- Best To Worst Poker Hands
- Best Starting Poker Hands
- 10 Hand Video Poker
- Poker Starting Hands By Position
- Poker Starting Hand Percentages
It can be tempting to play a lot of hands in Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or better games – after all, high-only hands will win the pot some 30% of the time! This can be even more temping when you can see a flop relatively cheaply after a number of limpers… now the cold, hard facts – the quickest way to lose your bankroll is to play too loose in Omaha/8 poker. In fact you should be playing less starting hands than in other forms of poker, after all hands which can hit both the high and the low side of the pot with the nuts do not come along too often.
This guide will look at the various starting hands for Omaha Hi-Lo poker including PLO8. We start with the strongest hands of all and then drill down to speculative holdings. Your objective with every hand you play in Omaha Hi-Lo are twofold, to ‘scoop’ both the high and the low sides of the pot and to avoid being quartered – these objectives must be considered every time you enter a pot if you are to be a long-term profitable player.
Everyone knows that pocket aces are the best starting hand in a game of no limit texas holdem poker, but are you familiar with what the worst hands are? Join me as we go on a trip to the land of Texas Fold'em. 1) 7-2 72 is the #1 worst hand of them all.
- Texas Hold'Em Poker can be a tricky game to play, simply because there are so many excellent hands that one can start with, and so many different avenues that the game can take. Here are the 10 best starting poker hands for Texas Hold'Em. If you begin the round with one of these hands, you are definitely on the right track.
- The Top 10 Typical Beginner Mistakes. In no particular order, here are our top ten typical beginner mistakes: #1 – Playing Too Many Hands. One of the main mistakes new players make is feeling like they have to play every hand. They may become impatient, feel left out of the action or don’t want to look weak in front of their friends.
Premium Hands
The very best PLO8 and O8 starting hands are known as ‘suited babies’, that is to say small suited cards with an ace suited with at least one other card. These hands have the very best chance of scooping both sides of the pot. They can make ‘nut low’ hands with the small cards, and the ace + flush potential gives a great opportunity to win the high side of the pot also. A double suited (2 cards of each suit) hand will add to this strength still further. A pair of aces double suited with 2 babies is a potential monster in Omaha 8 or better – the potential to scoop here is huge.
Very Strong Hands
In this category come hands with both low and high potential that can not quite be considered premiums. Small cards are still favored, especially with an ace included as this gives high possibilities. Ace hands which contain 4 ‘babies’ are considered strong as they have both low and low straight potential. Hands with and ace-2 and another small card can be played where they have ‘backup’ for the high, for example a king suited with one of the small cards. K-K-A-X where X is a card 4 or below can also be played strongly in many circumstances.
High-Only Hands
Since the flop will not make a low hand possible 30% of the time there is a place for high only hands. However, these need to be played only when it is cheap to see a flop and where you are prepared to fold quickly should you not hit a nut hand (or very strong high draw with no low possible). High only hands should be the strongest possible, A-A-K-K or A-A-J-10 double suited being the very best – play these from late position and with caution!
Non-Ace Hands
While playing only hands with aces will keep beginning players out of trouble there are playable hands which do not contain these. The best would be 2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-6 which give you a combination of low and straight possibilities, if betting gets heavy and there is no ace on the board then you may be beaten for the low when holding non-ace hands.
Marginal Hands
The worst hand to make in any form of poker is the 2nd best hand, especially in a game such as PLO8 where finding out you are behind can be very expensive indeed. Hands with A-2 and 2 medium cards can be considered marginal, you are unlikely to make a high and are in danger of being quartered when you make the nut low. Cards with some backup in the form of an additional low card A-2-4-9 for example are a little stronger a suited ace and weak opposition could push these hands into the ‘playable with caution’ category from later position. See our article on Ace-2 errors for more on this important subject.
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Top Ten Worst Starting Holdem Poker Hands
Everyone knows that pocket aces are the best starting hand in a game of no limit texas holdem poker, but are you familiar with what the worst hands are?
Join me as we go on a trip to the land of Texas Fold’em.
1) 7-2
1) 7-2
72 is the #1 worst hand of them all. This is based on the fact that you can not make a straight with both cards and if you hit a flush you will have a very low flush at that. Even if you pair one of these two hole cards you are at worst hitting bottom pair with below average kicker, or at best top pair with bottom kicker.
2) 8-2
This hand suffers from the same inadequacies at 72u, however you have an 8 instead of a 7. Which makes things slightly better. But not by much. The only time you will be in front pre-flop is if you are playing against someone having a pop with 72u.
3) 8-3 & 7-3
You are unable to make a straight with 8-3. With 7-3 you are looking for a miracle flop to be in with any chance of winning the pot.
4) 2-6
Even if you make your straight you will not be able to guarantee you have the best hand. Players with suited connectors like 67 will make sure you lose a lot of chips. If you find yourself playing this hand against 4 other players you will only ever win around 10% of the time.
5) 2-9, 3-9, & 4-9
Best To Worst Poker Hands
The only positive quality about these hands is the 9. If you pair your 9 on the flop (unlikely), you will have a middling pair but with an awful kicker. The best way to lose a lot of chips is to play a second-best hand, and that is exactly what will happen if you play any of these card combinations.
Best Starting Poker Hands
6) T-2
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The legendary Doyle Brunsen hand made famous by him winning two WSOP bracelets with this hand. But do not be fooled. T2 is NOT a good hand. Do not play this hand unless you have the skill and experience of the legend that is the Brunsen. Or unless you like to lose money.
7) 9-5
95 is also known as the “Dolly Parton”. Maybe because of the song, but mostly because it’s ugly trash. Don’t play hands that have special names, or are your “favourite” hands. You should be selecting your starting hands based on strong cards and your table position. Hand selection based on the name of your hole cards is very, very stupid.
10 Hand Video Poker
8.) 4-7, 4-8, 5-8, 3-6…
Poker Starting Hands By Position
Any two low unpaired unsuited cards will rarely win unless you catch that dream flop. But odds are never ever in your favour to see a flop in the hope that you might hit it. For every one time you do hit a full house on the flop with these kinds of cards, there will be 100 times where you miss. Fold these hands. Even if on the small blind, even if you are getting value. If you do connect with the flop in some way, chances are it will be a trouble hand and before you know it you won’t be able to get away and you will find yourself pot comitted.
9) Face card (K, Q, J) + low card, unsuited
Poker Starting Hand Percentages
This is one of the more common mistakes made by beginners to the game. Picture cards by themselves are not worth anything. Put them with another card of the same rank and you’ve got a playable hand. But hands like J4, Q2, K3 are all Texas Fold’em hands. Even if you do pair your paint, chances are you will be outkicked at the showdown.
10) Ace + low card, unsuited
Another common beginner mistake to avoid is playing a raggy ace. That is an ace with a low kicker. Ok, so its not too bad heads up, and if you flop two pair against someone with AK then you are laughing, but this will not happen often enough to make it profitable to play. If someone is raising pre-flop in front of you, then your best strategy is to fold. Even if you do hit your ace on the flop, chances are someone else has too and more often than not they are playing with a much stronger kicker.