The Worst Starting Hands in Omaha High

The worst starting hands in Omaha high are not the ones that most people imagine. Unconnected, non-suited low cards may seem like terrible starting hands, however they are unlikely to lose you many chips. The worst starting hands are actually those holdings which will end up costing the player a large pot by the river, when they ‘improve’ to a good – but ultimately second best – hand by the showdown.

This article looks at the danger signs when it comes to those holdings which have the potential to be the worst starting hands in Omaha high. We start by reviewing the concept of selecting those hands which work well together before the flop – and then explain why hands which are not coordinated are dangerous. Finally we list some Omaha starting hands to avoid in different situations and positions.

Most pots in Omaha high are won by strong hands such as trips, nut straights, flushes and full houses. With 4 hole cards, 2 of which are used in conjunction with 3 cards from the board at showdown, there is usually a lot of potential to make excellent poker hands.

For this reason the best Omaha starting hands have cards which work well together to make these strong showdown hands. Coordinated starting hands give the player 6 combinations of the 2 cards which must be used at the end. We can use this information as a basis for assessing the worst starting hands.
With an Omaha high starting hand such as Q-8-4-2 of 4-different suits a player has very little chance of flopping a strong poker hand. Any straight draws are not likely to be to the nuts, and a 2-pair holding would be very vulnerable to an opponent with a single pair and over-cards. However, these hands are easily discarded before the flop.

Hands which cause many players further issues are semi-coordinated, yet look stronger than they really are. 6-6-J-K is an example of a potential trouble hand. While it has potential to make strong hands these are unlikely to be the ‘nut hands’ which win in an Omaha poker showdown. The reason is that other people will be favoring high cards, especially aces with one or two other broadway cards and high pairs. Here any flop with A-Q-10 is likely to result in a split pot – or giving an opponent a ‘freeroll’ on the turn and river drawing to the nut flush or a full house.
A second example of dangerous starting hands in Omaha high poker are uncoordinated high pair holdings, for example K-K-2-7 of 4 different suits. These are dangerous due to the apparent strength of the kings – it is that very strength which can lose inexperienced Omaha players a big pot. With this hand you are unlikely to be able to call any large bets after the flop unless 2 things occur.

Firstly you will need to spike a set on the flop, an over-pair rarely wins a showdown in Omaha. Secondly the flop must be uncoordinated, for example if the flop comes J-Q-K with 2 of a suit your trips may already be beaten and if not then half of the cards in the deck can ruin your hand on the turn. Here you would be drawing to a full house as the only possible way to save your hand – and opponents are likely to make it very expensive for you to do this.

Some of the worst starting hands to avoid in Omaha High are uncoordinated hands with middle pairs. Hands with straight potential with large gaps - for example 5-6-8-J, unsuited high cards with one low card such as 2-10-K-A have some potential but can not often be played in a raised pot.

To summarize, the worst starting hands in Omaha High poker are not the ones that most players would imagine. The worst hands are those which give the feeling of strength – yet have little real potential to make a hand strong enough to win a showdown on most flops. Avoiding semi-coordinated hands in raised pots, small pairs without coordinated help and playing cautiously with high pair only hands will ensure that you do not lose a big pot by making the second best hand by the river.