Omaha hi-lo can be a dizzying game if you are not used to it. With two opposing, possible winning options and trying to build a hand from four hole cards and five community cards, you have to keep your wits about you at all times.
- Top 10 Worst Poker Starting Hands Chart
- Top 10 Worst Poker Starting Hands Per
- Top 10 Worst Poker Starting Hands Ever
Here we endeavour to make life that little bit easier, providing some helpful hints at what Omaha hi-lo hands are worth playing, and which hands are absolute poison that should be avoided like the plague. The greatest weapon in a game of poker is knowledge and once we've broken down what's what you will confidently be able to traverse the seemingly daunting and sinister world that is Omaha hi-lo split.
A 2-7 offsuit hand is the worst hand to start with in Texas Hold 'Em poker because there are so few good options available to you: you have no straight draw, no flush draw, and even if you wind up with a pair of 7s or a pair of 2s, you're unlikely to have the best hand. Of course, you'll see some crazy flops every now and then, but just because. Poker Starting Hands - Comprehensive guide to which poker hands you should play, including a 2020 Texas Hold'em poker starting hands chart.
The Best Hand
While every thoroughbred Omaha player may have their own personal favorite hand, A, A, 2, 3 (double suited), is the best hand to be armed with in Omaha hi-lo.
Now let us just have a look at what makes this such an effective hand, baring in mind that in Omaha hi-lo, each player must use exactly two of their hole cards and three community cards to construct either a winning hi hand or a winning lo hand, Aces are high and low, and a lo hand can only quality with an 8-7-6-5-4 or lower.
- You are sporting a pair of Aces, which is primo no matter which poker derivative you are playing.
- Double suited gives you two possible flush draws.
- A-2 or 2-3 gives you two possible straight draws which can result in a hi win and a lo win.
- Having the baby cards of A-2-3 has you in a very good position to also take the Lo pot.
Other strong hands
Generally speaking, Aces are premium, considering they are high and low and can help you win either side or both sides of a possible hi-lo pot.
Double suited low cards such as an Ace and Three of Hearts and a Deuce and Five of Clubs has you primed for two possible flush draws, a low straight flush, a low straight and a look at splitting the pot and taking the lo hand.
A combination of low cards and high cards can be advantageous too, because then you are covering both ends of the spectrum. A hand like A-K-4-2 with two of those cards suited would have you sitting pretty with a plethora of possible hands.
Bad Hands
Unsuited middle hands can be an absolute grenade in Omaha hi-lo. J,9,8,6 unsuited is a train wreck. Sure you might be able to struggle a straight out of it, but there is nothing really on here. No flush. No high pair. No real lo winning hand. You should fold mid-range hands like this with extreme prejudice.
As odd and unlikely as it might sound, having quads (four of a kind) is the worst possible hand in Omaha hi-lo (the lower the four same ranked cards the worse, with four Deuces being the absolute worst). The best you can do with four of a kind is create a pair, so it is impossible to make the hand low. It is also not possible to make three or four of a kind, you have no chance for a flush, and any player with any matching card to the board automatically makes a higher pair than you.
So as special as it may look to be clutching a quad, give it a miss, even four Aces. Also, four suited cards (each card with the same suit), makes it less likely to create a flush.
Obviously, notes pointed here are not written in stone. A win can sometimes be manufactured outside of the cards you are concealing from the rest of the table. Can you bluff you way to a win? Can you be bluffed out of a win? What are the community cards? Who are you playing against? These are just some of the things you must take into account when playing Omaha hi-lo split.
Where to play Omaha hi-lo split online
Omaha hi-lo is available to play at cash tables, sit ‘n go tables or in tournaments with the following trusted poker sites. Each site's sign up or welcome bonus is included for your convenience.
- 888Poker.com offers up to $888 in bonus cash when you register.
- PokerStars.com offers up to $600 in matched deposit bonuses.
- FullTilt.com offers up to $600 in matched deposit bonuses.
There are 169 unique poker starting hands in texas hold'em.
That means there are 169 unique strategies to know about.
But don't worry!
In this article you will learn about the best poker starting hands and how to play the rest.
I have a friend, following one of Tom Dwan's plays, who would fight ‘til the end his King-Nine suited.
Whatever happens, my friend would bluff his way with this hand even if he didn't hit anything on the board.
He believes that this is his lucky poker starting hands.
Each time this hand of his wins, he'd say 'I told you so', but more often than not he'd remain quiet if his favorite poker starting hands is beat.
Luck is present in poker, but the game is about probability.
If you're like my friend who largely believes in a lucky poker starting hands, then there seems to be a problem with your game.
But this one friend isn't the only one.
I have loads of friends who have 'carved in stone' favorite hands and would play crazy just to prove theirs are the lucky one.
Having played with my buddies many times I could tell if they're holding their favorite cards, which is a good tell for me. Bad for them. Good for me.
But what are my favorite hands in poker?
Truth be told – 'nothing.' Yes, nothing.
However.
I do have specific plays and strategies for hands dealt to me.
I'll list them down one by one and explain why.
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Here are my favorite poker starting hands
I learned about these hands after reading Phil Helmuth's book 'Play Poker Like the Pros'.
Fair warning though, I believe that Phil's advice on how to play these hands are only apt for beginners and novice players.
I play these hands strategically from time to time especially when I play with loose players with a wide range of playing
Or Bullets as it's commonly called in the poker community.
It's the best opening hand in Hold'em.
It's statistically the most powerful hand in poker and even if your game is down to who has a strongest pair (meaning you or your opponent didn't hit anything on the community cards),
Aces will play strong and straight up.
Show me a poker player who hates Aces and I'll run up to him and punch his nose.
Aces can be played well especially during heads-up matches because it's a slated favorite, mathematically speaking.
However, it's drawback is when there are too many players in a hand and your opponents have powerful draws.
In situations like this, your bullets will often be at risk of getting outdrawn.
Here is a play by Daniel Negreanu when he is delt a pair of american airlines. You think we wun or lost?
The second best starting hand in poker.
You couldn't go wrong with this hand, except, well, for obvious reasons, when there's an Ace on the board.
Just like Aces, though, Cowboys stand their ground in heads-up matches and are statistically favored second to Bullets.
poker starting hands
Again, the downside to this favorite hand is when it's either outdrawn or when there's an Ace on the board.
Just a segue, my favorite experience with Cowboys and how this poker hand made me start winning more was when I've outdrawn an opponent with Pocket Rockets on the River.
I promise you, the look on my opponent's face even Picasso couldn't paint.
Chance of getting royal flush in texas holdemexas hold em. Watch how Phil Ivey play with his pocket kings.
Sadly, nicknames for pocket Queens are very derogatory, but that's how majority of poker players labeled it.
Personally, I can't help calling pocket Queens Bitches because I lost half of my stack during a tournament I played in many years back.
My Queens were no match against my opponent's rockets in what I considered one of the most important tournaments of my life. I was looking for a draw, but I didn't get any.
Will I completely despise pocket Queens and fold it immediately if dealt with it?
Of course not!Queens are still powerful and no amount of bad beat or two-cards above can stop good poker players from playing them aggressively.
This guy was very happy to get pockets queens while playing Governor of Poker.
Ace-Kings are recently labeled Anna Kournikova after the gorgeous tennis player.
During an episode of WPT, commentator Vince Van Patton called Big Slick Anna Kournikova because the hand 'looks great, but never wins.'
The reference is understandable because Ace-Kings, although they look good, are drawing hands.
Even lower pockets could beat Big Slick if the latter didn't hit a pair or draw on the board.
I prefer playing Big Slick usually under the gun (the position after the big blind) and bully my opponents to fold right in the onset.
The nice thing about Ace-King is when you hit top pair and you have a strong kicker or when you hit a good draw.
Big Slick is one of those poker hands that made me start winning more at poker.
Here is what happens when big slick meets big slick.
Don't be fooled by this face card.
It looks really good to have pocket Jacks, but they're really tough to play.
Why?That's because three higher cards already had it beat assuming your opponent has one high card that hit the board.
Just the same, and since we categorized J-Birds as a monster hand, you should play it like a monster hand.
With pocket Jacks, I always play strong.
But when there's a threat on the board, I find Hooks much easier to fold than Bullets or Cowboys. What slots should my ram go in.
Pro poker players consider pocket Jacks as the highest medium pair in Hold'em.
Get more insights on how to play pocket jacks in this video.
This medium pair is the most difficult to play when dealt with.
According to poker probabilities, Tens have a higher chance of getting into trouble with 70 percent of overcards being dealt on the flop.
But between Tens and Big Slicks, I prefer Tens because it's easier to fold; when my Ace or King hits a card on a board ;and later outdrawn in the River.
Here is how Phil Hellmuth likes to play his pocket tens.
My final thoughtsThe starting hands I brought up in this article is based on Phil Helmuth's monster starting hands.
In fact, Phil suggested ten monster starting hands, but I've only included the six best.
The good thing about using these starting hands is that they're straight up and very simple to execute.
You can crush any average game if you play them by the book.
Get a free copy of our popular eBook '21 Secrets to Dominate the Poker Tables Like a Pro'.
Here are my favorite poker starting hands
I learned about these hands after reading Phil Helmuth's book 'Play Poker Like the Pros'.
Fair warning though, I believe that Phil's advice on how to play these hands are only apt for beginners and novice players.
I play these hands strategically from time to time especially when I play with loose players with a wide range of playing
Or Bullets as it's commonly called in the poker community.
It's the best opening hand in Hold'em.
It's statistically the most powerful hand in poker and even if your game is down to who has a strongest pair (meaning you or your opponent didn't hit anything on the community cards),
Aces will play strong and straight up.
Show me a poker player who hates Aces and I'll run up to him and punch his nose.
Aces can be played well especially during heads-up matches because it's a slated favorite, mathematically speaking.
However, it's drawback is when there are too many players in a hand and your opponents have powerful draws.
In situations like this, your bullets will often be at risk of getting outdrawn.
Here is a play by Daniel Negreanu when he is delt a pair of american airlines. You think we wun or lost?
The second best starting hand in poker.
You couldn't go wrong with this hand, except, well, for obvious reasons, when there's an Ace on the board.
Just like Aces, though, Cowboys stand their ground in heads-up matches and are statistically favored second to Bullets.
poker starting hands
Again, the downside to this favorite hand is when it's either outdrawn or when there's an Ace on the board.
Just a segue, my favorite experience with Cowboys and how this poker hand made me start winning more was when I've outdrawn an opponent with Pocket Rockets on the River.
I promise you, the look on my opponent's face even Picasso couldn't paint.
Chance of getting royal flush in texas holdemexas hold em. Watch how Phil Ivey play with his pocket kings.
Sadly, nicknames for pocket Queens are very derogatory, but that's how majority of poker players labeled it.
Personally, I can't help calling pocket Queens Bitches because I lost half of my stack during a tournament I played in many years back.
My Queens were no match against my opponent's rockets in what I considered one of the most important tournaments of my life. I was looking for a draw, but I didn't get any.
Will I completely despise pocket Queens and fold it immediately if dealt with it?
Of course not!Queens are still powerful and no amount of bad beat or two-cards above can stop good poker players from playing them aggressively.
This guy was very happy to get pockets queens while playing Governor of Poker.
Ace-Kings are recently labeled Anna Kournikova after the gorgeous tennis player.
During an episode of WPT, commentator Vince Van Patton called Big Slick Anna Kournikova because the hand 'looks great, but never wins.'
The reference is understandable because Ace-Kings, although they look good, are drawing hands.
Even lower pockets could beat Big Slick if the latter didn't hit a pair or draw on the board.
I prefer playing Big Slick usually under the gun (the position after the big blind) and bully my opponents to fold right in the onset.
The nice thing about Ace-King is when you hit top pair and you have a strong kicker or when you hit a good draw.
Big Slick is one of those poker hands that made me start winning more at poker.
Here is what happens when big slick meets big slick.
Don't be fooled by this face card.
It looks really good to have pocket Jacks, but they're really tough to play.
Why?That's because three higher cards already had it beat assuming your opponent has one high card that hit the board.
Just the same, and since we categorized J-Birds as a monster hand, you should play it like a monster hand.
With pocket Jacks, I always play strong.
But when there's a threat on the board, I find Hooks much easier to fold than Bullets or Cowboys. What slots should my ram go in.
Pro poker players consider pocket Jacks as the highest medium pair in Hold'em.
Get more insights on how to play pocket jacks in this video.
This medium pair is the most difficult to play when dealt with.
According to poker probabilities, Tens have a higher chance of getting into trouble with 70 percent of overcards being dealt on the flop.
But between Tens and Big Slicks, I prefer Tens because it's easier to fold; when my Ace or King hits a card on a board ;and later outdrawn in the River.
Here is how Phil Hellmuth likes to play his pocket tens.
My final thoughtsThe starting hands I brought up in this article is based on Phil Helmuth's monster starting hands.
In fact, Phil suggested ten monster starting hands, but I've only included the six best.
The good thing about using these starting hands is that they're straight up and very simple to execute.
You can crush any average game if you play them by the book.
Phil would even go another mile and would suggest that you play these hands from any position while scaring your opponents with raises and re-raises.
Personally, I wouldn't go that far, but it's up to you if you want to try it out.
For beginners, playing these hands will help them develop the mental discipline needed.
A good and strong fold is always better than going gung-ho about a particular play.
Once you get your game together, you'll develop your own style and strategy and you would realize that these hands are as boring as they could get.
But just the same, with enough mental discipline coupled by a straight up strategy, these poker hands made me start winning more.
Wait… There is more!
This will be a bit technical and for the advanced players. Nearest casino el paso texas.
Still here?
Great!
I have put together a spreadsheet with the most played starting hands and their expected value.
But hold on a bit, what is expected value?
Well, based on hundred of thousand of plays some smart guys calculated the expected value of playing a specific hand.
For example if AA has an expected value of 2 and the big blind is $6, then the expected value of playing would be 2*$6= $12.
Top 10 Worst Poker Starting Hands Chart
Here is a screenshot of the spreadsheet and you can download/view the whole thing here.
Top 10 Worst Poker Starting Hands Per
As you can see your table position has quite a big impact on the expected value of your hand.
Top 10 Worst Poker Starting Hands Ever
Now when you have learned so much about poker starting hands why not head over to our mega post about the best poker sites online?