Turbo Omaha High-Low Split for Windows
by Rod Allison - Card Player Magazine
Wilson Software seems to have taken the business principles of TQI (Total
Quality Improvement) seriously - the company is continually improving the quality
and scope of its products. In February, the Arizona gaming software designer released
an upgrade of its
DOS-based Omaha high-low program, Turbo Omaha High-Low Split for Windows, which
runs under Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 (and Win(98). A ton of nifty improvements
make this the most advanced software on the market for devout Omaholics who want
to improve their game,
or for neophytes who are just starting out on the perilous journey toward mastery
of this
exciting split-pot, four-card version of hold'em.
Improved features in this Windows version include three new "advisors" for
tight, average, and loose games, and new charts and reports. You can use the "advisor"
feature at every stage of the betting during a hand by clicking on "Smart Advisor"
after the deal. The advice that you
receive is based on one of several point-count systems that have become standard
adjuncts
to Wilson poker software programs. For example, when I was dealt A-3-4-Q with
the three and the queen suited, the Smart Advisor advised me to raise before the
flop. Based on point count "L" for play in average games, my hand contained 18
high points and 34 low points for a total
of 52, far above the 32 points needed to call or the 36 required to raise (and
I needed only 47 points to reraise). On the flop - Q-10-7 - the advisor suggested
that I bet. When the player
on the button raised, I was advised to just call. I also consulted the advisor
on the turn and
river - which brought a six and a 10 - and to my chagrin, I lost the hand to quad
tens. It seems that this program emulates real-game situations: Sometimes, you
just don't win with your premium hands.
The newly added charts and reports are both colorful and useful. One three-color
bar graph tracks the "frequency of low winners based on the number of low boardcards
on the turn."
One report gives a "best hand analysis" and another supplies additional low reports.
If you
have a statistical mindset, these charts and reports give you a graphic analysis
of various situations in Omaha high-low split, and may lead you to improvement
of your play in a variety
of different scenarios. Also, if you prefer knowing the odds, the Odds button
on the menu
will give you the odds for your hand before the flop and at other stages in the
progression
of play.
The sound and animation in this program are greatly improved. During the betting,
an invisible dealer announces each call, raise, and reraise. He even announces,
"It's been capped."
At the river, he makes cryptic announcements such as, "Seat No. 7 has a weak low,"
and
"Seats No. 2 and No. 8 split low, each with a nut low." You can adjust the rake
that the dealer takes to emulate your usual game conditions, and when you are
not in a hand, you can
speed the trip to the river by hitting the Zip button.
In this improved version of Turbo Omaha High-Low Split for Windows, you can
adjust the toughness of your opponents, a feature that allows you to play in tight,
loose, or average
games. The first game that I played had mostly loose players, which closely mirrored
the
game conditions under which I generally play in the $4-$8 games in California
and Nevada. Each player is given a name - Billy Batson, Loose Lucy, Fearless Fosdick,
Enoch Drebber
(my most formidable opponent), and so on. But it is not this simplistic naming
of opponents
that makes this program so valuable - its value lies in your ability to vary the
styles of your opponents so that you can get experience against a multitude of
different types of players.
Thus, you can adjust your own style in similar real-life games to gain the advantage
over your adversaries, no matter how they play. And if you like playing in the
popular "kill pot" games that are so widespread these days, the program gives
you that option, with a full explanation of
how it works in the expertly written manual that accompanies the software.
For intermediate players who want to improve their game, and for newcomers
who want to shorten their learning curve, Wilson Software has produced an easy-touse,
graphically
superior, well-animated Omaha high-low program that can help almost anyone march
to the cage with a smile on his face. Turbo Omaha High-Low Split for Windows retails
for $89.95,
with the upgrade for previous buyers of the DOS-based program priced at $29.95.
The
software can be ordered by phone with a credit card by calling (800) 735-4430,
or by mail
to Wilson Software, P.O. Box 1047, Green Valley, AZ 85622.
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