How to Use Position and Betting
With position and betting it can help create a situation for you to steal the pot by bluffing. Granted this is a little less common in Omaha Lo-Hi but it is still very possible under the right circumstances. Also knowing how and when to bet will help you.
So you are in middle position however the hand you hold is nothing spectacular. Everyone folds up to you and you just decide to go on a pure bluff and raise it to four times the big blind. So everyone decides to fold except for the small blind. The flop lands K J 8. Instantly you can tell without even looking at your cards that you have a good chance to chase the small blind off his hand. He checks to you. At this point it’s likely that he has no hand and is probably chasing the low hand with A 2. You bet the pot and it causes him to hesitate for a second and then fold. He decided that you had the high hand and that he was chasing nothing and that the flop helped you. Since high flops often happen like this it’s sometimes a good idea to bluff at it if you know your opponents are playing straightforward tight poker.
This concept also holds true with the same instance and a flop that contains an A or 2 or both. This is because players will often chase the low hand and the flop counterfeits their hand. A big bet will often cause these players to throw down their hands giving you a chance to take the pot. With these kinds of game select aggression is a great tool. After a while people will start to pick up on it and defend their hands more, chase more, and re-raise. When this happens be prepared to change up your game and take it easy on the loose play. You’ll still want to bluff but less often, and you’ll want to start playing premium hands and bet them like you do your bluffs. You’ll start to notice that you’re getting paid off by people trying to keep you honest and the table becomes profitable.
When betting and bluffing remember to look for tells and patterns. In live games it’s a lot easier to gather information about your opponent in the way he physically does things. For instance if he plays with his chips or if you can see he’s breathing heavily. In online poker you have to watch more for the patterns. Tells online are often the patters of how people bet. Are they raising pre-flop all the time or are they just trying to call to see the flop. Watch for consistencies in the way they bet when they have good hands or if they are being calling stations. Players often give away their hands as well by getting into patters. Many players that have A 2 will raise pre-flop causing that hand to be known. (As several players do this all the time.) This also goes true for playing styles. If a tight player all of the sudden makes a decent sized bet it’s assumed that he’s a premium hand or the nuts. Learning your opponents in general will help you stay one step ahead of them and get some extra money from it.
Also remember when playing a no-limit game versus a limit game that a no-limit game is more about bet sizes than about the cards. This is because players can risk more money, bluff more often, and players feel they can play more hands and players often play much looser.