Omaha Hi-Lo Starting Hand Guide
There is one basic and easy way you can become better at Omaha Hi-Lo. Just learn about basic starting hand selection techniques and you will be a much better player. The most common mistake amongst both experienced and beginner players is the fact that they do not know how to make good hand selections. Playing way too many hands in Omaha hi-lo is a very common mistake. There is no reason to play a lot of hands because that is a sure way to take on the roll as a losing Omaha hi-lo player. If you want to be a winner, your hand selection is just important as anything else in the game.
In a game such as Texas Hold'em, there are some starting hands that are much better than others. While the same holds true in Omaha, there will never be a hand that is going to be a huge underdog. The community cards are going to play a much bigger role in any Omaha game, whether it be Hi-lo or just Hi. In Texas Hold'em, you are a 4:1 favorite if you have a high pair and you are up against a smaller pair. In Omaha, you will never have those kinds of favorable odds before the flop. Hand selection is still very important, but it is different in Omaha versus Texas Hold'em.
Strong Omaha Hi-Lo Starting Hands
There are a variety of hands that are considered strong starting hands in Omaha Hi-Lo. It can be pretty tough in Omaha Hi-Lo because of that low hand. You do not want to get too caught up with the low hand because that could get you in trouble. At the same time, you definitely need to keep it in mind and base your decisions off of both the low hand and the high hand. The problem with focusing too much on the low hand is that it is extremely common for the low hand to not qualify and it if it does it is common to split the low pot with another player. If you put too much money into a pot just to split the low pot, you could end up actually losing money even though you have the best possible low Omaha hand.
The best possible starting hand in Omaha Hi-Lo is known to be AA23 double suited. That means both of your Aces would be suited with each of the other two cards. An example would be A3 of clubs and A2 of spades. The reason this is a good Omaha Hi-Lo starting hand is because there are so many different possibilities. If the low hand does hit, then you are very likely to have the best possible low hand. Along with that, you have two nut flush variations and you also have some straight possibilities. Then of course you do still have pocket aces which could turn into a high hand as well. That pretty much sums of the definition of a strong starting hand in Omaha Hi-Lo.
Cards that work together and give you lots of possibilities are cards worth playing. Even if you do not have low cards. Remember that the low hand will not always play. If the flop has all big cards, the low hand is automatically down the drain. Even though it would be impossible for AAKK double suited to qualify for a low hand, it is still a very good hand to play even in Omaha hi-lo.
Stay away from hands that do not work together and do not give you a lot of possibilities. Also do not get to caught up with pocket pairs. They are not that good and often cause a lot of trouble. Unless you hit the top set, you are probably asking to lose the pot with a small pocket pair. Even with top set, it is likely that you will have a vulnerable hand. If you just use your head a little big and do some thinking it is not hard to figure out which hands to fold and which hands to play in Omaha hi-lo.