This series began with an introduction to Omaha high-low with an 8 qualifier for low, known also simply as Omaha/8.

The key to beating low-limit Omaha/8 is to avoid certain traps. While the strongest two-card combination in your hand is ace-deuce, a mistake many players, even those who have played for a long time, is to fall in love with it. What they forget, of course, is that an Omaha starting hand consists of four cards. That produces six possible two-card combinations, of which the ace-deuce is only one. Getting too attached to this holding is one of the traps that can cost you big in Omaha/8.

If you don't have backup up with those two cards, do not raise with them, nor should you come in cold for several bets. Remember, a low is even possible with only about 60% of the boards, and you can get counterfeited easily or quartered. So better to have something working with that supposedly wonderful starting-hand combination.

For example, you start with ace-deuce and no backup, and the flop is 6-5-3. Wonderful hand, right? You've got the nuts. Now comes an ace. Do you still like your hand? Someone who has deuce-four is going to take the whole pot from you. But how about if instead you started with A-2-6-7, maybe double-suited. If the 6-5-3-A on the board includes two cards in the suit of your ace, you've got an awful lot of draws for the whole pot. Let's say no one has that deuce-four. A four on the river gives you a six-high straight and a wheel for the whole pot, but even if someone does have deuce-four, you still can get three-fourths of the pot. Anyway, that's an extreme example, but getting quartered because you started with ace-deuce and nothing else is not.

So, very important, be careful of lows without backups. This doesn't mean don't play them in the right spot; it does mean tread cautiously.

Another trap to consider:

High hands need to be very strong to overcome the approximate 30% pot equity loss to low. That's why the bare kings with no complementary cards described in the last article are unplayable.

You may wonder about my having said that if a low is possible by the river about 60% of the time, how does a high hand lose only 30% of its value to a low hand?

Simple math. The low gets half the pot, and half of 60% is 30%.

More traps:

Traps often come up on the flop. For example, flopped straights are trouble, unless you have redraws. Those redraws ought to be to a flush, full house, the nut low or maybe second-nut if it isn't so likely the nut low draw is out. When you flop a straight with nothing else, you are hoping that the board does not pair, a flush doesn't come, and that higher straights don't come in. And that's only for half the pot. That's an awful lot of hoping, and yet you often see players putting in many bets on these holdings. Yes, sometimes they win half of a monster pot; more often, though, they put in lots of chips and withdraw none.

Another: An unimproved set is a likely loser, but you'll see many optimistic players push them to the end, and then moan about their bad luck. There are many combination draws that are more powerful than a flopped set. Flopping bottom set, or even middle set below nine, is a problem. If you fill up, you will likely face a better full house. If you don't fill, then the set is likely to lose to a straight or flush. All you can do with such a hand is meekly call along if there's not much action. If there is action preflop, remember you should not have been there for the flop unless you had a coordinated hand. K-K-x-x, no. K-K-A-Q, yes, particularly if the ace is suited with one of the other cards. Draws to the nut flush are good. Draws to any other flush are generally not.

And here is the biggest trap in the small game:

A loose Omaha-8 game is a game of the nuts. The winning hands are usually the nuts or close. Players lose a lot of money drawing to non-nut hands. You'll see lots of pots won by less hands, of course. This is because so many Omaha players stay in on almost anything. Give some players two little cards, with only one on the flop, such that they need perfect-perfect for the low, and they'll be there all the way. So the low half of a pot might end up going to far from the nut low because everyone else going for low had sense enough to get out. And, of course, someone who plays such a hand may make his low and lose anyway, because someone who was going for high with a reasonable hope backs into the low with side cards he wasn't really serious about.

The author wishes to express his thanks to RGP regular Stephen Landrum for considerable help on Omaha/8.