Omaha High-Low: Play to Win with the Odds by Bill Boston   Omaha High-Low: Play to Win with the Odds by Bill Boston was the first book I ever read on Omaha H/L. It was a great book for me to find at the time. I was new to Omaha H/L and looking for solid information about the game. I have since then read a few more books, and this remains one of my favorites and the one I read and recommend most.   The book can be divided into two parts: the written how-to part in the beginning and the statistical charts in the back on each starting hand. I feel that the charts in the back of the book are worth their weight in gold, especially to the beginning player.    Part One: Written Text   The front section of this book, which contains tips on Omaha H/L, is very well-written. The information he covers includes reading other players, trap hands, and playing A-2. He also covers how to play each type of hand (e.g. flushes and connectors) and playing turn and river.   Bill Boston backs up his advice with numbers percentages (for those of you who are number-oriented). For example, 70% of hands dealt will be suited or double-suited and that a straight will lose more than 50% of the time to a flush or a full house. He also does an excellent job of reminding us to be aware of playing for half the pot and the consequences of doing so.    Part Two: Starting Hand Values   Bill Boston conducted an analysis of every starting hand in Omaha H/L and published the results in the back of his book. The software he used for his analysis was Turbo Omaha High-Low Split by Wilson Software. For every starting hand, Boston ran 100,000 (or more) simulations to come up with his data. He states that the results are based on 9-handed play and "games in which players have high starting hand requirements and are aggressive with their good hands after the flop." Therefore, he takes into account action before and after the flop. Turbo Omaha is a great program for this.   For each starting hand, his charts list a hand ranking, win/loss value, and the winning percentages for high, low, and scooping the pot. He also shows the percentage a hand will part or all of the pot. It is interesting to note that the best starting hand in Omaha H/L, AA23 double-suited, only wins part or all of the pot 42% of the time in a 9-handed game.   In determining each hand's value, all one has to do is look at the win/loss column. Of course, there are other variables to consider, such as position. These charts are rich sources of information!!    Conclusion   I’ve read many books on Omaha H/L, and this book tops my list. Much of the information in here is already known by professional Omaha players, but I strongly believe that this book offers something for everyone. His tips on Omaha are very insightful, and his analysis of every starting hand is an extremely useful reference.   Some great additions to this text would information on tournament play and more betting strategy, but I feel he appropriately does not cover these topics, as this book is filled with more solid information on playing the cards.   There is a new version of it that came out in 2005. It appears to be a smaller size, but I prefer the old 2002 spiral-bound version, as it is 8”x 11” and would be easier to keep open on the desk in front of me.

	Hoyle Casino 2003- Computer Software by Sierra   I bought Hoyle Casino back in 2003, because it looked like it had some great games in it, and it does. Since then, a new version has come out, but in looking at the reviews online, there have been minimal additions. The 2003 (or even later) version can be found in the budget racks for around $10, and is well worth the money. I have spend hundreds of hours (I know, get a life) playing this program.   Overview   The games included are Baccarat, Blackjack, Caribbean Stud, Craps, Horse Racing, Keno, Let It Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Roulette, Slot Machines, Three Card Poker, Video Blackjack, Video Poker, Poker, and Poker Tournaments.   Each new player starts with a bankroll of $5000. Statistics are kept on each player's bankroll, so you can see how much you won at poker, blackjack, etc. Changeable options include game speed, amount of opponents' speech, facemaker, sounds, and who your opponents are. The tables have a plain green background, which is easy on the eyes.   Poker Games   I am only going to review the Poker games. They are Texas Hold Em, Omaha, Omaha H/L, 7-card Stud, 7-card Stud H/L, 5-card Draw, and 5-card Lowball. Each game can be played as a ring game or in a tournament.   The ring games are offered at various dollar amounts from $5/$10 to $1000/$2000 blinds. All tables are 7-handed tables, including oneself. There are 10 different opponents, each with a bio and playing style. Some of them are very bad, and some are very good. Even though there is a lot of raising, before and after the flop, the play is very competitive and realistic.   The poker graphics are nothing to write home about. There are no-frills and no 3D animation, but I like the simplicity, green table background, chip animation, and sounds. I also like that you can control the speed of the game. This means that you don't fold then wait forever for the hand to finish like some other computer casinos.   Tournaments   All seven poker games can be played as tournaments, which I love. There is also a tournament called the Triple Crown, which consists of three rounds: Omaha H/L, 7-card Stud, and Texas Hold Em. Unfortunately, the major drawback to this software is that the tournaments are Limit only.   There are 5 buy-in levels- $1000, $5000, $10,000, $25,000, and $50,000. A player must win a tournament at the previous level to be able to play at a higher level. So you just can't jump into a $5000 tournament to try to increase your cash and create a new player if you lose.   The tournaments are played in three rounds, with increasing blinds every 7 hands. The first round is 14 hands, and the top 3 players at your table advance. The second round is 28 hands, and the top 2 players at your table advance. The final round is played until there is one player left standing. The blinds never really become overwhelming until late at the last table. I love the final table play here. Even though it is Limit, I have found it very helpful, as one must stay ahead of the increasing blinds. One by one, the other players get knocked out, and if you're lucky, you'll get to play some heads-up action.    Final table players all win the amount of the buy-in, while first wins 30X, second wins, 10X, and third wins 5X the buy-in. If you get too tired or interrupted, you can exit the casino in the middle of a tournament and be able to pick where you left off in a later session.   Conclusion   Overall, I really enjoy this software. It is no-frills animation, but I enjoy the simplicity. The tournaments are quite realistic, challenging, and offer good practice. However, they are Limit only. Another drawback is that there are only 7 players to each table, which makes it somewhat easier to win. There is a lot of raising, and some players seem to never fold. However, this can use to your advantage if you figure out who the bad players are. Be prepared to spend hours playing these tournaments, as they are great. I feel this program is well worth the $10 you can find it for.

	Some Omaha Stats   A2- something to think twice about   AA23 double-suited wins all or part of the pot only 42% of the time.   Your nut low will be counterfeited 25% of the time. If you survive to the river, you have a 14% chance. Having backups as "insurance" is important, the lower the better.   If you hold an A2, there is a 37% likelihood that one or more other players have it too.   If you hold A2 (and no other lows cards) and are counting outs to make the nut low, don't forget to subtract the number of cards that can counterfeit you (i.e. the remaining AAA and 222= 6 outs that will ruin your low).   Just because you have an A2 in your hand doesn't mean you're in the money, especially if they aren't suited or if you don't have draws to other hands. All of these unsuited A2 hands are break-even or losing hands in the long run:   A222        A27J A227        A27Q A228        A289 A229        A28Q A278        A29Q A279        A29K A27T           Playing low   There will be a low 60% of the time, but you might have to wait until the river card to get it.   Being quartered will not hurt you if there are 4 or people in the pot, perhaps even 3 if the pot has been built up by other people's money. If two other people have the nut low, you each get 17% of the pot.   Continually playing for the low with no high hand to help out results in depleting your bankroll   61% of the cards in the deck qualify as low cards.   If you have 2 low cards in your hand that can't be counterfeited and 2 other low cards hit on the flop, you have a 41% of making your low. If the third low doesn't come on the turn, your odds go down to 37%.   If you hold an A4, you have a 2% chance of getting the 23. It's better if the ace is suited, but not too much better. A4 can be a trap hand. Be careful.   Do not hold an A5, A6, A7, or A8 in hopes of winning the low. These hands are better if they are suited or double suited and have other draws, but still nothing to write home about.   Odds are better than even that an A, 2, or 3 will hit on the flop.    Playing high   Straights will lose 50% of the time to a flush or full house on the river.   Flushes will lose 25% of the time to a full house on the river.   What wins high? Here are some numbers to think about. Keep in mind too that these numbers can vary slightly depending on the type of game.   2 pair- 5% 3 of a kind- 8% Straight- 22% Flush% 26% Full house- 34% 4 of a kind- 4% Straight flush- 0.7%    Straights   80% of the time, the full board will have 3 or more cards to a straight.   A pre-flop hand of TJQK will scoop the pot 13% of the time. You will split the pot 7% of the time.   A straight will lose 50% of the time to a flush or full house.   You have a 33% chance of hitting an outside straight, a 17% of hitting an inside straight.    Flushes   70% of all hands will be suited or double-suited. Odds are better than even that two people will hold two cards of the same suit. So if you think you're only person with clubs, be careful.   If you hold two cards of one suit, there is only a 4% chance of making that flush. That number doubles to a whopping 8% if you hold two sets of double-suited cards. In selecting pre-flop hands, you shouldn't count on these flushes hitting, but they do come in handy when you hit your nut flush or a backdoor flush.   If two cards of that suit hit on the flop (11% of the time), you have a 37% chance of making the flush. Have 4 cards the same suit? That's a bad thing. It lowers your chances to 29%.   40% of the time, there will be at least three suited cards on the full board.   Holding out for the river? If you hold two cards of the same suit and two more are on the board, there is a 20% of getting that flush.   If you have the nut flush going into the turn, you have a 75% chance of winning the high hand. If the river card pairs the board, look out for the full house!   Playing a flush? Watch out for someone holding a straight flush!    Full houses    50% of the time, the full board will have at least one pair.   If you flop 3 pair, you have a 25% chance of getting a full house with those pairs. If you flop 2 pair, it goes down to 17%.   There is a 2% chance that a full house will get beat by quads.   There is a 27% chance of the board pairing on the river.   If you have a pair and the flop gives you trips, you have a 29% chance of the board pairing to give you a full house (or getting quads).   If a pair hits the flop and gives you trips, you have a 40% chance of the board pairing another card in your hand to give you a full house.