Omaha starting hands?

Question

So I was playing some Omaha last night and got the following cards:

TJQK with KJ suited.

Not being experienced in Omaha, I folded when someone bet the pot pre flop under the belief that my straight draws are cancelled by the other cards in my hand.

Of course, the flop came rainbow AJT giving me the nut flush and a FH draw.

Is this considered a good starting hand?

Answer 1

I am missing something in your explanation. You have a great hand. You can't win low, but you have 11 outs for the Flush, 3 Tens, 3 Jacks, 3 Queens, 3 Kings, and 4 Aces, for the Straight, or the Full House. I don't know where you were seated at the table, but if there was only a bet, and no raises

before it was your turn to call, call the bet and see the flop.

BAM.

Answer 2

yes. in omaha, your straight draws are stronger if you have 3 or 4 cards in the straight. your draws are canceled if you have pairs. In general, a minimum of two pair or better is needed to win, and often fh will be beat by a better fh.

Note that your hand is not safe. If another A comes on the board, or three of a suit, I would seriously consider folding this hand. middle and bottom pair, in omaha, is very weak. top and bottom is better. straights aren't bad, but only if there's no pair or flush on the board. If the j or T pairs, you still could lose to AJ or A10.

Also very deceptive of this hand is that other hands that are weaker could draw out on you. I don't like flopping straights because there's so many hands that could still beat me, particularly if somebody tripped, and my straight has so little of a chance to improve. you may still win if it comes down to fh vs fh in this example, however.

Also note that preflop raising in omaha usually means a big pair, AA or KK. That very likely means they hit trips on this flop, have a higher 2 pair than you, or you're only playing for the split pot and may still lose.

On the other hand, if this flop was J 10 9, that's as good a hand as you can get. Nut straight, nut two pair, and draw to the nut fh. only JJ or a lucky flush would have a chance to beat you.

So, don't feel bad. In omaha, the nuts on the flop don't always stay the nuts at the end.

You can get omaha hand rankings at wikipedia. they also have a good pot odds section for omaha.

Answer 3

Well, you had the nut straight, not flush and two pair.  I would have called pot preflop with that hand.  While it would have been better were it double suited, it is a hand to see the flop with.  As said earlier you should play hands that "play together well" and that hand does.  The only thing I would ask is what do you do if the board pairs with that hand and you make second or third nut house?  The pre-flop raise screams a/a, in the hold at least a good bit of the time in plo.. I love playing plo because it is an action game and the pots are much bigger than in nlhe at the same limit.  Drawing hands are always good in the game, so yeah, to answer your question, it is a good starting hand and on that flop you pot it hoping to get the better boat draw out, though you seldom will.

Answer 4

yikes, i don't want to be mean, but that is as bad a fold as i have ever seen in omaha...your hand is generally considered to be extremely strong, worth re-raising before the flop under some circumstances, and possibly worth even calling a raise and a re-raise cold

your thinking is somewhat correct about the straight draws being cancelled, but it also flawed...it is true that you can only make a straight in one end and that you will have somewhat dead cards, but remember that there are more cards out of the deck in omaha so dead cards are more likely to reappear on board...also, part of the value in playing a hand like K-Q-J-10 is the ability to make two big pair or a big full house, it's not all about making a straight necessarily

Answer 5

THATS A GOOD HAND TO SEE THE FLOP.

Answer 6

When playing Omaha you want to play 4 cards that work well together.  Your TJQK with KJ suited is a pretty good hand.

Pocket Pairs arn't worth near as much as they are in Hold Em because you need to hit a set to get any value out of them.  A lot of times when you do hit the set your going to need the board to pair.  Also small sets are trouble because set over set is a lot more likely in Omaha.

Omaha hands are normally won by straights, flushes, and full houses.  Learn what the nuts are and play hands that are the nuts, or very close to the nuts.