Omaha starting hand chart. Pot-Limit Omaha: starting hand selection. Starting Hands in PLO - Mixed Draws

In the first part of this article series, we looked at why starting hand combinations are the most important factor in PLO. Here we will continue the discussion and look at the different types of starting hands that you should play, their strength preflop and the basic principles of play after the flop.
There is controversy among PLO experts regarding the best starting hand. Some argue that this is A-A-K-K double-suited, others speak out in Favor A-A-J-T double-suited. The term double-suited means that a hand consists of 2 cards of one suit and 2 cards of another. For these two strongest hands, this implies an ace in both suits, giving a lot of potential for making the nut flush.

In terms of combinations, A-A-J-T looks better because it uses all 6 two-card hands in addition to flush possibilities. The A-A-K-K hand has twice the potential for a big set (and therefore a full house) and the same odds for a flush. The best way to look at this problem is that you'll be glad to see any of these hands. But remember that when faced with serious betting on a low flop with no cards of the right suits, it is likely that these hands should be discarded.

Starting Hands in PLO - Single Pair Hands

A-A-x-x hands are strong in PLO, but the help of two other cards or position at the table is a key factor in deciding how aggressively to play them. If the 2 remaining cards don't provide any help and you are deep stacked, these hands can put you in a tough spot. Unless your stack to current pot ratio is high, it's best not to reraise with these cards unless you normally raise a wide range of hands. Since unimproved aces will rarely win showdowns, you need to have some reserve in Omaha. Even small help from additional cards, such as A-A-J-3 with one suited ace, makes the hand stronger, since you have small opportunities for the nut flush and straight in addition to a high pair. Naturally, the best situation is four cards with two aces working together, that is, double-suited and with straight possibilities.

Hands K-K-x-x and Q-Q-x-x follow the same rules, but they need a stronger reserve from additional cards, since you won't always have a big set when the flop hits you. You can also get a draw to a non-nut flush if there is a suit match with one of the additional cards. Kings and queens are strong hands in Omaha, but caution is required if tight players get into serious post-flop action. If these hands contain one ace, then opponents are less likely to have two aces (because there are fewer aces left in the deck), which adds "playability" to these potentially dangerous hands.

All other hands with a pair must be played carefully. A set is a great hand on the flop in PLO, but any draw can leave you vulnerable to a flush and a straight, and any overcard can give your opponent a higher set. Let's say you have T-T-7-2 and see a T-6-5 flop against two players. Here opponents can easily have Q-Q-8-7 and A-A-4-3 hands. So many cards will destroy your set, so this is a potentially dangerous hand in deep stacks.

Starting Hands in PLO - Related Cards (Connectors)

Hands that contain 4 connected cards are very strong in Pot Limit Omaha due to the large number of combinations working for you. If these are high and double-suited cards, then the strength is even greater.
Two-suited broadways like K-Q-J-T, A-K-Q-J, Q-J-T-9 are monsters that are only marginally inferior to A-A-x-x pre-flop hands. They need to be played aggressively, especially in good position. The strength of these hands is the high number of straights and flushes they can make. On a flop containing 2 cards of the right suit and an open-ended straight draw, you can have 17 or more outs per nut hand, meaning you are a serious favorite against a made set.

Lower connectors, even without suit ties, can also be considered strong hands, and double-suited connectors are premium hands. If you're assuming your opponent is raising with a high pair, then a hand like 9-8-7-6 is a great call candidate, especially since flops that really improve this hand won't be seen as threatening by most opponents.
With the appearance of a gap in the connected combination, hands lose their strength, but they can also be used to call. Be careful if the gap is large or on the top side of the hand. For example, the hand T-9-6-5 contains only 2 combinations of connectors, and the hand J-8-7-6 is dangerous because many of the straights you can make with it will not be high straights, which is very dangerous in Pot. Limit Omaha!

Starting Hands in PLO - Mixed Draws

In good position, many other combinations can be played. For example, a hand like T-T-J-9, especially double-suited, can improve different ways. To continue playing with a hand like this, you need to get an increase on the flop. Otherwise, you will only have a pair of tens, which will almost never win the pot at showdown. A-7-6-5 with an ace of the same suit is another example of a hand that becomes "playable" with little pre-flop betting. Beginners should avoid weak hands in this category until they have gained necessary experience in play after the flop.

Starting Hands in PLO - Two Pair Hands

The good news for two-pair hands is that you will hit a set on the flop 2 out of 9 times. The problem is, your set can be the second best hand and cost you dearly. Cards that are older than your set give opponents the opportunity to build a higher set. The presence of two suited or close cards on the flop is also highly undesirable, since there is a possibility of straight draws and flush draws from opponents. In general, the recommendation is: try to play only high and preferably two-suited two-pair hands.

In future articles, we'll take a closer look at some of the starting hands and how to play them on different flops and against different types of opponents. And now we invite you to read the article.

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Pot Limit Omaha: Starting Hands

Regardless of your playing style, your success in Pot Limit Omaha will largely depend on the starting hands you choose to play. Since you were dealt the same number of cards twice as in Hold "em, you should play hands with the maximum possible equity. Your opponents will have pairs or combo draws. If you do not have such combinations, you are at a disadvantage, and it means you should only hope for luck.

The top 30 starting hands in Omaha are as follows:

* All top 30 hands must be suited connectors.

As you can see, just like in Hold'em, big pairs still have big value. The only difference is the need for a possible redraw. This is why two-suited A-A-J-T is the second best hand, ahead of double-suited AA-QQ. Here J-T has more potential than QQ. It is extremely important to understand how equity is distributed in Omaha starting hands. In Hold'em, the #1 starting hand (A A♠ ) has 83% preflop equity compared to the second best hand (K K♠ ).

In Omaha, the best starting hand (A A ♠ K K ♠ ) wins against the second best hand (A ♦ A ♣ T ♦ J ♣ ) is only 33% (41% draw). In Omaha, the probability of winning the first best starting hand against the second best starting hand is 6%, while in Hold'em this figure is 66%. The lower down the list the starting hand in Omaha is, the more advantage AA-KK will have over it. If you compare A A♠ K K♠ and K♦ K♣ J♦ J♣ , then A A♠ K K♠ will have a 69% chance of winning. Though these 39% and a huge break from the above mentioned 6%, if you make a comparison in Hold'em (first starting hand A♣ A vs tenth A♦ T♦ ), A♣ A has a massive 73% lead.

Howequityaffectson theyou

This somewhat spread out distribution of equity in Omaha extends to players who rarely have an advantage over their opponents. It will be rare for you to have more than 60% equity in heads-up play, as equity tends to drop dramatically with each additional player in the hand. This means that it is still possible to gain an advantage in Omaha. So, the game for the winning player can be both a failure and a profitable one. Even a winning player will suffer from extreme swings. It's easy to guess how much variance you can expect in Omaha by imagining a game of Hold'em where you go all-in preflop every hand with hands A-K, and your opponent called with Q-T all the time. Even if you have a stronger hand and you are sure of winning, Q-T has a 34% chance of winning, meaning your opponent will win the pot a third of the time. This will bring your session into inevitable high variance.

It is very difficult to hit a flop in Omaha where you have more than 60% equity to win. There are so many draw opportunities to get into a favorable situation. For this reason, success in Omaha requires the player to follow three strategies:

1. Careful selection of starting hands. You can't afford to play with starting hands that put you at a disadvantage against your opponent in the first place. It's too hard to improve post-flop.
2. Value bet. It's rare to have a big edge in Omaha, but if you do, extract the maximum value.
3. Minimize losses. The primary goal is to lose as little as possible and win as much as possible.

In Omaha, variance is simply not possible, so instead of fighting it, you need to make it work for you. You need to do everything in your power to make those inevitable downswings negligible and the upswings steep and long. Every missed opportunity to extract value will allow your downswings to contribute to your results in the long run.

Raising Preflop

Some players question the appropriateness of raising pre-flop in PLO, as they think that if you have a slight edge at best, then it won't do you much more than increase your variance. Technically, this opinion is justified, but for the game it is detrimental. Raising preflop will increase variance as you will be dealing with bigger pots. But if you have a hand with an edge , no matter how small it is, it will have some effect on the subsequent increase in the size of your winnings. The more money you make your opponent pay when you have any equity advantage, the more you will earn in the game. You just can't pass up the opportunity to extract value with the equity lead. . This will cost you a lot of money.

Last tip for newbies

Whether you're just learning the game or just looking to rebuild your Omaha funds, all you have to do is play the best starting hands. Any hand in the top 30 is very strong, even if it's not suited. Hands outside the top 30 list that I would recommend are 4 way connectors , such as 8-9-T-J. These hands will usually be either very strong on the flop or very weak, so you can make gross mistakes. Once you start playing weaker hands in Omaha like A K♠ 4♣ T♣ you risk losing . Competent opponents will read the game well, which is why it will be difficult for you to play these hands positively in Omaha. Eliminate weak and marginal hands from your game, and then you will achieve success in Omaha in no time.

Classification of starting hands in Omaha Hi Lo(Hi Lo) is very different from regular Omaha (PL and NL). In Omaha Hi-Lo, the pot is divided between the strongest hand (Hi hand) and the weakest hand (Lo hand up to 8). In accordance with this, the player needs to select strong starting hands that have a chance to win the pot on High or Low combinations, and ideally on both combinations. Therefore, all starting hands in Omaha Hi-Lo can be divided into three main categories.

Strong starting hands

– this hand is ideal for both low and high combinations. You have every chance to make such a high combination as high flush, high pair, low straight or higher. You also have the three lowest cards, which allows you to make a low hand. And even if the flop comes an ace, deuce or three of a kind, you still have the two lowest cards that will allow you to make a nut low hand.

- suited aces and kings are the strongest starting cards for playing high combinations. By playing this hand, you expect to take half the pot only on the highest combination, or hope that no one will collect Low, and you will take the whole pot. Be that as it may, suited aces and kings are a very strong hand in Omaha Hi-Lo.

- a great starting hand to win the hand on the low of the combination. Even if you have a hit in a pair, and you still have the lowest cards to collect Low. In addition, you still have good chances to make a high hand - a high flush, a straight or two pair.

Good starting hands

- this hand does not give you the opportunity to collect Low, but you definitely have the four highest cards for the High combination. Therefore, if the flop comes high cards, you will certainly be ahead of your opponents.

- a suited ace and a low pair. This hand is also very playable and has a good chance of improving on the flop. You can play both low and high combinations.

– good hand for playing on Lowe's hand. Your hand is well protected in the event of a pair card, but in order to win on a low combination, in most cases you need an ace on the flop. You also have a good chance of making a straight and winning the pot with the highest hand.

Medium hands

– this hand still allows you to make both low and high combinations. But you need to play it carefully, especially under the Low hand, since opponents may have lower cards. The same goes for a flush, even if you make a flush, be careful because in Omaha there is a high chance that opponents have a higher flush.

You need to understand its cardinal differences. And now we will talk about selecting strong starting hands for PLO. You need to understand that most of the hands here will not be as strong as it might seem at first glance.

Even if you have two out of four cards that are aces, this does not mean that your hand is ideal to play. Even if you have control of two suits (for example, two of diamonds and two club cards), this does not mean that you have to enter the game.

To become a strong winning PLO player, you need to work on many aspects of the game. And the most important aspect can safely be called the ability to choose the right hands to start (in other words, hand selection).

Four cards that work well together

In pot-limit Omaha, you get four cards in your hand, just like every other player at the table. Remember the main rule: all your four cards must be in contact with each other. They must create a strong combination of cards that will contain nut draws, re-draws, backdoors, large cards, big pocket pairs, suited combos and .

If you got cards like A K 6 6♣, you will surely like them, because you have big cards with and pocket pair. But do not rush to rejoice, in Omaha everything is not so simple.

In fact, this is not the best preflop combination. And that's why:

• your ace and king are not connected to pocket sixes so that a straight draw is possible
• if you make a set, chances are you won't have a re-draw to a stronger hand
• if you flop a set, there could be a lot of overcards on the board, and your set of sixes could lose to an older set
• if you flop and make a flush, your opponents won't have a second nut flush and you won't get value
• if you make a pair, it will be difficult for you to make a second pair, because you have a pocket pair in your hands

Now let's imagine that you have J♦9♦8♠7♠ in your hands. Again, this is not the most best hand. Why? At first glance, it seems that with such a starting hand, you can make a lot of straights and two flushes. But in this combination there is a “hole” (there is no ten, four cards do not go in a row), so in fact it will be quite difficult to collect straights.

If there was no "hole" in your hand - for example, you have T♦9♦8♠7♠ in your hand - the situation would be more profitable. Then you would hit any flop with QJ, JT, J9, J8, J7, T6, 96, 86, 76, or 65. Also, if you had two pair on the flop, this would additionally give you and .

Aces and other big pocket pairs

Now it's time to talk about the famous aces. Hands like AAxx are always good preflop and should be played.

But it is worth remembering the key point: PLO is primarily a post-flop game. Preflop with two aces, you should play aggressively, but don't forget the whole situation. There are major factors that should influence how you play PLO even with a pocket of aces: position, your stack size, and the other two cards in your hand.

For example, you have A♣A 9♦4♠ and your opponent has J♠T♠8 5 . In this situation, you only have 52% chance that your hand will win by the river. That is, in other words, with such a hand (“bad aces”) you play almost a coin flip. If the game was held'em instead of PLO, then your A♣A aces would be 79.2% against J♠T♠ and 79.5% against 8 5 .

As you can see, aces that aren't connected to the other two hole cards aren't that strong in PLO. Therefore, depending on the situation, you should play them quite carefully (and maybe even limp).

Finally, consider the situation where you have Q♦Q♠ 7 2♣. You probably already guess that this hand cannot be called very strong. It is immediately noticeable that all four cards are not interconnected as we would like. Even if you hit your set of queens, you won't have any re-draws or backdoors.

Against this hand, an opponent with A♠9 6 4♠ would be a 52.2% favorite. But in hold'em, pocket queens against A♠9 would be just fine - 72% to win. All of this means that you shouldn't put too much into the pot with this hand.

Conclusion

Hopefully these examples will show you the importance of a good hand preflop and how it will help you in your postflop play. These are just basic guidelines, but rest assured that if you start practicing some of the principles outlined in this article, your game and results will already start to improve.

Keep improving your Omaha game and good luck at the tables!

Who doesn't know the limit hold'em hand chart? Tables with slight variations appeared on the Internet 10 years ago, in books even earlier. The situation is much more complicated with unlimited game options, where a lot depends on the opponents and the style in which we will play against them.

But be that as it may, we need a basic understanding of what to enter the game with - what to fold, what to call with, what to press the bet pot button with (the maximum allowable raise size).

At one time, professor of poker mathematics Henry Hutchison was one of the first who created a table of starting hands for Omaha pot-limit (long table). He summarized the extensive results of statistical research in a table where points were awarded or subtracted for certain combinations of cards. According to his methodology, preflop decision making depends on the following factors:

– are there high cards, and how many? If yes, then add so many points;

Are there two cards of the same suit? If yes, then add so many points;

Are there three cards of the same suit? If so, subtract so many points;

Thus, summing up a number of signs, we get a certain number. If it is greater than N, the hand must be raised, if it is greater than M, but at the same time less than N, it is necessary to call, while the rest must be folded.

After analyzing my experience of the game (at the time of reading Hutchison's book I played about 250,000 hands of Omaha), I realized that the value of the table is very high, but at the same time it is almost not applicable in practice. The fact is that a professional player with extensive experience plays starting hands already subconsciously, focusing on the “image” (just these are the sets of features, according to Hutchison) of the hand, and does not count points. For a beginner, on the contrary, it is too difficult.

Combining Hutchison's ideas with my personal experience, as well as taking into account the "playability" of the hand postflop, I created my own table of starting hands. You can play it on a table of any length, I screwed up the ranges so much. We will play the flop very conservatively, given that your Omaha poker battles are just getting started. It's like a temporary dam - we need to "feel" the game, understand its course. Later, when we talk about different styles of playing and fighting against specific opponents, a lot will change, and you will intuitively feel that poker tables are just the base camp at the beginning of a long and difficult climb.

Group 1. Premium couples.

AAxx. Raizim first, on the opponent's reraise we rearrange again - to all-in.

KKxx. Raise first, call the raise before us. Fold to reraise.

Example: our hand. We raise/reraise any opponent's bet.

Group 2. Any four cards from A to 10.

Bet first, call the raise. If the pot is larger than 30 big blinds, fold.

Example: our hand. If there were no raises before us, we bet, if there were, we make a call.

Group 3. Two couples.

We enter the pot with a call. We call the raise, fold to a raise and reraise if there are less than two opponents in the pot.

Example: our hand , call.

Group 4. Ace-king double-suited (AXsKXs).