In order to make money playing Omaha High-Low or Omaha-8 Poker, you need to apply a strong and consistent strategy. Many beginning Omaha Hi/Lo players will make the mistake of playing far too many hands because nearly every hand looks playable. This article will cover starting hands in Omaha Hi Lo Poker, as well as strategies to effectively play these hands pre-flop.
Nearly every hand you will have a pair, two suited cards or better. Unfortunately, these hands are substandard in Omaha HiLo and they are what I call cash trap hands. They're hands that trap you into calling further bets once you call pre-flop. This is because with 4 hole cards and 3 community cards, it is very likely you will hit the flop in some way. The problem is, often times you will be drawing to a second-best flush draw, low end of a straight or worse full house.
This is why in Omaha Hi/Lo poker patience is key - careful and conservative starting hand selection will always reward the patient player. Omaha is perhaps the easiest game to consistently win money at (in limit cash games) as long as you are patient and selective.
In Omaha Hi Lo, understanding starting hands can be a little bit more complex than in Texas Hold 'Em. A hands value goes up significantly if it has a chance to win both the low and the high (as opposed to just the high). It also goes up if it is coordinated (like 10, J, Q, A) or "double suited" (KsAsAc2c). Also when I talk about 'Low Cards' I am referring to 2-6.
That being said, the following is how I generally rank starting hands in Omaha-8.
Premium Hands
These are the few hands that I will almost certainly raise or re-raise with in the Omaha High-Low games that I play.
Any A23x - This has a good chance to win the low and also a chance at taking the high. You hope to draw to a wheel with this type of hand. Bonus if the ace is suited.
Any Double Suited Aces - With a hand like this I have a good chance of getting a flush draw, or of course there is also the possibility of hitting a set and boating up. Bonus if the hand is coordinated.
Any A2xx With A Suited Ace - I don't generally raise on only an A2 in limit cash games. Most of the time you will only be drawing to a low with a hand like that anyway, so it is not usually profitable to raise it pre-flop. I have found however that it can be quite profitable to raise pre-flop when you have an A2 with the ace also suited. You can flop the powerful 'nut low/nut flush' draw and keep pushing the pot until the river. I have scooped $300 pots in $2/$4 limit Omaha H/L games by doing this.
Those are pretty much all you should be auto-raising with in Omaha High/Low cash games. Tournaments are another story entirely, but I'll get to that another day. I see so many people consistently lose at Omaha by raising pre-flop every time they look down at a marginal hand. I watch them lose their money and cringe, and I can't encourage you enough to please play your hands conservatively and selectively if you want to consistently win at Omaha Hi/Lo. If you're patient enough, the game will pay you off bigtime.
Quality Hands
These are hands like KsKcJs10c or As3sJc4d. It is not generally profitable to raise with these hands pre-flop, but it is okay once in a while when you are in good position or have a good read on the table. You will generally call almost any bet however and see the flop with these hands.
Pretty much all A2, A3, big pairs in coordinated hands and double suited big cards (queen or higher) fall into this category. Also random hands with low straight possibilities fall into this group, like 2346.
Any A2xx or A3xx - You play these for the low, hoping that you also end up with a high as well. If you don't flop two pair, a set, a low draw or nut flush draw you should probably fold on the flop.
Big Pairs (Coordinated) - Big pairs are great as long as the hand is coordinated. This includes 'double pairs', like KsJsKcJh. Big pairs are jacks and above. Big pairs are so much better than smaller pairs because the ideal with a big pair in Omaha is to make the best full house possible when the board pairs (having flopped a set). With a strongly coordinated hand, you are also left the possibility of flopping nut straight draws or strong flush draws.
Coordinated Low Cards With a Deuce - This includes coordinated low pairs like 3c4s2c2h and unpaired hands like 2s3s4c5d. It notably does not include hands without a deuce, as it becomes much more difficult to fight for both the low and the high without one. The ideal here is to flop a set, two pair, straight, straight draw or low draw and end up hitting both hands.
Playable Hands
These are hands that are merely playable. I will usually call a small raise, but generally will not call a raise-capped pot with one of these hands. I generally see the flop with these if it hasn't been raised. I never raise with these hands pre-flop.
Any Big Pair - AA, KK, QQ or JJ. Doesn't matter which or if anything is suited or coordinated, I generally see the flop with these. I will often times throw the hand away if I don't hit a set on the flop.
Any Suited Ace - I like to see hands with suited aces. I will usually fold after the flop unless I flop a nut flush draw, two pair or trips.
Any 23xx - You like to see the flop with a hand like this because you will draw to the nut low if an ace hits the board. You also still have a chance at the high, because remember low hands can play high but high hands can't play low. I usually fold these post-flop if I don't get a nut low draw, straight draw or 2 pair.
Any 4 Low Cards Without a Deuce - Paired or unpaired (5543 or 6543). I like to see flops with these, hoping to make a straight/set and back door a low or vice-versa.
Any Connected or One-Gapped 2 Pair - Ex. 7766 and 9977. It doesn't matter if they are suited. This allows you a chance at flopping a set and a straight draw and other similar possibilities.
With all of those hands that I play, I am probably considered on the loose end of many Omaha High-Low poker players. Scotty Nyugen is known to have said that no hand is playable in Omaha-8 without an ace.
Now I have two more hand categories left to go. These are the hands that you shouldn't play.
Cash Trap Hands
These are the hands that trick you into thinking that they might be playable. You should almost never play hands like this. If you consistently put money into the pot when you have hands like this, you will lose money in the long run.
Middle Connected Hands - Hands like 6789 and 5679 are not playable. The best possible hand that you are usually drawing to is the high end of a straight that gives someone a low. Then again, your other option is to draw at the bottom end of a straight. Either way, you lose. When your best possibilities with a hand both aren't that great, you should probably just fold it before the flop.
Disconnected 2-Pair - Hands like 9933 or 4488. These hands simply aren't worth playing when you work out the probabilities involved as your only hope is to flop a set - due to the 2 in your hand, 3 on the board rule you have no straight possibilities and any flush possibilities will be substandard.
Double Suited Junk - People look down at double suited hands like 6sJs9c2c and limp into the pot all the time. Your probability of scooping the pot with a hand like this is very low so you might as well not even try.
3 Connected Cards & Junk - Hands like KJ92. You want your hands to either give you a chance at both a high and a low or to all be coordinated. You can't take a little from column A and a little from column B.
One Suited Big Card - A single suited queen or king in your hand won't make your rags any better.
Any Middle/Low Pair & Junk - Hands like 2279 or 8894. These hands are pretty much useless due to probability, again.
Junk Hands
These are hands that are simply awful and fairly evidently unplayable. This includes all junk hands, like 469K and three of a kinds like JJJ4 (the only playable 3 of a kind hands in Omaha High/Low include an A2, A3 or suited ace). These are always folded pre-flop unless you're in a blind and can see it for free. Don't even be tempted to call a raise out of the big blind - it isn't worth it.
That's all for my Omaha HiLo Poker hand ranking system. Keep checking in for more Omaha-8 strategy, tips and tricks right here at Omaha High-Low Strategy.
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