Daniel Negreanu: How to Play Omaha Hi-Lo

Having made the switch to Omaha Hi-Lo from Texas Hold'em while playing online, I was excited to find that Daniel Negreanu was covering the game in his weekly YouTube tips video.

Free advice from a Poker Hall of Famer, no matter how basic, certainly can't hurt my game and can only help. Investing 19 minutes of time to get Daniel's thoughts on the subject seemed more than prudent.

Shrinking Win Rate at Hold'em

The move to Omaha Hi-Lo was necessitated, in my view, due to the improved skill level of players in Hold'em at online poker sites. I still play Hold'em, but lately my playing time is about 80-20 in favor of Omaha Hi-Lo.

A decent win rate at 6-man Omaha Hi-Lo SNG tables has kept me going back for more. Add to that the fact that Omaha is just plain more fun and its no wonder that I and other players are gravitating more toward those tables.

Daniel Does Omaha

KidPoker provides a number of tips for Omaha Hi-Lo players such as "don't leave home without an ace" and to be careful with top sets as straights and flushes often materialize. He also warns against slow playing and trying to be coy, as giving away free cards may often come back to haunt you.

Of course, its best to play hands that have strong possibilities of scooping both Hi and Lo pots. Keep in mind, however, that there will be no Lo hand if the board fails to produce at least three cards with denominations of '8' or lower, leaving the Hi hand to grab all the glory.

Watch the video produced by DNegs as he does a good job of analyzing the strongest Omaha Hi-Lo hands to play. He also points out the starting hands that can be categorized as "trashy" and should likely be avoided.

Interested in more Omaha tips? The video below features Negreanu and other PokerStars Team Pros discussing PLO strategy minus considerations for Lo hands. Omaha beginners may want to try PLO first and concern themselves only with Hi hands before delving into the more complicated Hi-Lo game.