What is the best starting handing in Omaha poker? To answer this question, we need to look at what the goal of the game is. In Omaha, poker players must make the best poker hand possible from their two hole cards and three community cards.
Bear in mind, there is no one good hand. There are several good poker hands and depending on the rest of the table you could win with what is considered a lesser hand. Follow along as we go into more detail.
Best Starting Hands in Omaha Poker
Again, it is important to look at how Omaha poker rules to understand what the best starting hands are.
In Five Card Omaha, players get four-hole cards. From those four, you must pick the best two to combine with the community cards for the optimal hand. It is important to remember that in regular Pot Limit Omaha, the hand rankings are similar to Texas Hold’em poker hands.
Based on that the best starting hand would be a double suited hand. A double suited hand would be versatile enough to form several winning hands, including the basic one pair, two pair, three-of-a-kind, full house, four-of-a-kind and if you’re really lucky? A royal flush.
Any hand with a pair of aces would tend to fair better than most hands because the top seven best hands in Omaha poker contain aces.
Omaha Hi Lo Winning Hands
The rules of what the best hands are change a little when you play Omaha Hi-Lo. It goes back to the rules of the game and what the end goal is.
In Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better, the aim is to make two hands: one ace to five low hand and a sperate five card high hand. In this scenario, cards that may have not had the best chance in the regular Big O game like a high card below the value of 8 would make a good low hand.
Top Five Omaha Poker Starting Hands
We will just close this off with a summary of the best possible starting hands in the Big O:
- Double ace pairs
- Any pair of aces and another pair
- A straight flush
- King pair + queen Pair
- A pair of kings and a pair of jacks
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John Ford has been writing online gambling content for over 18 years. Born and raised in the heart of the Short Pump, Virginia, John’s journey through the casino industry began on the casino floor itself. He started as a dealer in various games, including blackjack, poker, and baccarat, cultivating an understanding that only hands-on experience can provide. John’s passion for writing casino guides stems from his casino experience and his passion for helping fellow punters. His articles are more than reviews; they are narratives that guide both novices and seasoned players through the labyrinth of online casinos.