Beating th OH8 Tables

There is really 2 ways to beat this game depending on who you are playing with. You can either play this kind of like a game of razz, and just hope to back into something that will scoop. Or, you can try to put yourself in a position where your opponents are trying to draw out just to get their money back.

the second strategy above usually entails playing some high cards like k-k which I would normally say is a "no no" for beginners. There is too many sticky situations where they will misplay a high pair, and its really not a strong hand to begin with in this game. It's strong point is what i said... you can get into a situation where everyone is drawing just to get their money back.

You could probably beat the low stakes games with either strategy, although I think the first is likely to be more successful just because of all the poor play. As you move through the limits, you'll have to learn how to playing some high cards if you want to do well.

One of my friends who I respect a great deal in poker discussed Omaha Hi/Lo with me the other day. Now me an this guy play a lot of poker together and hang out quite a bit off the felt. However when were away from it we don't discuss much strategy as that's not really his thing.

However the other day he says: the key to beating Omaha Hi/Lo is to play for the high and get out of hands where there is a low.

This might have been the first thing he's ever said poker related I completely disagreed with. Now I'm not sure how the big games are played because really there isn't that many big Omaha Hi/Lo games ever played. The typical game is $4/$8 w/ half kill as a ton of casinos spread this and nothing higher. This is a game about freerolling opponents. Yes something you'll be freerolling the high such as Broadway with a flush draw or broadway with a set, but more often then not its going to be a wrap with the low completely locked and make a flush draw in there that's going to make the money.

I'd be curious to see if anyone else thinks the key to beating this game is the high pots. The guy who told me this has been making a living at cards for years, but he's a NLHE cash game player who has come onto the tournament scene on fire. I don't know his O8 experiance but I question it after our brief discussion.

Both theories are far too simplistic, game type makes all the difference in O/8
If you'r in a game where 7 people see the flop with no raise, that's much different than 3or 4 in raised pots. In low stakes O/E I think it's just play much better starting hands than the table (both high and low), don't chace, and see you at the river.