong with living the high life but question whether you can really afford to act this way if you are making a living from poker. Money is often not easy to come by and expenses associated with poker can be very high.

By Malcolm Clarke

“You can play more Omaha Hands than Texas Hold ‘em Hands”

You certainly can play more hands if you wish but you should be selective in Omaha even though you have four hole cards and the action is more volatile. The fact Omaha is such an aggressive game lends itself to being tight and trying to take advantage of your opponent’s loose play.

Profits in Omaha come from players being able to spot exploitable spots where the hole cards themselves are of smaller importance than the other factors in the hand. There are more hands in Omaha that look nice. AA or a high pocket pair with any other two cards has far more variations in the deck than Hold ‘em. Can you play every single variation? This depends on the conditions of your opponents, position, stack size and the history of the session, but make sure you have it in your arsenal to fold these hands which can be costly in the wrong spot.

“You Cannot Bluff in Omaha”

Yes you can bluff, but you need to be super selective before you try and do so. Over bluffing will be bad for you. Using the big hand/big pot concept, if you are playing a good Omaha player he will usually have a strong draw, high pair or set that has enough value for them to continue in the hand. Bluffing on the turn or river can be dangerous as many opponents will have a hand at this point that has showdown value against a normal Omaha players range. Bluffing is more effective on the flop but do so sparingly. Even in Omaha where aggression is king players will get suspicious if you always bet. No-one hits the flop every single time.

“Pocket Aces is a Great Hand”

Pocket Rockets are a good poker hand, but in Omaha poker you need to adjust the value of hands. Do not simply migrate from Hold ‘em and continue with four hole cards as that is the classic tell of “a Holdem player playing Omaha”. Each variation of poker demands an adjusted mental opinion of each hand. That is what makes HORSE so tricky and good HORSE players so good at poker in general. The value of any hand is game specific.

Aces do not have special powers; they are just a high pair. In Omaha stronger hands win more often that in Hold ‘em. That is why a starting hand like AA78 is strong because you have a high pair plus probably straight opportunities after the flop. Having just the pair is a lot weaker than Hold ‘em because with four hole cards there are more chances for opponents to have a draw to the nuts or a starting hand that is semi-strong but draws to a backdoor hand.

Omaha poker has many more myths than those listed above. You should take as much time to learn the game as you did to master Hold ‘em or whatever poker variation you specialise in. As with Holdem, the hard work will pay off for you. Becoming a top Omaha player is one way to make a lot of money playing online poker.

By Malcolm Clarke

Their dedicated blogging crew will be on the ground at the 2008 WSOP Main Event, bringing you updates, interviews, videos, stories and more about all of the poker action in Las Vegas as the biggest poker tournament in the world kicks into high gear with the kick off of the 2008 Main Event.