Omaha Hi-Lo Starting Hands

The most significant decision-making will be made pre-flop when you are playing Omaha Hi/Lo.  To determine if you should fold or play the hand, you have to analyze the 4 hole cards you are dealing.

A few tips to remember when analyzing your hand pre-flop.

• Aces count as both the lowest and highest value cards.
• Middle ranking cards (7 to 10) are usually of little value.
• Your hand should offer possibilities for both a low hand and a high hand win.
• Bear in mind that the pot can be divided in several ways depending on the number of players that have the same high or low hand.
• However, there will always be a high winner of each hand, there may not be a low hand winner (at least three low community cards is needed to have a possible low hand)

If your hand has four or three cards of the same value or consists of three or more middle ranked cards, better fold these cards immediately and save your chips and energy for a better one because you have a bad Omaha Hi/Lo starting hand.

On the other hand, if your hand has two aces with other lower cards (the lower the values the better); has 2AAA, 3AAA, 4AAA(S), 222A(S); has three unpaired high cards and an ace (like Ad K Q Jd); contains 4 good low cards (2-5) or contains at least two high cards, both of which is suited with a second card, go for it because you have a good Omaha Hi/Lo starting hand.

Remembering the above in mind, the best starting hand have to be an A2 suited together with an A3 of a different suit that has great possible to lock in the best low hand and has a good possibility at the high hand between the pair of aces and two nut flush draws.

Usually, having a good starting hand in Omaha Hi/Lo gives you a possibility to take both halves of the pot.