Starting Hands

Because they are dealt four hole cards Omaha players, especially new and inexperienced ones, tend to see a magnitude of possible reasons as to why they should become involved in a hand. There can often appear to be some very tempting possibilities and that’s why more players tend to see the flop in a game of Omaha.

The reality is though that starting hand selection is every bit as important in Omaha as it is in any other game of poker. You could make the argument that it is even more important. You really need to have four cards that work together and offer you the best possibilities of making a winning hand.

Listed below is a list of what many people consider to be the best starting hands to be playing in Omaha:

In all of the above cases any hands which are double-suited are far superior to any hands which are not; as they allow you two chances to play for the flush. In hands containing at least one Ace you should be looking for it to be suited with one of the other cards, again to give you the chance of a flush.

Most of the hands above give a player an excellent chance of constructing very powerful full houses, and high straights and, if they are suited, flushes too. If you have a hand that is four-suited, that is four cards of all separate suits, then be aware that you cannot make a flush yourself and will always have to watch out for your opponents making a flush.

Even if you don't get one of the premium starting hands listed above then there are many other sets of hole cards that can be very profitable. A hand of Q-J-9-7, where you are double-suited, offers very good opportunities to make a Nut straight and will also offer two chances to play for a flush. Similarly, a hand of 9-9-8-8 double-suited also has great possibilities for a straight and two chances for a flush.

The kind of starting hands that players need to steer clear of are those which do not really work together. Hole cards like J-10-5-4 double-suited look very nice but what you are left with is two different pairs that do nothing to complement each other. All of the hands listed above see all four cards working with each other. A hand of J-10-5-4 though is really two separate hands of J-10 and 5-4. You will win occasional hands by proceeding with these kinds of hole cards but over a sustained period of time their lack of possibilities will see them losing more than they win.

 There are times in tournament play when you will have to loosen your starting hand requirements, because of the pressure of the rising blinds, and there's also those opportunities when you're one of the blinds or can see the flop cheaply. In cash games in particular though, it is vitally important that you don't start entering pots with anything less than the best hole cards possible whenever you can.