Selecting Starting Hands in Omaha Poker

Omaha Games, Hand Selection
June 14 2008

The first thing rookie Omaha players need to realize is a good Texas Holdem starting hand does not necessarily equal a good Omaha starting hand. When you’re examining an Omaha starting hand, you have to take all four cards into account. If you just focus on two of them, you’re likely playing a number of cards you should be folding.

Out of your four starting cards, you can make six two-card combinations. This is important because according to the rules of Omaha, you have to use two of your hole cards – no more, no less. After you’re dealt your hand, you should examine all six combinations to see what kind of potential they have to improve into winning hands. If you’ve only got one great combination out of the six, then your hand likely isn’t worth playing. If you play this sub-standard hand against a player who has hole cards with six high-potential starters, they have a much better chance of drawing a better hand than you.

The best possible starting hand you can be dealt is A-A-K-K double suited;

by double suited we mean both of your A-K combinations are the same suit. Cards that have potential include pairs, flushes, connectors and of course, suited connectors.

Some hands that may look great but have no real potential are three of a kind and four suited cards. Since you can only use two of your hole cards, a three of a kind is useless to you and should always be folded. Same goes for four cards of the same suit. Your chances of hitting a flush are actually quite low and you should muck it.

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