Archive for May, 2010
Figuring the Nut Low from the Available Flop Cards
Posted on14. May, 2010 by admin.
Figuring the Nut Low from the Available Flop Cards
In a game of Omaha Hi/Lo you often hear the term “nut low” in reference to the lowest possible hand that can be formed from the board cards available. This is not in reference to any “squirrelly” play, but merely a determination of the range in which the lowest hand can be formed. If the board holds 9-7-6-K-J then the “nut low” for that board could only begin with the 9, utilizing the 7 and 6 in combination with your two hand cards to form your final low hand.
Since the winning hand must beat 976??, you would then use the two lowest possible cards in your hand to finish the run. A 1 and 2 would give the best “nut” at 97621 which would beat anyone else unless they could also match the 1-2 combination to tie your hand.
Rather than focusing at first on your lowest possible hand, try to determine what the “nut low” for the hand will be. As example, 8-6-3-Q-A on the board would mean that you would get a better low hand with a 2-4 in your hand than if you had a 1-2, 2-4 giving you a final low hand of 84321 whereas the 1-2 would leave you with 86321. The Ace duplicated (or counterfeited) you could not use both of them to end you hand with a ???11.
When all else fails, rather than call your hand at the showdown, just present your cards for the dealer to read. Since Omaha Poker statistically provides big edges, even a bad player can pull off some spectacular pots just as an experienced player can still lose for the same reason.