Playing Tips for Playing the Angles Poker

HOW TO PLAY PLAYING the ANGLES POKER
Deal each player 4 hole cards. The board cards are placed face down and consist of 9 cards arranged in a cross shape with 5 vertical cards and 5 horizontal cards.   Players make their hand by using exactly 2 of their hole cards plus 3 cards from any 2 arms of the cross that form a 90-degree angle. Reveal the 4 outer cards (1, 4, 5, 7), then the 4 inner cards (2, 3, 6, 8) and lastly the single center card (C), with a round of betting between.
The cards from the board that may be used are: 12C34, 43C65, 56C87,
78C21. May be played high-low split.

   1
   2
   7    8    C 3    4
   6
   5
   The vertical (12C65) and horizontal (43C87) lines cannot be used.

SUMMARY of ACTION
Deal 4 hole cards to each player. Arrange board cards.
Bet
Reveal 4 cards (1,4,5, 7)
Bet
Reveal 4 cards (2,3,6, 8)
Bet
Reveal center card (C).
Bet
High only or Hi-Lo Cards Speak: Showdown
High-Low Declaration: Declare
Bet
Showdown

PLAYING TIPS for PLAYING the ANGLES POKER
In Playing the Angles poker there are 9 board cards that come into play. This creates a total of 27 three card combinations on the board, providing many opportunities to draw the cards you want and making it is easier to draw big hands, both high and low. It also gives more opportunities for what started out as the best hand to be counterfeited, especially for the low hand. On the other hand, with so many common cards to choose from, even a mediocre starting hand can emerge a winner.

How coordinated the board cards coupled with the number of cards in play will determine the usual winning hand. When a straight or flush is the best possible hand, you will want the best one. If playing high-low, you will want nothing less than the 2nd best low. Even that may not prove to be a winner as there are often multiple hole cards that can make the nut low. When there is a pair or 2 on the board you will want at least one of the premium full houses.

STARTING HAND SELECTION
In Omaha based games, like Playing the Angles, you want to have been dealt a hand that gives many possibilities for winning. With 4 hole cards, there are 6 couples of 2 cards available. The more the couples are coordinated, the better the starting hand. Strong starting holdings are those that have multiple chances of leading to a winning full house, flush, straight or the best low.   Combining elements of good starting low and high hands gives you the best shot. Some examples of starting hands with both high and low potential: A♣ A ♥K♣ 2♥, K♥ K♠ 2♥ A♠, A♠ A♦2♦3♠.

For high having one or two high pair is a good start. (For example A A♣ A♦ K♣ K♦ or A♣ A♦ K♣ Q♦). You will be dealt any 2 pair about 3% of the time and any one pair about 30%. Should you flop a set you have a good draw to a full house or better. This will require an eligible pair appearing on the board, which, with 9 board cards, is very likely. Be cautious if that pair is of a rank higher than your trips since you are very possibly up against a better full house. Straights are hardly ever the best possible hand so connected cards are only valuable if they can be played for low. Suited cards, preferably an ace with a small card to give both nut flush and low hand possibilities.    Trips in your hand are worthless since you can only use 2 cards.

For low 2A is the best start. 3A or 32 gives you a one card draw to the nuts. In fact, in Playing the Angles having low cards that are even a 2 card draw to the nuts (4A, 42, 43) can be worth playing. Unfortunately, having only 2 low cards in your hand is a very vulnerable hand. There is a good chance that one of them will appear on the board. With all the cards available that may not necessarily ruin your low, but there is a good chance it will.   For that reason, a protected low like 32A or 42A is a far better starting hand. Whenever you hold one of these low hands with an ace, you'd prefer the ace to be suited to one of your other cards to add flush potential.

4 CARD LOW HAND PROBABILITIES or ODDS TABLE
Approximate chances of these LOW hands being dealt to you as your 4 hole cards.

4 Card Low Hand
A2XX
A3XX or 23XX
---
A23X
Any 4-low (3 cards)
Any 5-low (3 cards)
---
A234
Any 5-low (4 cards)
Any 6-low (4 cards)
Any 7-low (4 cards

Percent Probability
7.2%
14.4%
---
1.2%
3.6%
7.2%
---
0.09%
0.36%
0.9%
1.8%

Odds Probability
13:1
6:1
---
82:1
27:1
13:1
---
1110:1
277:1
110:1
55:1

THE BOARD CARDS
With such a high number of 3 card board combinations (27 total) available, Playing the Angles poker can be complicated so be sure to pay close attention. You must also be aware of all the board cards in order to help you in assessing the likely winning hands. How coordinated the board cards are will dictate the likely winner will be and it will often be the best possible hand. For example, it may be that flushes of 2 different suits are possible. There is a very good chance that a pair or two will appear on the board. That means full house or quad possibilities and those are the high hands you should be playing for. It also means that flushes are not often the best possible hand and straights almost never. A qualifying set of trips appearing on the board is a big longshot, but it bears mentioning this. In an 8-player game there are a total of 28 cards held by the other 7 players so there is a good possibility (about 72%) that one of them has the case card in their hand to make quads. So, even if you hold a big pair like aces in your hand your excellent full house may not be enough. Additionally, if there is even 1 other card on the board that is of a rank higher than the trips a bigger full house is possible.