Play to Scoop
Most of your profits in Omaha Hi Lo come when you “scoop” a pot, which means that you both the high hand and the low hand.
A scoop occurs when you have a hand like Ad 2d 10c Jc and the board is 3d 4d 5d Ac 7s, and none of your opponents has a low hand to tie your A2345 or a better high hand to beat your A2345 straight.
Scoops occur when players are patient and selective about their starting hands, only playing those that give them a legitimate shot at winning both the high and low portions of the pot. A hand like Ad 2d 10c Jc is a great scooping hand, as you not only have the best starting hand for the low portion of the pot (A2), but you have multiple ways to make a strong high hand, including a diamond flush, a club flush, and a straight with either your A2 or J10.
On the flip side, a hand like Ac 2h Kd 9s is actually not that strong, as you’re realistically only playing for half the pot in most situations, the low half. It’s tempting to play, if you focus only on its nut low potential, but you should actually fold this hand if facing a big raise pre-flop. The same is true of a hand like 5c 10h Kd Ks. The kings look great at first but you can only win the high half of the pot, as you have no low draw whatsoever, and even the high half is doubtful, as you have no backup draw to a flush or straight, just a pair of kings.
Winning Omaha Hi Lo players are patient enough to wait and only play hands with strong scooping potential, as you’ll lose money in the long run if you insist on playing hands that only can win half the pot.
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