- Poker Starting Hands Ranking
- Omaha Starting Hands
- Poker Hand Rankings Test
- Best Omaha Starting Hands
- Poker Hand Ranking Pdf
Omaha Hi Lo Poker Hand ranking. Omaha Hi/Lo - Hand Ranking. Once you have learnt How to Play Omaha Hi/Lo, it is important to understand the Hand Rankings. In Omaha Hi/Lo, the regular poker hand ranking is followed for the high hand whereas a set of rules are defined for making the low hand.
The high version of Omaha, and in particular the pot limit version, has become very popular. This popularity is likely due to it’s similarity to Texas Hold‘Em which shows no sign of losing its position as the worlds most popular poker variant. Due to this link many of the players now learning and playing pot limit Omaha are coming from a Texas Hold’Em background and as such are bringing with them a few misconceptions about Omaha hand rankings that are not helpful to their success. This article will tell you what to look for in Omaha starting hands as well as which rules of Hold’Em hold true in Omaha and which do not.
Good Hold’Em hand, Good Omaha hand?
The first problem Hold’Em players seem to have when assessing the strength of an Omaha starting hand is seeing good Hold’Em hands as good Omaha hands. A hand such as QQ72 with no suits might seem to equate to QQ in Hold’Em but in reality it is much less valuable. High pairs are still valuable (especially aces) but in Omaha you are looking for hands where all 4 cards are connected in some way.
Two Hold’Em hands do not make an Omaha hand!
Following on from our last point, hands such as AK88 with no suits might look like an attractive starting hand but actually it is really just two Hold’Em hands. The pair of eights is not connected in anyway with the Ace or King. This would change considerably if they were double suited or the eights were tens.
Poker Starting Hands Ranking
A hand like AJT9 double suited is much better then AK88 with no suits and in fact is ahead in pre-flop equity 58 to 42, despite having no pair and being outkicked when an ace comes.
Omaha – Holding your own outs
Imagine you are playing a Hold’Em hand and are holding a pocket pair and decide to go mining for that set. What if you knew that one of the cards that make you that set is already gone?
In Omaha you must use exactly two of your hole cards and you sometimes get dealt a hand where you are holding your own outs. Hands where you are dealt 3 (or 4) of a kind are examples of this. Say you are dealt JJJK single suited and are considering whether to call a raise. The fact is that part of the value in pairs also comes from hitting your set which is now half as likely, and on top of that your hand really only has 2 combos, JJ and KJ. Stay clear of these types of hand as they will have very low equity when facing a strong holding.
Hands where you hold 4 of the same suit also have less value then hands where you hold 2 of a suit. Not only will a flush draw appear less often but when it does you will have a lower chance of hitting it.
|
Omaha Starting Hands
Omaha starting hand rankings
So far we’ve gone through some things that Hold’Em players should be aware of so they can avoid common mistakes but which hands are strong Omaha hands?
As you might expect aces is the best hand pre-flop but because Omaha is a four card game they can vary considerably in quality. It should be obvious that AAQJ double suited is better than AA72 with no suits, and indeed the former has a considerable equity advantage over the latter.
As you step down the ladder of premium pairs in Omaha their power as an over pair diminishes quicker than it does in Hold’Em and by the time you get down to queens you need to have other strength in your hand to make it playable. Hands such as QQJT and JJQK are much stronger than hands like QQ75 and JJK6.
Having connected or suited cards improves the strength of your hand and having both is excellent. A hand such as QJT9 double suited is a monster in Omaha due to its ability to hit many flops hard. It should also be noted that when you have a gap in your run down hands it is better to have the gap at the bottom. QJT8 is better than QT98 for example.
Omaha starting hand rankings summary
In Omaha you have four cards and must use exactly two. This means you are actually playing 6 combinations of 2 cards. The more of these combinations that are coordinated the better you hand’s equity will be. To get a more complete understanding of the equities of different hand match ups try using an online Omaha odds calculator.
For more strategy tips, check out the rest of the strategy section.
When you first start playing poker it’s important that you are quickly able to recall hand rankings and the strength of the hand you’ve been dealt. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to do so, as highlighted in this complete guide to the 10 strongest poker hands, with their rankings listed in order from highest to lowest. Furthermore, the rankings are standard for all the most popular types of poker games including No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha and Seven-Card Stud.
In addition to a poker hand rankings chart, also provided are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding poker hand rankings, as well as the game of poker in general.
1. Royal Flush
A ‘Royal Flush’, otherwise known as a ‘Royal Straight Flush’ or ‘A Royal’, is the best possible hand in poker. It consists of ace, king, queen, jack and ten, with all five cards of the same suit, such as As-Ks-Qs-Js-10s.
This unbeatable hand is rare, though, with the odds of making a royal flush just 1 in 30,939 or 0.0032 percent using 7 cards. These odds apply to the game of Texas Hold’em where you build your hand using 5 cards, but still have 7 cards to choose from, namely 2 pocket cards and 5 on the board.
2. Straight Flush
A ‘Straight Flush’ consists of five cards in a row that are all in the same suit. It essentially combines a straight with a flush, with an example being Jc-10c-9c-8c-7c. This powerful hand rarely gets beaten, but in the eventuality of a showdown between straight flushes the player with the highest top card wins. Bear in mind that suits are irrelevant in poker and that only kickers are used to separate same ranked hands.
The odds of making a straight flush is 1 in 3,589, or 0.0279 percent.
3. Four of a Kind
A Four of a Kind, otherwise known as ‘Quads’, consists of any four of the same value cards in each of the four suits. For example Ks-Kh-Kc-Kd-2s is a four of a kind hand. In Texas Hold’em, if the community cards dealt complete four of a kind on the board, such as 10c-10s-10h-10d-7c, the player with the highest hole card wins. In the example provided, however, if none of the players have a card higher than a 7 the hand is drawn.
Poker Hand Rankings Test
Four of a kind hands are strong and rarely beaten, with the odds of making such a hand 1 in 594, or 0.168 percent.
4. Full House
A ‘Full House’ is any three of a kind hand combined with a pair. An example of such a hand would be Ah-Ac-Ad-Kc-Kd, or “aces full of kings,” which is the best possible full house hand and would in turn beat a lesser-ranked full house, as well as a flush, a straight, or any other hand ranked lower on this list.
Also referred to as a ‘Full Boat’, the odds of making a full house is 1 in 37.5 or 2.60 percent.
5. Flush
A ‘Flush’ is fifth highest on the poker hand rankings list, and consists of five cards of the same suit, but not in consecutive order. An example would be Ac-Jc-9c-7c-5c or Qd-10d-7d-5d-2d. Between two flushes, the one with the highest-ranked card wins the hand, with an ace-high flush the best possible flush. Therefore, an ace-high flush beats a king-high flush, a king-high flush beats a queen-high flush, and so on. This is a hand that even a super tight poker player would play.
The odds of making a flush is 1 in 32.1, or 3.03 percent.
6. Straight
A ‘Straight’ consists of five consecutive cards in numerical order, but not of the same suit. In this hand, aces can count both as a high or low card. For example, the lowest possible straight, also known as the ‘Wheel’ or ‘Bicycle’, is five-high as in 5h-4d-3s-2c-Ad, while the highest referred to as ‘Broadway’ is ace-high as in Ad-Ks-Qh-Jc-10s.
The odds of making a straight is 1 in 20.6 or 4.62 percent.
7. Three of a Kind
A ‘Three of a Kind’ hand consists of any three cards of the same face value, and two non-paired cards. An example would be Ah-As-Ad, with a King and a Queen as side cards, which is also the best possible three of a kind hand. The term ‘Set’ and ‘Trips’ both refer to types of three-of-a-kind hands, but in a set you must hold a pair in your hand. By contrast, trips are when there is a pair on the board and you hold a third matching card in your starting hand, such as a 6c-6s-Kh-10h-5d board and you hold a 6d in your hand.
The chances of making a three-of-a-kind hand is 1 in 19.7, or 4.83 percent.
8. Two Pair
Any ‘Two Pair’ hand consists of two cards of the same face value together with another two cards of the same value. For example Jc-Jd-6c-6h-Kc. If two players both hold two pair then the player with the biggest pair wins. At the top of the two pair ranking order is aces and kings with a queen kicker.
The odds of making two pair or ‘Top Two’ as it is also known is 1 in 3.26, or 23.5 percent.
9. One Pair
Best Omaha Starting Hands
A ‘One Pair’ hand means you have two cards of the same face value and three other non-matching cards. For example Ac-Ad-Qc-9d-3h or 10d-10h-7c-5d-2h. In a pair versus pair situation, like the previous example, the higher pair always wins, with two aces the best possible one-pair hand. Where two players have the same pair the player with the next highest card wins.
Also known as a ‘Pocket Pair’, the odds of making such a hand is 1 in 1.28, or 43.8 percent.
10. High Card
When a player has five unpaired cards the highest-ranked card plays. The highest possible high card in poker is an ace, which would beat a king high hand, and so on. For example, an Ac-Qh-10d-7s-3h hand would beat a Kd-Jc-9h-7c-5s hand.
The odds of not making a pair is 1 in 4.74, or 117.4 percent.
Poker Hand Rankings FAQs
Do hand rankings vary between different poker games?
All the most popular “high-card” poker games use the standard poker hand rankings based on five cards only and listed in order from highest to lowest. These include Hold’em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and Five Card Draw. On the other hand, “low-card” games, known as Lowball, use an alternate low hand ranking in which the lowest possible hand wins. Badugi, 2-7 Triple Draw, and Razz are examples of such Lowball games.
Do my extra cards matter in poker?
When playing Texas Hold’em, it’s important to remember that the best five card hand takes the pot. If you and your opponent have the same hand, however, then the highest kicker comes into play. For instance, if your holding is A-9 versus K-10 for your opponent and the board comes Q-Q-Q-Q-8, then your quads and ace high hand would beat your opponent’s quads and king high hand. If, however, the highest kicker is a community card then its a split pot. An example of this would be if you had 10-9 versus your opponent’s 10-7 on a 10-K-K-A-Q board, as you both have two pair each, tens and kings, with a communal ace high card.
Which suit is ranked the highest in poker?
Most poker games do not rank one suit more valuable than another, with all suits considered of equal value. A spade Royal Flush, for instance, is considered of equal value as one comprised of either diamonds, hearts or clubs.
What is a ‘draw’ in poker?
Poker Hand Ranking Pdf
A ‘draw’ or ‘drawing hand’ in poker is when a player’s hand is incomplete and needs an additional card or cards in order to become valuable. There are many types of draws associated with the game of poker, such as flush draws, straight draws, open-ended straight draws, and inside straight draw, to name but a few. A flush draw, for example, is a hand with four matching suited cards that needs another card of the same suit to improve to a flush. Similarly, a straight draw is where a player needs to hit one card of a certain rank in order to complete a straight.
What are the 10 best starting hands in Hold’em?
It can be difficult to rank the best starting hands in Hold’em because you’re always going to have hands where pocket aces get cracked. In general, however, the following 10 hands are considered the best versus any two random cards:
- 1. Pocket Aces
- 2. Pocket Kings
- 3. Pocket Queens
- 4. Ace-King Suited
- 5. Pocket Jacks
- 6. Pocket Tens
- 7. Ace-Queen Suited
- 8. Ace-King Offsuit
- 9. Ace-Jack Suited
- 10. King-Queen Suited