Double Board Omaha High Rules and Basic Strategy

Rules of the Game

Double Board Omaha High is typically played with a limit structure where two boards are dealt and the winner of each board gets half of the pot.  It is not an incredibly popular variant; however, it is often spread in mixed cash games in Las Vegas during the WSOP.

Action can be fast and furious because Limit Omaha High on its own often plays very loose and with two boards involved many players will have possibilities.

Basic Strategy

Starting hand selection is important as it is in Limit Omaha High, however, some hands go up in high value while others go down.  Big pairs go up in value because you have more than double the probability of hitting top set.  Then when you play strongly post-flop you also have an opportunity to win the other board by limiting the field and possibly winning the other board with your big pair as well.  Two big pair in the hole is a very strong holding and suited at least once it is a monster hand.

Somewhat speculative hands such as suited ace hand (e.g A♠ J 9♣ 6♠) that doesn’t really have anything else going for it or less than premium rundowns such as 9 8♠ 7♣ 4♠ are examples of hands that go way down in value.  They are quite marginal with one board but with two boards it is very hard to hit the board twice thus you will often be drawing to just half.  Only premium rundowns would seemingly be profitable with two boards, in particular being double suited is very important.  Suited aces require some other value; either accompanied by high cards, a pair, or have some straight possibilities.  In general though, split pot games call for a slightly more snug set of hand standards and this game is no exception.

On the flop and turn it will often behoove you to play aggressively especially when you have a nut draw on one board and some piece of the other one as well.  Most of the time pushing is the right play to increase your chances of scooping or at least winning one of the boards.   However, there are times to pull such as when you have one or two nut draws but not even a pair to go with them.  Of course sometime you can raise for value with strong draws on both boards when it will probably not knock anyone out.

Further Learning

There are none either online or written that we know of so be on the lookout for more material in future on countingouts.com.