From: jfr@RedBrick.COM ()
Subject: Re: Speaking of Omaha
Keywords: Omaha
Organization: Red Brick Systems, Los Gatos, CA
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 06:30:22 GMT

In article <1992Nov9.200957.26364@cbfsb.cb.att.com> lance@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (lance.r.ogasawara) writes:
>
>
>Now that we all know four of a kind is a bad starting hand in Omaha,
>can someone list the good hands. What hands should be raised before
>the flop, which hands play better in multiway pots, which hands (besides
>four of a kind) should be thrown away immediately?

  In this post, I am referring to Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8-Qualifier as it
  is played in casinos.  There are Omaha high-only games as well as
  potential for declaration Hi-Lo games.  

  The best starting hand for Omaha IMHO is AAK2 with the A2 and the AK
  both suited.  This has myriad options.  Always think about an Omaha
  hand as up to 6 separate starting hands each made up of two cards.  
  As a general rule, I like to have at least two and preferably three
  playable starting combinations before I call the flop.  Playable
  starters are typically the same that you'd find in Hold-em for high
  and 8-qualifier for low.  These include:
 
   For High:

     Any pair (although below a jack starts to get questionable)
     AK (preferably suited)
     AQ (preferably suited)
     Ax (suited)
     KQ (preferably suited)
     Kx (suited)
     any two suited and in connection range
  
   For Low:

     A2 (any three higher cards under a 9 and you have a lock low)
     A3 (very good, but you'd like to see a 2 on board)
     A4 (sometimes okay, and if suited works for high as well)
     23 (good, but you'd like to see an Ace on board)
     24 (marginal unless suited in which case it works for high as well)
     34 (this is really the outside limit unless suited)

  Thus, the "best" hand is playable as AA, AK, A2 and K2.  The A2 is
  Is an excellent low, and if suited, plays for high as well.  The AK
  plays for high and if suited gives you flush possibilities.  The
  rockets are obvious and the K2 suited isn't great but again gives
  you flush possibilities.  

  Another good hand is A234.  If any are suited, so much the better
  since it works high and low.  If you have two sets of suited, you
  are that much more ahead.

  Bad things to play are middle cards.  Typical losing hands start out
  looking like JJ63.  This is a disaster unless you hit a set of jacks
  on the flop (2 out of 48).  Be careful not to get deluded.  If a 
  pair of 6s come on the flop but no jack, you've got a set of sixes,
  nothing more, since you can't use the two jacks in your hand with
  the six.  Beginners miss this and think full house.  We take their
  money :-)  

  Sometimes you can play a "hunch" and stay for the flop on good
  straight draw cards in the middle, particularly if at least two
  are suited, like Jh-10d-8h-7c.  This is generally a pretty cruddy
  hand, but it might occasionally be worth a stay if you are small
  blind or if you are last to act and everyone has stayed with no
  raises.  If you get a "miracle" flop like Qc-9d-3s, you have the
  nut straight and can raise all you like.  At this point, low seems
  a high risk so you won't have to split the pot, and there is only
  a gut shot flush draw (have to have two suited in the next two cards).
  But don't be surprised when this doesn't work.  In some sense, you
  are glad here that two hearts didn't show up.  While this would help
  you by giving you a flush draw, it is not a great one (Jack high)
  and you should expect to be beaten by someone with a better flush.
  
  It helps to consider that if you are playing 9 handed (typical in
  most casinos), there are potentially 54 starting hands out there
  against you (9*6 sets of 2 cards).  This is ominous and much worse
  than in almost any other game of poker (except the infamous 10-card
  draw alluded to in another post :-)  

  For instance, flushes and straight are VERY common in Omaha.  If
  three cards of a suit appear on the board, the chances of a flush draw
  having been outstanding at least before the flop are probably close
  to 80%.  You often have to have the nut flush to stay.  It is very
  common to see people with middling flushes fold on the turn or river
  if there is anyone representing a flush since the odds are they have
  the nut flush.  The K-high flush gets beaten quite often in my experience
  whereas in Hold-em, a K-high flush is still a pretty good hand most of
  the time, and in stud it is a very high probability winner.  In Omaha,
  it is just a so-so hand.  Interestingly, one of the best cards to see
  if you are holding a middling flush is the Ace of your suit on the
  board.  Since the Ace works both ways it is less likely to be tossed
  especially if suited and therefore increases the odds that the nut
  flush is out against you.  My guess would be that you are better off
  holding a Queen-high flush with the Ace on the board than a King-high
  flush with no Ace on the board.  You are more likely to get beaten
  by the Ace in someone's hand, than by the King in someone's hand.  

  Wheels are excellent (obviously :-) (wheel is A2345).  Keep in mind
  that three of the cards on the board have to be under 9 for there to
  be ANY low at all.  Drawing to a two-card low board is risky at best
  unless you can't be counterfeited by the draw.  I see many people who
  lose staying in with low drawing hands when only one low card is in
  the flop.  This is disaster unless you also have a strong high 
  possibility.  Example:  You hold AKJ3, not bad to start but you will
  need some help.  Flop is K-9-4.  You probably have to fold this hand 
  if there is any betting in front of you.  You have a pair of Ks and
  an A-3-4 for low but it might not come in.  If the flop were K-K-4,
  then of course, you stay because of your high.  Even K-J-4 might
  work.  If you hold no flush draw and the flop has two cards suited,
  watch out because you need two cards for the low, but any third suited
  card on the board sets all those flush-draws into action and you will
  probably get raised out of the pot.  

  Straights are troublesome, especially if you are playing them in 
  the face of two suited cards.  Many times, straights win in Omaha
  when the board fails to flush or pair.  That is the best time for
  straight draws since with no pair on board and no flush, the
  straight can't be beat.  

  Be careful in Omaha about getting whipsawed.  Holding an average
  low and an average high, trying to draw to improve, between two
  made hands, one high and one low, is disaster.  Both hands will
  raise the limit knowing that they can't lose for the most part,
  and they will split your money.  When you have a lock on the low
  or high, you should raise the limit.  The only exceptions to this
  are if there is a risk of getting counterfeited on a subsequent
  board card, particularly for low, or if there is a risk that you
  are bucking an identical hand, again particularly low.  Many
  times you hold A2, someone else will also hold it and you will
  quarter the low end of the pot.  

  One more thing... always, as in Hold-em, keep in mind what the best
  possible hands could be out there.  That is the key to playing any
  "widow" game.  This applies to Omaha HiLo in spades :-)
  
  Jon Rosen
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