Playing Tips for Hot Okie Poker

PLAYING TIPS for HOT OKIE POKER

HOW TO PLAY HOT OKIE POKER
Start by dealing 4 cards down to each player. Before any betting or other action each player must discard one hole card face down in the middle of the table. (This is an absolute requirement. No player may fold before discarding one of their cards.) These cards are shuffled or mixed together. Five of these discarded cards will be drawn and used as the flop, turn and river.

Play and rules for Hot Okie and all versions of Oklahoma are the same as Omaha with the exception that each player will have only 3 hole cards in their hand to choose from at the showdown, rather than 4. Just like Omaha, Oklahoma requires that players must use exactly 2 hole cards and exactly 3 board cards to make their hand.

May be played high, high-low split or high-low eight or better.

SUMMARY of ACTION
Deal 4 hole cards to each player.
Each player selects 1 card from their hand and discards it face down. Each player now has 3 hole cards.
Gather and mix/shuffle all discarded cards. Use these cards to deal flop, turn and river.
Bet
Deal 3 cards from discards as flop.
Bet
Deal 1 card from discards as turn.
Bet
Deal 1 card from discards as river.
Bet
High only: Showdown
High-low split: Declare
Bet
Showdown

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOT OKIE and OMAHA?
In both Hot Okie and Omaha each player starts with 4 hole cards giving them 6 possible pairs of cards (couples). In Omaha players get to keep those 4 cards. While in Hot Okie one card must be discarded leaving each player with only 3 hole cards yielding just 3 possible couples. Having only half the number of couples means that, on average, the likely winning hands in Hot Okie should be expected to be weaker than those typically observed in Omaha.

PLAYING TIPS FOR HOT OKIE POKER
In standard Oklahoma the flop, turn and river consist of random cards that come from the unseen deck. There is a equal chance that any card may appear. In contrast, the board cards in Hot Okie are not random. The board consists of cards that have been seen and selected by the players. More importantly, many of those cards come back into play as the board cards. Hot Okie poker has important differences compared to "regular" Oklahoma and has to be played considerably differently.

1. Players are initially dealt 4 hole cards instead of 3, making 6 couples to play. Players then get to select the 3 best couples to keep. There will be more pairs, suited, connected and high ranked hole cards - hands that you and your opponents will want to at least see the flop with. Compared to Oklahoma, Hot Okie will typically require a stronger final hand in order to win.

2. The players pick the board cards. Each player has an important decision to make involving selecting the card to discard. Since that card may come back into play, whenever possible players will discard a card that will help their hand if it re-appears on the board. It is also highly likely that several players will continue in the hand beyond the flop in the hope of getting that helpful card.

STARTING HAND SELECTION
Starting hands with trips, 3-suited, 3-connected cards are the most desirable Hot Okie starting hands. That is because those hands will be improved should the discarded card reappear on the board.

Trips as hole cards increase your chances of making a set or full house or even quads. But they are variable in their strength dependent on their rank. Low sets or low full houses are vulnerable and could cost you a lot of money before you find out if they are a winner or merely second best.

Three hole cards of the same suit improve your chances of making a flush. Your play would be to discard the lowest ranked card and hope it reappears on the board. But, their value, or lack of value, greatly depends on the ranks. With an ace as high card it's great. Suited to a king is OK. Anything less could be problematic. Drawing to something like a ten-high flush would be a poor starting hand decision.

Thus, for most hands the strategy for selecting a starting hand in Hot Okie is essentially the same as is used in Omaha. Reasonable Hot Okie Poker strategy is to favor starting hands that contain a pair, suited aces, other suited and/or connected cards or multiple Broadway cards. A pair, especially a low one, may be split to be kept with a suited ace. Your best bet is to play starting hands that can make 3 of a kind or better.

SOME HIGH HAND PROBABILITIES
Approximate chances of being dealt the following as your 4 hole cards.

4 Card Hand
3 of a Kind
1 Pair
3 Suited Cards

Probability/Odds
0.92% (107:1)
30.5% (2:1)
17% (5:1)

PRE-FLOP STRATEGY: PLAYERS DETERMINE THE BOARD CARDS
There is a very good chance that the specific card you discard will come back into play as the flop, turn or river. It's a 62.5% chance in an 8 handed game; 71% when 7 handed. Whenever possible you will want to discard a card that will help your hand if it re-appears. For example, if you held 3 of a kind, this is the time to discard one of them as you would love to see it back on the board. Likewise, when holding 3 of the same suit Granted, you often will not have such clear-cut choices, so it is not always easy to do. Commonly, there will be contradictory pros and cons about what to keep and what to discard, but it is still the goal. You may also find yourself in a dilemma when you hold 2 pair or a big pair and 2 suited cards (e.g., K♥ K ♦A♠ 2♠). It can be helpful to practice by dealing yourself hands and contemplating the pros and cons of discarding.

Another "dilemma" you may face in making this decision is that you do not have a card to discard that will help you were it to come back into play. In this situation a player should consider what cards the other players are most likely to keep and try to discard one that is less likely to help an opponent's hand. Predicting what specific cards your opponents might keep is difficult, but it typically follows a trend. Playing high only is simple: Players are far more likely to keep their highest cards. The cards they are most likely to discard are low to middle ranked cards and any other card that is not well coordinated with their other three. Here is a summary of what other players are likely to do with each card. (Playing high-low split favors low card combinations and is covered later.)

Ace: As the highest card an ace will almost always be kept. May consider discarding only if not paired, not suited, not connected with other high cards (KQJT), they hold another pair. Even in those circumstances discarding an ace will almost certainly help another player if it reappears on the board.

Broadway cards (Ten through King): Will typically be kept if suited, connected (including gapped) or paired. The higher the rank, the more likely it will be kept.

Medium ranked cards (6 through 9): Will often be discarded unless suited to ace or another high card, is paired or suited-connected. The lower the rank, the more likely it will be discarded.

Low ranked cards (5 through 2): Will discard unless suited to ace or another high card, paired or suited connected. The lower the rank, the more likely it will be discarded.

Should you hold a pocket pair of aces there is very little chance of improving them to trips or better since players rarely discard an ace. But they still have value when suited or connected to other cards in your hand.

As players are more likely to discard similar cards expect to see the board pair more often and expect more frequent full houses and quads as a result.

REMEMBER THE CARD YOU DISCARDED
It is important to remember the card you discarded exactly by both rank and suit. Let's say you are dealt a hand that contains trip nines - 2 red and 1 black. You discard the black 9 knowing that you have a very good chance of it coming back to give you trips. The flop comes with the 9 of clubs and there you are! Was the 9 of clubs the black eight you discarded? Or did you discard the 9 of spades? Wouldn't you love to know for certain that the 4th nine was still out there? The only way you can know that is to remember exactly what card you discarded, so make sure you do. If you are dealt trips 2 of them will always be the same color. Discard one of those rather than the odd colored card. It will be easier to remember. e.g. "red 9".

PLAYING HOT OKIE AS HIGH-LOW SPLIT
Playing High-Low Split will result in players adding the very lowest combinations like A2 and A3 to their starting hands. When suited these add a possible nut flush draw and so are very strong starting hands that have the potential of scooping the entire pot.

The perfect low starting hand is being dealt A23X (X = any card 4 to king). Pre-flop you would discard the odd (X) card, leaving you with A23. Now you have "insurance" in case an ace, deuce or trey appears on the board.

A2XX is the nuts from the start. You just have to hope it is not counterfeited by the board. In an eight handed game if you are not dealt A2 there is a better than even chance someone else was. With any low card holdings other than A2, not only do you have to dodge being counterfeited by the board, but you also have to hope of catching a card to make the nut low.

A3XX, the second best low, is only one board card from making the nut low. There is a chance that a deuce may be discarded so it's a starting hand worth playing. It could also win by itself without improvement, though it can be tough to bet it. It also has about an equal chance of being ruined by someone discarding a three.

23XX is also only a single card away from making the nut low. It needs to see an ace on the board to do so. Unfortunately, aces are rarely discarded, so 23 stands little chance to make the best low hand. The same goes for any low hands that are 2 cards from the nut low, like 24 or 34. A4 suited is worth playing primarily for the nut flush possibility, although there is some slim additional hope it might make the nut low.

LOW HAND PROBABILITIES
Approximate chances of being dealt these cards as your 4 hole cards.

4 Card Hand
A2XX
A3XX or 23XX

A23X
A24X or A34X or 234X

Probability/Odds
7.2% (13:1)
14.4% (6:1)

1.2% (82:1)
3.6% (27:1)