Omaha Hi Lo Starting Hands

January 2, 2008

Omaha Hi/Lo (also known as Omaha8 or just O8) is a great game for anyone that wants to stretch their mind beyond the somewhat repetitive routine of Hold’em. First off, you start with four hole cards of which two must be used to make your final hand – always, exactly, precisely two. With four starting cards you can therefore make six different two card combinations. Some people would suggest that this makes Omaha six times more complex than Hold’em, but that’s a severe exaggeration.

The other factor that makes it very different is that it is a high-low split game. The lowest five card hand (with the ‘highest’ low card allowed being an 8) will win half the pot, and the best high hand will win half the pot. If no player at showdown has a qualifying low hand (no cards higher than an 8) then the best high hand will win the entire pot.O8 is usually played as a limit or pot-limit game, although some online sites do offer no-limit betting.

Although starting hands in O8 may not be six times more complex than Hold’em, they still do take a bit more thought than a Hold’em starting hand.

Primary criteria of O8 starting hands are:

•being able to win the low half
•being able to win the high half
•all four cards working together

Sometimes you can play a hand that meets only two of these three criteria, but the best hands cover all three. In Super/System2 Todd Brunson coined the Platinum Rule: play to win the entire pot (not just half). Todd was writing about 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, but that’s also a split game and the idea is the same. There’s no point in winning half a pot when most pots will go to showdown head’s up – you’ll just get back the half of the pot that you put in, less that pesky rake.

Let’s look at those three criteria individually:

Being able to win the low half in Omaha Hi Lo

This is simple enough. A2 is the best starting low. A3 and 23 are the next best. It’s even better if your hand has back low cards though. If all you have for low cards is A2 and this is an Ace on the flop, you’ve been counterfeited - now the Ace in your hand is no good because there is an Ace on the board for everyone else to play. A234 is obviously the best four card starting hand for low potential. Any A2 with two other cards 6 or less is always going to be playable

Being able the win the high half in Omaha Hi Lo

The best low hand in O8 is a wheel – A2345. Straights or flushes don’t count against you for the low hands, making A2345 the nut low, plus a nice straight for a chance at the high half of the pot. Starting with four low cards including a suited Ace would give you low, high-straight, and high-flush potential. Other hands that aren’t bad are an A2 or A3 with a backup low card and one face card, suited always being better than unsuited of course. A24Q is a nice hand. The A24 gives strong low and high-straight potential. The AQ also gives high-straight potential. If your Ace is suited you’ve got a great hand.

All four cards working together in Omaha8

Remember, you can only use two of your four hole cards. Getting dealt quads is completely useless (albeit rare). More commonly you’ll get some hands like A38J offsuit. It’s got three low cards, it’s got some high potential – doesn’t seem too bad.

Let’s take a closer look at your six combinations of two starting cards:

•A3 – second best low start, and some straight potential. Not bad.
•A8 – 22nd best starting low hand. So bad I had to count that out on paper
•AJ – two cards to a Broadway straight. OK, but no AK.
•38 – 24th best low start. Utter crap for high. ‘Nuff said.
•3J – would you play this in any game???
•8J – not even an average Hold’em hand.

So of your six combinations, two are OK, four are garbage. Why would you choose to play this hand when you opponents are going to be playing hands with five or six quality combinations?

Compare that to A24K double suited (As4s and Kd2d):

•A2 – best low start
•A4 – 4th best low start. Nice back up in case a 2 comes, plus nut flush potential
•AK – two best high cards for high straights, pairs or trips
•24 – 5th best low start. Nice back up if a Ace comes
•4K – bah, can’t have it all
•K2 – 2nd nut flush potential

In this case you have two starts towards nut hands (A2 and A4), two good low back ups (A4 again and 24), and two OK high starts (AK and K2). So five of your six combinations are working for you. Raise this hand up preflop.

The best O8 starting hand is AA23 double suited. That gives you the best three low cards, plus they are connected for straight potential. Two suited Aces gives a chance at two flushes, and you’ve also got the highest possible pocket pair to work towards a high hand.

In general, and roughly in order of quality, these are the best starting hand categories for O8:

•AA with two other small low cards
•AA with a low card and a face card
•A2 or A3 with two other small cards
•A2 or A3 with another low card and a face card
•A2 or A3 with two high cards that work together (big pair or suited connectors)
•A34 or 23 are mediocre starts – they need quality back up cards
•High only hands (see below)
•Rough lows such as 2345, 2234, 2334, 2344

Of course, double suited hands are better than single suited are better than unsuited, and marginal hands can be played better in late position in an unraised pot than they can be played early for a raise.

High Only Hands

Other than hands with two Aces, few hands without low possibility are playing in Hi/Lo. Years ago when I was first learning this game I learned a rule that I’ve used ever since. Any high only hand must meet one of the following criteria:

·Have two pairs;
·Be double suited;
·Have one pair and be single suited

Use your better judgment here according to your position, and if there is a raise in front of you or not. KQKQds is probably always good. QJTTss meets the last criteria above, but it’s pretty weak.

That’s far from everything you need to know to conquer Omaha Hi/Lo at the highest levels, but in O8, as in every game, the most important decision you make every deal is whether or not you are going to even play the hand. Hopefully this helps you make that decision.

Send me an email if you have any questions or would like an O8 hand analyzed. Good luck at the tables!

Frez

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