You're a Bunch of Factors

ok, everyone knows that AAKK double suited is the best omaha hi hand you can get.

but does anyone know what the second best starting hand is?

i have seen some interesting discussion on this, and i haven't used an odds calculator.

i am assuming that suits dont change the order of the hand rankings, so dont worry about suits. i.e AAKK unsuited doesn't count.

scott, i know you are an omaha man, so hold off for everyone else.

vote in the poll and leave a comment

If I pass this, you better not whine and moan to me on Sat if I still refuse to play Omaha.

I'm gonna think on this for a bit (no cheating I swears) and I'll come back and post my answer later on.

bennymacca wrote:i am assuming that suits dont change the order of the hand rankings, so dont worry about suits. i.e AAKK unsuited doesn't count.

Really? Cos JT98ds would be better than JT98, yeah?

AceLosesKing wrote:Really? Cos JT98ds would be better than JT98, yeah?

yeah of course its better

but i am assuming that 7910Jds doesn't beat 8910J rainbow (rightly or wrongly)

bennymacca wrote:i am assuming that suits dont change the order of the hand rankings, so dont worry about suits. i.e AAKK unsuited doesn't count.

All the top ranking PLO hands are double suited.

ok, well think of every hand as being double suited.

thats what i meant, dont worry about the suitedness of the cards

I actually prefer the second best hand over best starting hand.

The edge AAKK has over it is so small.

The edge the best starting Omaha hand has up against the worst starting Omaha hand is only about 2.5 to 1.

The pre flop edges in Omaha are very slight. Omaha is definitely a post flop game.

As to your question, there is quite often a bit of debate on which two you have listed is the second best starting hand. Mathematicians quite often disagree on the probabilities and assigned values of certain starting hands.

Personally I am a Matusow fan and loving playing double suited, connected cards. I love my wrap around and flush draws. Now there's a powerhouse flopped hand, cannot build enough equity in a pot when I flop a monster draw like that.

I've ruled out a few. Leaning towards AAKQ, or JT98. If I was playing Omaha, next to AAKKds, I would love to look down at JT98ds pre. So many combinations - and that's what you want in Omaha.

I'm gonna go with JT98ds.

the article i read says that AAJ10 double suited is the second best hand. AAKQ suffers because you have 2 of your straight outs in your hand, the aces.

im not convinved though. wouldn't AAQJ be ok as well?

scott, i have a question about double suited vs rainbow.

lets say we are ranking omaha hands with rainbow suits, and 6789 is x on the list, and 5789 is x+1 on the list.

generally, would 5789 double suited be ahead of 6789 rainbow?

in holdem, AQ suited does not beat AK off.

but in omaha you have 2 different suited combos.

do you know the answer? i suppose that is what i was trying to say with the suits above.