Turbo Omaha High-Low Split for Windows V2.0

I recently was fortunate to be able to beta test the prereleased version of Wilson's Software's new Turbo Omaha High-Low Split, Version 2.0 for Windows. I put it through its paces before it was marketed. When I first started to test it, I thought about the movie Jaws 2. 1 remembered what the advertisement said: "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." Well, just when you thought that a software program couldn't get any better, along comes Wilson Software with Turbo Omaha High-Low Split - Version 2. 0. I have used Version 1. 0 for some time, and found improvements in Version 2.0 that not only were very helpful in improving a player's Omaha game, but also made playing both more fun and more challenging.

The improvements in Version 2.0 are as follows:

Challenge feature - The challenge is for you to win more (or lose less) money than Sherlock Holmes. Each of you plays the same hands. You can choose to play 50, 100, or 200 hands for each challenge. The hands dealt are different. Mr. Holmes goes first. After the deal button is clicked, he quickly plays (in a second or two) the number of hands that you selected. To make it tougher, you are not allowed to use Advice or Odds. Peeking, Look, and Replay also are turned off.

The winner is shown at the end of the challenge, as well as the net dollars won or lost. The Repeatable Deal Code also is shown. You can use this to replay the hands if you wish.

Rake option - While rake analysis after the fact has always been a feature, this new option allows you to "drag the pot" during play. It can be activated only at the start of a new game.

When "drag the pot" is in effect, money is taken from the pot according to settings, which you specify. The pot and each player's net dollars always are shown as whole dollars, but the program does track and account for the odd cents.

Human play options - Unless you are running High-Speed Simulation or are playing with all computer players, you will be given three sets of choices:

1. What kind of hands to deal:

A. Deal normally (all hands)
B. Deal calling hands (only hands with which you usually can call or raise)
C. Deal raising hands (only hands with which you usually can raise)

If you choose B or C, the program skips the bad hands and speeds up practice play.

A. Raise normally
B. Raise less frequently
C. Raise a lot less frequently

If you choose B or C, the program ran-domly makes your computer opponents raise less frequently. This makes it easier to simulate a passive game.

A. Check-raise normally
B. Check-raise less frequently
C. Check-raise a lot less frequently

If you choose B or C, the program randomly makes your computer opponents check-raise less frequently. This makes it easier to simulate a passive game.

New lineup (low-limit) - This provides a lineup of passive profiles that you might find in a low limit game. There is unlimited raising when heads up.

New sound (Omaha high-low only) - At the end of the hand, "There can't be a low" is announced when there are fewer than three low cards on the board.

Tips - Tips give helpful information about the features of the game. A Tip of the Day will appear automatically each time that you start the game. You can suppress individual tips by clicking "Turnoff this tip." You can suppress all tips by clicking "Turn off all tips." You also can get a list of all tips and can select which tip to view. You can print the list of tips and individual tips. The main menu has an item named Tips that allows you to pop up and review all tips and reactivate any that you may have turned off.

I found that the Challenge feature really made me work to earn more money and make better plays than Sherlock Holmes. Halfway through the chosen number of hands that you selected to play, a quick note tells you if you are behind or ahead of him at that point. When the Challenge concludes, you are given a rundown on how much you won or lost compared to Holmes. I took a shellacking, as he played the junk hands that had been dealt to both of us much better than I did. He lost $138 and I lost $216.

A feature that many players will find improves their game is the "point count." This feature allows you to select from a variety of point-count methods, from simple to highly sophisticated, and allows you to modify the method if you wish. The great thing is that the program includes a feature that drills you on the selected point -count method until you learn it perfectly. With the fantastic animation and voice features, all of which can be turned off individually or completely, you will think that you are listening to the dealer in a real game.

As is the case with all Wilson Software programs, a comprehensive manual of about 40 pages in length leaves nothing out regarding what a player needs to understand about all of the features and complexities of this software. The program now comes on a CD, which makes installation a breeze. Any Omaha high-low player, new or experienced, can find some-thing in this program that will improve their win rate.