Omaha Hi Lo Starting Hand
Selection
One of the most complicated poker
games around is the game known as Omaha Hi Lo.
This is a very confusing game for someone that
is just starting out. Even after playing a
couple of times, you can expect to be a bit lost
and not fully understand the game. The very
first thing you should think about besides the
basic rules of the game would be starting hand
selection. The absolute most important part of
really any poker game is hand selection,
especially in Omaha Hi Lo. The faster you
realize that, the better off you will be.
The biggest misconception about
this game is that you should play more hands.
Naturally, when you play Omaha or Omaha Hi Lo;
you are going to want to play more hands. That
is the mistake that so many players make.
Looking down at four cards, it can be very easy
to want to play just about any hand. It just
seems like there are so many possibilities, and
you never know unless you see the flow. That is
a thought that players need to avoid no matter
what. The reality is that all of your opponents
are looking at the same amount of hole cards as
well. The player that chooses the best hands to
play and folds the rest of them, will win more
than he or she will lose.
Good Omaha Hi Lo Starting Hands
When you are choosing a starting
hand for Omaha Hi Lo, you are going to be
looking for cards that work together. Keep in
mind what wins, and play cards that can make
those kinds of hands. In Omaha, a pair very
rarely wins the high hand. If there is three of
one suit on the board, you can almost guarantee
someone has a flush. The same goes for a
straight as well. There are a lot more cards out
there then in Texas Hold’em. You have to
remember that the value of a hand drops a lot
when there are a lot of cards out there.
The very best starting hand in
Omaha Hi Lo is AA23 double suited. That means
for example, that the A2 would be suited and the
A3 would be suited as well (a different suit
than the A2). If you think about what was
mentioned above you can understand the reasoning
for this. With AA, you already have the highest
possible hand (before the flop). Other than
that, you also have the two lowest hands before
the flop. It is almost sure that you will get a
piece of the low pot if the board qualifies for
a low hand. Also, with suited cards for two
different suits, you have a decent chance of
hooking up with the high flush as well; not to
mention the straight possibilities.
Hands that work together and give
you a chance to win with several different hands
(both high and low) are the best hands to play.
You do not want to rely on only the low hand,
but you shouldn’t rely on only the high hand
either.
Bad Omaha Hi Lo Starting Hands
The absolute worst hands to play
in Omaha Hi Lo are the ones that are the
opposite of what is mentioned above. You
definitely shouldn’t be playing a lot of hands.
There are a lot more bad hands than there are
good hands. Cards that have gaps are unsuited
and just all over the place are the ones you
fold. Do not make the mistake that if you have
4567 you have a good hand because it is low. The
only way a hand like that would work is if the
board had an A23 on it, which does not give you
very good odds. The only way you will be able to
win this game over the long run is if you are
able to play by the odds. The only way you can
do that is by playing only the hands that will
give you the best chances of winning.
Think of it like this. If you
were buying a lottery ticket and the seller
asked you if you wanted one that gave you odds
of 1:100 or a lottery ticket that gave you odds
of 1:2, what one would you take? That is exactly
how poker works. You have the choice to choose
hands that are going to give you better odds and
win more than they will lose.
It really isn’t a matter of
knowing which hands are good and which hands are
bad. You probably already know that, especially
after reading this article. The part that people
cannot get, is actually implementing what you
know. The hard part is following through and
folding the bad hands. There is a reason why
specific hands give you better odds than other
hands. Learn to fold, and you will be 100%
better than you are now. |
