There are 5,277 four card combinations that can be dealt with a 532 card deck. When you figure in the suited combinations there are 270,725 combinations that can be made. Most of these will be losers. Because you want to scoop the pot in Hi-Lo your will usually need to hold of an ace if you expect to win the small half of the pot. According to simulations run by Bill Boston and published in his book, Omaha High-Low, the best starting hand is A-A-2-3 Double suited. Double suited means that the A-2 is suited and the A-3 is suited as well. This gives you a good chance at the nut flush in two different suites. It also has possibilities for a straight as well. If an Ace 2 or 3 appears on the board your hand will not be counterfeited and you have the best shot at the nut low as well.
Choosing Your Starting Hand
One method for choosing a starting hand is to use a point count method. To do this each card combination in your hand is assigned a value and you add together all the points to determine the strength of your four card hand.
When I started learning Omaha HI-Lo, I picked up Wilson’s Turbo Omaha Hi-Lo Split software program to practice with. In the manual was a simple point count system that is very easy to learn and has helped me in choosing a starting hand. Here is how it works.
Easy Point Count
For High:
Pairs:
Aces count as 30 points. Kings = 13, Queens = 12, Jacks = 11 and all other pairs equal their face values. A pair of 5’ is worth five points.
Flushes:
Two card flushes count 10 points with an ace. All others count 4 points . Three or four of same suite count as half.
Straights:
Two card straight with no gap or one gap count as 2 points. (Ex: 8-9 or 8-T, )
High Cards:
Unpaired Ace = 4 points, King = 2points.
For Low:
A-2 = 20 points
A-3 = 15 points, 2-3 = 10 points
A-4 = 10, 2-4, 3-4 = 5 points
2-3 = 10
A-5, 2-5, 3-5, 4-5 = 5 points
Add up the points for your four cards for the high count and the low count. Add them together. It takes 25 points to call, 40 points to raise and 50 points to reraise. If you are in the small blind you can complete your bet with 10 points.
I found this method one of the easiest ways to give me a practical estimation of my hand strength and was surprised by how I did when I used it. Give it a try the next time you play Hi-Lo. You might see and improvement in your game.
Until next time, remember:
"Luck comes and goes...Knowledge Stays Forever!"