UNDERSTANDING OMAHA

OMAHA whether hi or ho/lo is more than any other game ,a game of position. strategies have to be fluid,and chasing in some situations is the only way to go.The reason position is so important is two-fold. First is that it gives you a OPPORTUNITY to see the betting patterns before you and guage the strength of your draw. Secondly and most important it allows you to get off hands for the price of seeing the flop. It is statistically A fact that in omaha 82 percent of the hands are not made until the river is on the board. In hi/lo the only un-snappable hand really other than a royal flush is the nut low, but duplicates can be out there that will quarter the pot and you will actually lose rather than gain position. So many possible combinations are possible that one of the greatest dangers is the three of a kind, if the board doesn't pair, and there is a flush or straight combination on the board chances are your going to lose the hand. With boards that have 4 card straight, or flush draws many times although my trips might be the best hand I lay them down. just some basic lessons learned that I wanted to share with the community.

I could use a lot more tips than this for Omaha.

My biggest problem is that I haven't quite realized what a great starting hand in Omaha is.

How about a tier of starters similar to this:
Tier Hands
I. Strong Hands AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs, AQs, AJs, KQs, KJs, AK
II. Good Hands TT, 99, 88, ATs, A9s, KTs, QJs, QTs, JTs, AQ, KQ
III. Fair hands 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22,
A8s, A7s, A6s, A5s, A4s, A3s, A2s,
K9s, K8s, K7s, Q9s, Q8s, J9s, J8s, T9s, T8s, 98s, 87s,
AJ, AT, KJ, KT, QJ, QT, JT
IV. Weak Hands K6s, K5s, K4s, K3s, K2s,
Q7s, Q6s, Q5s, Q4s, Q3s, Q2s,
J7s, J6s, J5s, T7s, T6s, A9, K9, Q9, J9, T9,
97s, 96s, 86s, 85s, 76s, 75s, 65s, 64s, 54s, 53s, 43s
V. Weak Aces A8, A7, A6, A5, A4, A3, A2
VI. Low EV Hands* 74s, 63s, 52s, 42s,
J8, T8, T7, 98, 97, 96, 87, 86, 85, 76, 75, 74,
65, 64, 63, 54, 53, 52, 43, 42, 32
VII. Suited Trash Hands J4s, J3s, J2s, T5s, T4s, T3s, T2s,
95s, 94s, 93s, 92s, 84s, 83s, 82s,
74s, 73s, 72s, 63s, 62s
VIII. Trash hands K8, K7, K6, K5, K4, K3, K2,
Q8, Q7, Q6, Q5, Q4, Q3, Q2,
J7, J6, J5, J4, J3, J2,
T6, T5, T4, T3, T2,
95, 94, 93, 92, 84, 83, 82, 73, 72, 62

(Note: *Hands have negative EV, but Nut Straight is possible)

good hands in omaha are hands that have nut possibilities, like AKQJ double suited, has the possibility of drawing to the nut str8 and nut flush
best starting hand in omaha is AAJ10 double suited

Should probably distinguish between omaha hi and omaha hi/lo when making such a statement.

For example, you are (I assume at least) talking about strictly omaha hi here.



For hi/lo..the best hands are the ones that give you the best chance of scooping (aka winning both hi and lo) pots. The best hi/lo hand I believe is AA23 double suited. (feel free to correct me if i'm wrong on that)

oops should have said that, yes i am refering to omaha high

Here's a good article about starting hands in Omaha.

Omaha Poker Strategy

By: Lou Kreiger
Recommended Starting Hands
If you follow this list of suggested starting hands, you’ll seldom get into trouble, or find yourself involved in a hand where you’ll be confused about whether you ought to continue playing or fold your hand.

Ace-ace combinations: Any hand containing a pair of aces is a terrific starting hand, though some are much stronger than others. Obviously a hand like As-Ad-Ks-Kd is about as good as it gets. You’ve got the two best pair, and if you flop a set it will be the highest possible set and therefore any full house that may be derived from this holding would also be the highest possible full house. In addition, you can make the nut flush in either diamonds or spades, and if you make a straight it will be the highest possible straight.

Consider the difference in quality between this hand and a pair of “dry aces,” such as As-Ad-9h-5c. Although this hand is favored against any other individual hand except a better hand containing a pair of aces, it lacks flush potential, straight potential, can only flop one set rather than two, and can easily be run down by a group of opponents. Nevertheless, this hand would be favored against any other single opponent who does not hold a pair of aces in his hand, so it’s as important — and perhaps even more important — to raise with this hand in hopes of reducing the field than it is to raise with a higher quality hand containing a pair of aces.

Other good hands involving a pair of aces would include such holdings as A-A-Q-Q, A-A-J-J, A-A-T-T, A-A-9-9, and any pair along with a pair of aces. Obviously, if one of the aces is suited to another of your cards so much the better, and if both aces are suited that’s better yet.

But aces are valuable even if they’re not accompanied by another pair, and a hand like A-A-J-T, A-A-K-Q, A-A-Q-J, A-A-K-T, and A-A-K-J are all terrific starting hand combinations, and can be played very aggressively before the flop. After all, no one can have a bigger hand before the flop than one containing a pair of aces. The difference between incredibly good hands, such as A-A-K-K double suited and A-A-8-4 is that the former has so much more potential for making big hands over and above it’s pair of aces, that it is a far superior holding.

King-king and Queen-queen combinations: Just as any hand containing a pair of aces is a good starting hand, so are hands containing a pair of kings and a pair of queens. The quality of each particular holding that includes either a pair of kings or queens is similar to those hands containing a pair of aces.
In the best of these hands, the big pair is supported by another big pair and is double suited. Thus Kd-Ks-Qd-Qs is a better hand than Kd-Ks-9d-9s. While all the flushes will each be king-high, the former can make bigger sets and therefore bigger full houses than the latter hand and K-K-Q-Q can make bigger straights too.
Next in desirability are hands that are single suited. Once again, a hand like Kd-Ks-Qd-Qh is a better hand than Kd-Ks-9d-9h, for the same reasons.
A single pair of kings or queens, supported by straight cards is also very desirable, and a hand such as Kd-Ks-Qd-Js offers a big pair, a draw to a very big set and full house, as well as the second best possible flush draw in two suits and a variety of very big straights.

Wrap Music: Wrap hands can be incredibly strong, with the strongest of them all being J-T-9-8 double suited. Double suited hands are better than similar hands that are single suited, and a single suited hands is more desirable than one that’s unsuited, but the strength of these hands is not so much the flush potential –— which can easily be beaten by queen-high, king-high, or ace-high flushes — but in all of the straights that can be made with these cards.

Wrap hands need not be as tightly bound as this holding, and a hand with a gap in it can also provide a draw to a straight that can be completed by any of 20 outs. Since bigger is better, the higher the starting cards, the more likely yours will be nut straight. So what’s the difference between this hand and one like A-K-Q-J, which is also a terrific holding? You can make more straights with the jack-high grouping because it can meld with cards above as well as below it in ranking. Although you won’t make as many straights with the ace-high grouping, all of the straights you manage to make will be the nut straight.

Since higher hands are generally better than lower ones, small wraps, such as 6-5-4-3 are much worse than they might first appear. Yes, everything we’ve said about making straights with this hand and others like it are just as true as it is with hands like J-T-9-8, the big difference lies in the quality of the straight you make when the flop hits you. If you make a straight with 6-5-4-3, one of your opponents might have made a bigger straight, and even if he hasn’t there may be one or more opponents lurking in the weeds with a draw to a bigger straight. Hands like these can cost most or all of your chips in pot limit games, and quite a few chips in limit poker games too. Good Omaha players have the discipline to release these weaker wrap hands and save their time, chips, and energy for bigger holdings.

In all cases, double suited hands are superior to those that are single suited, and single suited hands are superior to those that are unsuited. All of these selections support the construction of big full houses, big straights, and when suited or double suited, they also support building big flushes too — the kinds of hands that usually win pots in Omaha games.

The hands that follow are emblematic of good starting hands for Omaha. They are not nearly as good as those hands based on pairs of aces, kings, queens; nor are they as strong as big suited connectors, such as K-Q-J-T, but they are playable. This list is certainly not exclusive. But these hands provide examples of entire groups of analogous hands that are playable.


Very Good Hands

Qh-Js-8h-6s: Call. You can flop flush and straight draws with this hand.

Qs-Qh-6c-3s: Call if the pot has not been raised. Your two smaller cards are essentially worthless. With a hand like this you want to either flop a set of queens get packing.

Kh-9h-6s-5s: Call if the pot has not been raised. You’ve got some draws that are possible with this holding, though it’s unlikely you’ll ever make the best possible hand.

Ad-Jc-Th-8s: This hand is significantly weaker than the very best hands, but it has high card potential for a straight, and can be played if the pot has not been raised before it’s your turn to act. If the pot has been raised, someone probably has a bigger hand than yours and you ought to save your money for a better opportunity.

9h-9c-8c-8d: You have potential to build a straight, a flush, and you might flop a set too. This is a playable hand.

All of these hands are playable because they offer numerous possibilities, such as sets, straights, and flushes. The time to play hands like these is when the pot has not been raised before it’s your turn to act. Hands like these have difficulty growing into the nuts, and facing the prospect of having to call a raised pot is a strong indication that the raiser is starting out with a bigger hand than yours. This puts the double-whammy on you: Not only are you an underdog to the better hand, it will cost also you two bets instead of one just to see the flop.
The following chart contains examples of hands you probably shouldn’t play from any position, even at the small cost of one bet. These hand s are either weak or tend to lead you into costly traps. We’ll explain why.


Unplayable Hands

7s-7c-4c-2d: All of your possibilities are weak. A set of sevens is no guarantee of winning the pot and making a seven-high flush or a straight using either your four-deuce or seven-four combinations will produce hands that can easily be bested by others.

Qs-Js-6h-5h: Many hold’em players gravitate to hands like this: two fair hold’em hands that are completely uncoordinated for Omaha. Neither the five nor the six work in any way with the queen or jack, and two playable hold’em hands don’t always add up to a playable Omaha hand. There are lots of hands that fit into this category. Examples are As-Th-5c-5d, Jh-8h-5c-4c, and Ah-Kh-3c-3h. You should be able to think of a few others with some practice.

4c-4h-3d-3s: Low sets and baby straights can doom you to a second best hand that costs a lot more than you are apt o win if you get lucky. Just dig up the discipline to say “No” to hands like these.

As-2h-3h-4c: While you’d raise with this hand in Omaha/8, you shouldn’t even call with it in Omaha-high. Any straight you make can be bested by a bigger one, and winning the pot with a three-high flush qualifies as a modern miracle. If an ace falls, your pair of aces will lose to any other ace because your kicker is so low.

Kh-Qd-7s-6c: Two straight possibilities with nothing else is another example of two hold’em hands that look nice adding up to a lot less than one good Omaha hand. Save your money.


These recommend hands are not the only hands you can play before the flop, but if you are learning the game and stick to these hands and hands like them, you should be able to avoid the tragic flaw of playing too many of them. In addition to avoiding the downfall of many Omaha players, you’ll seldom find yourself trapped in hands that are confusing if you follow these suggestions. Releasing hands that do not catch part of the flop will by easy, and less costly too. And when you do play, the quality of your hands will be quite high. Since most people play Omaha because it offers an easy rationale for playing more hands, our recommendations will allow you to take advantage of that propensity and profit from it.

there aren't any significant starting hands, AAJ10 double suited is only a 60% favorite over a random hand

I wouldn't say that there are no "significant" starting hands in Omaha. I mean, I'm going to raise or re-raise with AAKK double suited or AAKQ double suited every time. It's just like you said -- there are not any real monster starting hands in Omaha like in Hold'em in the sense that you will be a huge favorite over a random hand. But there absolutely is a range of hands that you should raise and re-raise with preflop.

At a quick glance I thought the title of this thread was Understanding Obama.

That would make for a short discussion

When you say double suited, does it matter which cards are with which suit. I'm assuming you'd prefer Ac qc As ts for example...?

And, I think I might prefer the wheel shot over high straight in hi/lo... Right?

when you say A-A-x-x double suited...obviously you want each ace to have a suited card with it (as the aces are obviously not suited)

ideally the x-x cards are useful in their own right (another pair, or at least connected high cards) for omaha hi


and yes hi/lo you want hands that give you good shots at high and low pots which something like AAKK does not.

I love omaha and getting better at it as I play. Thanks to everyone that has provided feedback here especially that article from bubba. Although I still stare more at your avatar then I do read what you write. :P

I was playing some very low limit Omaha to try out the game .10/.20 cent Omaha. I lost every hand I played and get the feeling that I have to showdown the nuts to win. on one hand. I had the top 3 of a kind with a queen kicker and lost to the same hand with an Ace kicker. later I lost with QQ to AA, after that I lost with a full boat to a higher full boat. I'm not complaining, but I'm curious, is this typical in omaha? must you have the nuts to win?

Your best book for omaha would be super system 2. It improved my game tenfold

omaha is just hold'em thats more unpredictable because you play with more cards... theres obviously a lot more to it than that but thats a basic analysis

i am in an omaha h/l tourney right now. Are you better off playing hands with both high and low cards. Or one with just high or just low. What is a good way to play omaha h/l?

A good way to play Omaha h/l is to focus on hands that will give you the best chance to scoop the pot. In other words, you want hands that give you the best chance to make the best low hand AND the best high hand at showdown. For this reason, A-A-2-3 double suited (i.e., Ah Ac 2h 3c) is considered the best starting hand in Omaha h/l because it gives you the best chance at making top set, two potential nut flush draws, and low cards with counterfeit protection. So I think the short answer to your question is that you generally want hands with both high and low cards. Above all else, avoid hands with lots of "middle cards" (6,7,8,9) in them.

Now this isn't meant to say that you should instantly muck hands like A-K-Q-J double suited in a limped pot, just that you have to play those kinds of hands differently and less aggressively in high-low. Remember that a low hand is only possible when there are 3 or more unpaired low cards on the board. That only happens about 60% of the time, so don't feel that you have to dump high-card hands if you can see a flop cheaply.

I used to hate Omaha and am now starting to like it a bit, however, I think "fluid" is a great way to describe it because it does seem to be more about luck than skill. I do like to only play low if I have A, 2 as well as one other low card. Strategy wise on high hands I tend to gravitate to straights or better. I hate betting 2 pair or trips!

thanks for the info, "82% made hands on 5th" didn;t know that. i just started playing omaha, so i can use all the help i can get. omaha is very tricky to me, now i understand better with the % on the river. but i'll pratice more and use some of this good advice.

My favorite game. I really hate when someone raises pre flop in limit because you never have a hand before the flop. You can have the worst cards and end up with the best hand.

I agree with you. It's more frustrating watching two guys re raise each other preflop. Guys will re-raise each other with a pair of jacks or queens. Love catching these players in a cheap pot when they over-value their top pair.

i just recently started playing the omaha full tilt freerolls simply because the hold'em freerolls are such donk fests...the nice thing about the pot limit omaha games is that its hard for the all'in'donks to do their regular things and its easy for people to get out of the way

i think alot of the players there really don't understand the game...for example they may have a trips of something in their hand and will go as high a raise as possible...not realizing that only 2 of the cards are live...its funny to watch...and i've made some decent placings on the omaha freeroll for a relative beginner...its worth checking out..and learning the game