A Money-making Bluff

An email comes from Robert in Carlsbad, CA.: 'Dear Geno, I am a computer wizard working for a software company in Southern California. I just started playing Omaha High-Low in a couple of card rooms in San Diego and Pechanga.

'The game absolutely fascinates me. Being dealt four cards instead of two makes it much more challenging and interesting than Texas Hold'em which can get boring. One of my friends who has been playing Omaha for quite a few years tells me it's impossible to bluff in Omaha High-Low. Is that true?'

Dear Robert: Your friend is almost right.

Unlike Hold'em, Omaha High-Low is a much more mathematical game where you you know how many outs you have in order to have the 'nuts' hand. Because each player receives four cards instead of two and there are five on the board, there are many more combinations that can beat you. That is why Omaha High-Low players must concentrate on cutting down the odds by raising and eliminating players.

The most money I ever won in a poker tournament was in an Omaha High-Low Tournament in Tunica, MS. I distinctly remember two hands that I won with busted drawing hands. In one case, I faced only a single player and in the other, there were two.

To win with a bluff in Omaha High-Low is anything but easy. In order for a bluff to work on the river, you need to know your players. A bluff rarely works against a good player. It can work against a novice, but it's still risky. Here's how it worked for me.

I use what I call the four points system when I raise in Omaha High-Low before the flop. Let's say I am dealt A-2-3-K, double-suited. In order to make a raise under the points system, you must have four points. A-2 is one, A-3 is two, A-4 is three, A-K suited is four, A.

We were midway through the tournament with about half of the 283 beginning players remaining when I raised with this hand. There were only two callers and I missed the flop completely. The board looked terrible and when the players checked, I came out betting. Both called.

Fourth street didn't help. They checked again, and I bet. One threw his cards into the muck and the other player, a female, called. She appeared nervous so I surmised she was on a draw. Fifth street paired one of the cards on a board. She checked, I bet, and she threw her hand away. I won a sizable pot that helped me prevail and win the tournament and over $40,000.

I have said this before and I will say it again: poker is a game of people, not cards. Of course, you want the nut hand. But if you start out wanting a Mercedes or a Lexus and wind up with a lemon, you had better learn to make lemonade.

The other pot in the tournament that I won with a bluff ironically involved the same woman and another player. Both were short stacked and I had accumulated a big pile of chips. Again, I started out with four low cards double-suited, no pair.

The flop was similar to the first flop. Fortunately, I had position on the other players and again came out betting. Luckily, I had a strong table image and had made some miraculous hands in the earlier betting. The other players were reluctant to call me because on showdown, I invariably ended up with the winning hand.

With the raises and bets, the pot was a big one and when I fired in my chips like I had the nuts -- I had a busted flush and a busted low hand -- both players folded. I rewarded the dealer with a smile, a wink and a generous tip after the tournament was over.

Obviously it helps if you have pocket aces when you raise in Omaha High-Low. This gives you an out for the high if you completely miss your flop and many players will give you credit for having a high pair when you make a raise. When you are in a tournament situation, you pretty much know the quality of the other players at your table. If you are facing a good player, forget about bluffing. Your chances of making a bluff work are about as good as Donald Trump saying something nice about one of his opponents in the GOP Primary Presidential race.

So to answer Robert's question, bluffs rarely work in Omaha High-Low. But when they do, it's one of the sweetest feelings in the world. Next question, please?

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter. If you have a unique gambling story to share with him, you may qualify for a cash award. Send your story with all the details to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).