Pot Limit Omaha Hi Starting Hand Guide

With 4 hole cards for each player the number of possible starting hands in Omaha poker is huge. Many players make errors in selecting profitable starting hands which can end up costing them a lot of pots. This guide to Omaha starting hands looks at how the dynamic of the game affects the starting hands you can play profitably.

We start by looking at how the combinations of cards affect the strength of your starting hands by drawing a parallel with Holdem poker. Next the potential to make the nuts is covered for Omaha starting hands with a guide to the different hand types following this.

2 Card Combinations

Since at showdown you must use 2 cards from your hand and 3 of the community cards to make a hand, Omaha starting hands can be looked at in terms of how many 2-card combinations you hold. With 4 cards A-B-C-D you in fact have 6 possible combinations. These are A-B, A-C, A-D, B-C, B-D and C-D. The relative strength of Omaha hands can thus be assessed in relation to the number of ‘good’ combinations you hold.

For example A-A-K-J double suited has 6 combinations all of which can make a strong hand on the flop, trips, nut straights and nut flushes are all possible. However, A-A-2-8 unsuited only has a single combination working for it – unless you hit a 3rd Ace on the flop this hand will have little value in an Omaha poker game.

Strong Starting Hands

The key to good Omaha High starting hand selection is to play cards that work together for the maximum chance of hitting the flop, turn and river. Suited cards (particularly with an ace) and connected cards are both desirable, combinations of high pairs with other cards working with them are also strong.

While Aces are the strongest hand before the flop in Omaha these are rarely more than a 3-2 favorite over small connected cards. Hands such as 7-8-9-10 (particularly when double suited) are known as ‘rundown hands’. The strength of these hands lies in the fact that they are able to make a large number of straights – for example a flop of 3-5-6 would require any 4, 7, 8 or 9 to make a straight.

2 Pair Hands

2-pair hands are playable in Omaha and will hit a set on the flop approximately 1 in 4.5 times. Making a small set can be an expensive error, especially when there are many draws on the board – ensuring that at least one pair is a premium will avoid some difficult situations.

To summarize, the key to good starting hand selection in Omaha High is to play cards which work together. This will maximize the combinations of cards which can hit the flop.

Aces and other premium hands are desirable and should be played for a raise – however the relative strength of Omaha hands means that unimproved aces will rarely win if there has been betting all the way to the river. Suited cards and those close in rank, as well as 2 pair hands are also playable before the flop.

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