Personally, I wouldn't have even played the hand in an Omaha game. The cards aren't well-coordinated (i.e. the gap between the A-K and the 7-6 will put you in situations where you have a limited number of outs to draw at if you get a partial fit). If you do play it, its a calling hand and definitely not a raising hand.

The 75 cents into a $1.25 pot (approx.) looks fine since you've got a draw to the nut flush, but I think you went too strong after that by going all-in when the king hits on the turn. Yes, it gives you two-pair, but it also completes a straight draw. Top two pair isn't going to win many Omaha hands. With two opponents in, I'd be thinking that I still need a diamond to win at this point, so the all-in bet after the turn looks a bit too aggressive under normal conditions -- if your table was fairly passive, then its good because it might win you the pot on the spot, but in a game where the pot winner is having to show down a hand the majority of the time, its too strong a bet because someone will call.

Yes, the button player made a horrible call of an all-in and then an all-in reraise (assuming he wasn't short stacked and the pot odds justified any sort of call at that point). Just like in 7-stud, a lot of profit can be made in Omaha off people chasing superior hands with two pair in the hope they improve to a full house. In this case, the chaser caught.

In Omaha (to be clear, I'm NOT talking Omaha H/L), the best hand is AAKK, double suited. AAJT is also a very strong hand to hold double suited. The key is to look for a hand where all four cards compliment each other. High cards are good because 1. when suited they make higher flushes and 2. they fit at the high end of straights. Hands featuring high pairs are good because they can make trips, which can hold up as a winning hand (beware mid and low pairs though -- danger! danger!). Hands featuring a tight spread of cards where there's no gap or only a one-card gap are good (again, high is the key thing to remember...5-4-3-2, even though a tight hand, isn't a good hand for Omaha)

For instance, in the hand you played (not picking on you, just using it for illusration purposes)...the AK and the 76 don't compliment because there's such a big gap between them that any straight your hand fits with will ONLY fit with either the AK -or- the 76. (the difference between having 2 connected cards and 3 connected cards in Omaha means a difference between 8 and 13 outs if the flop gives you a shot at an open-ended draw...you can legitimately call a pot-sized bet to draw to 13 outs after the flop, you can't to an 8-outer)

Think of it like a basketball team...you wouldn't want to field a team where not every player has a role and fits into the squad in some manner. Ditto for Omaha (and Omaha H/L) hands -- you don't want to play a hand if there's not a chemistry between the cards and each of the four fits into a specific gameplan for the hand.

Originally Posted by shawn119

the best starting hand is AA23 double suited.. you get aces, straight draws, 2 flush draws, and a good hand for a draw at the nut low.

Only if your playing Hi-lo

HUTCHISON OMAHA POINT SYSTEM
The purpose of this system is to provide a simple means of evaluating starting hands in Omaha poker. It was developed in several steps:



First, Mike Caro's Poker Probe software was used to determine the win percentage for various four card combinations when played against nine opponents. This was accomplished via a Monte-Carlo type simulation with a minimum of 25,000 hands being dealt for each starting hand. The assumption made in this type of simulation is that each hand is played to the finish. This is, of course, an unreasonable assumption, but , in the absence of detailed knowledge of each player's starting requirements, method of play, etc., it is the best means of approximating a hand's strength and earning potential.



Secondly, a number of components were examined in an effort to determine their relative contribution to the value of each starting hand. Eventually, it was decided that the primary determinants of good Omaha starting hands related to the rank of the cards and whether or not they were paired, suited, or connected.



Finally, a type of regression analysis was conducted to try and determine the relative weighting of each of these factors. The system that follows is the result of quantifying the contribution made by each of these various components.



Once the calculations are made, the resultant point total is an approximation of the actual win percentage for a particular hand--when played to the finish against nine opponents. The correlation between point totals and win percentages, while not representing a one-to-one correspondence is, nevertheless, quite high. In fact, in about 70% of the cases the actual win percentage will be within just one point of the total points awarded by this system. This means that if the system indicates that a given hand earns, say, 20 points, you can be quite confident that the actual win percentage for this hand is between 19 and 21 points. It is very likely to win more often than a hand with 19 points and almost certain to outperform a hand with 18 points.





STEPS IN CALCULATING POINT TOTALS





FIRST, to evaluate the contribution made by suited cards, look to see if your hand contains two or more cards of the same suit. If it does, award points based upon the rank of the highest card. Repeat the procedure if your hand is double suited.



If the highest card is an ACE award 4 points

If the highest card is a KING award 3 points

If the highest card is a QUEEN award 2.5 points

If the highest card is a JACK award 2 points

If the highest card is a TEN or NINE award 1.5 points

For any other combination of two suited cards award 1 point.



If your hand contains four cards of the same suit, deduct 2 points.





SECOND, to factor in the advantage of having pairs,



If you have a pair of ACES award 9 points

If you have a pair of KINGS award 8 points

If you have a pair of QUEENS award 7 points

If you have a pair of JACKS or TENS award 6 points

If you have a pair of NINES award 5 points

If you have a pair from FOUR to EIGHT award 4 points

If you have a pair of TWOS or THREES award 3 points



Award no points to any hand that contains three of the same rank.





THIRD, when your hand contains cards capable of completing a straight it becomes more valuable, therefore add the following points:



For four different ranks, where the lowest card is



JACK add 14SIX add 9

TEN add 13 FIVE add 8

NINE add 12 FOUR add 8

EIGHT add 11 THREE add 7

SEVEN add 10 TWO add 5



From the above totals, deduct 1 point if more than a two card gap occurs.



If your hand contains a pair it will have just three different ranks. In this case, add six points if all cards are EIGHT or above and four points for all other combinations. Subtract one point if your cards contain a gap of three cards or more.



Hands with two pairs will contain only two ranks, in which case, add four points if both cards are EIGHT or above and add 2 points for any other combination. Subtract two points when a gap of more than one card occurs. Because of its diminished ability to make a straight, subtract two points if one of the cards is an ACE.





FINALLY, a determination must be made as to which hands qualify as playable. This becomes a function of how many points one decides are necessary before entering a hand. My suggestion would be to only play hands that earn 15 points or more. It can be argued that, ignoring the rake, any hand with more than a 10 percent win rate is potentially profitable in the long run. Still, I have the prejudice that most players, and especially those who are relatively inexperienced, would be better advised to forsake marginal hands and to focus on those that earn 15 points or more. Recalling that a random hand will win about 10% of the time in a ten-handed game, it can be seen that playing only premium combinations of 15 points or more, insures that you will always have a hand that is 50% better than a random hand. The point total required to raise or to call someone else's raise must also be determined subjectively. I feel that 20 points is the appropriate level, but, obviously, others may render a different judgment. So, in summary, a safe generalization is



YOU SHOULD CALL WITH 15 POINTS OR MORE AND CONSIDER RAISING WITH 20 POINTS OR MORE







SOME EXAMPLES FOR CLARIFICATION



The hand that has the highest win percentage in Omaha contains two ACES and two KINGS and is double suited. A hand containing the AS, KS, AH, and KH would earn 27 points under this system--calculated as follows: under step one above, the two double suits headed by the two aces earn 4 points each for a total of 8 points; step two awards nine points for the pair of aces and 8 points for the pair of kings, or a total of 17 more points; under step three, the ace-king combination earns 2 points for its straight potential. The resultant total of 27 points closely parallels the actual win percentage for the hand which is about 26.65.



Assume you have the 9S, 8S, 9D, and 8D. Step one awards a total of 3 points for the two double suits headed by nines. Under step two, the pair of nines earns 5 points and the pair of eights earns 4 points. The last step awards 4 points for the 9-8 combination. The total of 16 points is the same as this hand's actual win rate.



With the QS, QD,8H, and 8C, no points are earned under step one as there are no suited cards. Step two gives 7 points for the pair of queens and 4 points for the pair of eights. Step three awards four points for the Q-8 combination but then calls for a deduction of 2 points because of the three card gap that exists between the two cards. The final total is 13 points and this is, again, the actual win percentage for this hand.



Consider a hand consisting of the KS, KD, 3S, and 6D. Step one awards a total of 6 points for the two double suits headed by kings. Step two gives 8 points for the pair of kings. The hand gets 3 points under step three, making a total of 17 points. The actual win percentage is about 16.7%.



An example of a hand that tends to be somewhat over-rated by novice players is AS, KD, QH, and TS. Under step one the hand receives 4 points for the suited ace and ten. Step two is disregarded as the hand does not contain any pairs. Step three awards 13 points for the straight potential of the four connected cards. The final total is only 17 points, making this a marginally playable hand. It actually wins about 16.2%.

Heh, sorry about the massive post, a link probably wouild have been better.

http://erh.homestead.com/omaha.html