Descriptions and Examples for 12 Types of Three-Card Starting Hands in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Poker Starting Hand Description Example; Low connected-suited: Three sequential cards of the same suit with no card higher than an 8: 3 4 5: Trips: Three cards of the same rank: 9 9 9: Aces with a low kicker: Two Aces with a third card no higher than. Because there are two winning pots in this format, you should pick starting hands.

• Omaha Hi-lo Starting Hand Rankings
• Best Starting Hands In Omaha
• Best Omaha Hi Lo Hands
• What Are The Best Starting Hands In Omaha Hi Lo
• What Is The Best Hand In Omaha Hi Lo
• Omaha Hi Lo Hand Rankings

Doctor of Psychology and acclaimed Omaha Hi-Lo player Dr Ed Hutchinson first came up with a ‘Point Count’ system for starting hand selection back in 1997. The idea is to give a statistically derived value for both high and low possibilities in Omaha hi-lo starting hands – based on their expected profitability in below average games (i.e. not full of experts).

Here we outline Hutchinson’s Point Count System for Omaha Hi-Lo Starting hands and discuss its pros and cons for online Omaha Hi-Lo games – both fixed limit (which the system was designed for) and the newly popular pot-limit Omaha hi-lo games. : If you are new to the game you might not know that there is a software tool designed to help with exactly this area of play… we explain how Omaha Indicator can bring big rewards at the bottom of this article.

In the interests of credit where credit is due you can find an overview of the points count system on Dr Hutchinson’s website via this link: Dr Hutchinson’s Point Count System.

The Point Count Method For Omaha Hi-Lo Starting Hands

Firstly the point count method identifies whether your hand qualifies as a ‘high only’ hand, the criteria for this are naturally very strict – with 4 cards 10 or above required plus some other features such as a pair + 2 suited cards, 2 pair or double-suited unpaired cards.

If your hand is not ‘high-only’ then 4 steps are carried out which result in a number being assigned to your hand. These are summarized below:

Omaha-8 Point Counting System Step #1:

Take the two lowest cards in your hand and assign points based on the chart.

A-2 = 20 points
A-3 = 17 points
A-4 = 13 points
A-5 = 10 points
2-3 = 15 points
2-4 = 12 points
3-4 = 11 points
4-5 = 8 points

Omaha-8 Point Counting System Step #2:

The next step involves assessing only the remaining 2 cards which are not your lowest, cards which are the same as those already used in step 1 should not be assigned any points in step 2 (so, if you have A-3-3-X then do not assign points for the 3 at this stage).

Any 3 = 9 points
Any 4 = 6 points
Any 5 = 4 points
Any Jack, Queen or King = 2 points
Any 6 or 10 = 1 point

Omaha-8 Point Counting System Step #3:

Now extra points are awarded for any pairs – if you also have a 3rd card matching the pair then only assign half of the points noted.
Pair of Aces = 8 Points
Pair of Kings = 6 Points
Pair of Queens = 5 points
Pair of Jacks = 2 points
Pair of Tens, Fours or Threes = 1 point
Pair of Twos = 3 points

Omaha-8 Point Counting System Step #4:

Finally we take the suitedness of the cards into account, the caveat here is that if you contain 3 cards of one suit then you can only assign half of the score given, 4 cards of the same suit mean that no points at all are assigned here. If your hand is double suited then assign points for both suits.

Suits are given points based on the highest suited card:

Ace + = 4 points
King + = 3 points
Queen or Jack + = 2 points
Eight, Nine or 10 + = 1 point

Finally we total up the scores and decide whether to play based on the simple rule:

20 Points or more (or high only) = Play This Hand
30 Points or more = Consider Raising With This Hand

The Point Count Method For Omaha Hi-Lo Starting Hands – Is It Any Good?

One aspect of Dr Hutchinson’s Omaha Hi-Lo points count system which immediately stood out for us is the strictness of the criteria for high-only hands. A common error for those players new to hi-lo is to play too many high hands in addition to the lows. While Hutchinson’s criteria of all cards above 10 are very strict, they do highlight the danger of playing too many high-hands. We suggest to loosen the high-only criteria for experienced players from later position only.

Hutchinson’s system is a little too complex for ease of use at the tables, especially with the fast pace of today’s online games. What is does very well is to show that, while the low-only portion is vital for good starting hand selection, it is the accompanying cards and the amount they assist which will often make the difference between a playable and an unplayable hand.
With A-2 hands being considered playable with no further help, there is a danger that newer players could overvalue those ‘bare A-2’ hands such as A-2-9-Q no suits, which can easily be counterfeited or lead to getting quartered. We would thus prefer some ‘low / junk’ reduction in points in an ideal world. Of course this depends on each player’s ability to release a hand after the flop where the situation warrants this.

Finally we would suggest that pot-limit Omaha hi-lo games require slightly stricter pre-flop criteria than those ones Ed Hutchinson recommends. With the pre-flop bets small compared to the amount to be won, the temptation is to play more hands in pot-limit. However, the kind of hands which can call pot sized bets on later streets simply must have scoop potential in the pot-limit game due to exponential bet sizes. In the fixed limit game you can often call turn and river bets for only part of the pot.

To summarize, a great system for those new to Omaha Hi-Lo and we strongly suggest saving some hand histories and comparing the scores that the starting hands achieve. The loose and passive online Omaha games can be easily beaten by those with the discipline to stick to the best starting hands – and Dr Hutchinson’s system is a great way of assessing these.

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When you're playing hole card games such as Omaha, choosing the right hands to play preflop can make a big difference -in fact, it can make all the difference.

If you play absolutely every hand, you're just going to funnel your winnings right back into the game. However, in Omaha especially, you want to play enough hands to scoop some big pots. Those of you crossing over from Texas Hold'em will find yourself playing a lot more hands. Omaha Hold'em is definitely more of an action based game than its sister game Texas Hold'em.

When a game of Omaha begins you'll be dealt 4 cards, and from those 4 cards you can come up with 6 starting hand combinations. Omaha rules require you to use exactly 2 of your hole cards and 3 of the community cards (the ones dealt face up on the felt table and shared amongst all the players).

Omaha Hi-lo Starting Hand Rankings

So you get two more cards than you're used to, and so do all of the other players. In fact, there are in general a lot more cards out there to play with.

That variance makes playing Omaha poker, creating winning Omaha strategies, and choosing strong Omaha starting hands a little trickier. Although you get 4 cards to choose from, keep in mind that so do all the other players at the table, so there are more cards dealt out altogether.

Suited Cards - Remember, You Only Get to Keep Two...

Finding yourself looking down at four cards of the same suit is not a good thing when you're playing Omaha. If you're holding four spades what you really have is two spades to a flush, and two of your own outs mucked.

Pocket Pairs

Pocket pairs in Omaha are a good hand, but not nearly as valuable as in Texas Hold'em. The look on a new players face when he first sees a solid boat get beat by another boat… it's priceless. It's not uncommon to see three sets of trips at showdown, or a couple boats, a flush, and top two pair.

What I'm saying here is that with all these cards and so many more players paying for a flop, you're going to need a lot better of a hand to win a pot.

The Best Possible Starting Hand in Omaha High:

When playing straight Omaha, or Omaha High, the best hand you can hope to peel up from the table is AAKK. That's it, the very best hand preflop. Now you want these to be suited as well to give you the best odds post flop. So Something like Ah As Kh Ks would be perfect.

Now you've got two shots at flopping trips, two cracks at a flush draw, and a high straight possibility. You are holding your out cards for a full house if you make trips, but in the Omaha high world, this is as good as a starting hand gets. And if all else fails there, you've still got that pair of aces workin' for ya.

Second up on the list of Highest ranking Omaha High Starting hands is AAQQ, still giving you a nice pair of bullets to start off the show. In addition here you have AQ for pulling off Broadway straights. And of course we want the hand to be double suited such as Ah As Qh and Qs, giving you two shots at making a flush.

Omaha Hi Hand Ranking Chart:

**Please assume that these hands are all Double Suited**

The Best Starting Hands for Omaha Hi/Lo...

Best Starting Hands In Omaha

The most popular versions of Omaha today are the Hi/Lo varieties which award a pot to both the highest hand and to the lowest hand. Omaha Hi-Lo is super fun to play because the action is insanely intense.

You already have a full table seeing more flops, but now you have the lowest hand betting against the highest hand, and both actually standing to win. However, if you play your cards right, you'll be playing hands that will give you a shot at scooping up both the low pot and the Omaha high pot all in one clean swoop.

Omaha Hi/Lo players are eligible to win either the entire pot or a 50/50 split. The pot is of course split when there is a winning 'low' hand. A winning low hand must include five cards all under 8 (hence the Omaha 8 nickname) and different in value; a hand with a pair doesn't count, because it's no longer a low qualifying hand.

So with that in mind, the best possible hand to win the low is A2345.

Best Omaha Hi Lo Hands

Due to the fact that a player MUST use two cards from their hand and three from the board, a low hand is only a possibility if there are three or more cards on the table that are an 8 or lower. Learn more about Omaha Hi/Lo.

What Are The Best Starting Hands In Omaha Hi Lo

The Best Starting Hand in Omaha Hi-Lo Hands Down!

The best hand a dealer can put in front of you in an Omaha Hi Low game is AA23, especially if the ace and the deuce are suited, and the other ace and 3 are also suited.

What Is The Best Hand In Omaha Hi Lo

This hand, dealt exactly this way (double suited), gives you the best shot at hitting flushes, straights, and the best low, not to mention it begins with a pair of aces you can use to build a high hand.

Omaha Hi Lo Hand Rankings

Considered to be the second best starting hand in Omaha Hi/Lo is AAK2, giving you a pair of aces and AK to work your way into a decent high hand, and A2 to work toward the low.

More Omaha Poker Strategy: