Pre Flop Hand Rankings
These are the positions at a nine-handed table: The player immediately clockwise of the big blind is always first to act in the preflop betting round, and this position is known as “Under the Gun”, or “UTG”. The UTG, UTG+1 and UTG+2 positions are known collectively as “early position”, or “EP”. After all, A K on that board is the nut no pair hand, or the best hand you can have minus any pair. So when players act aggressively pre flop – signaling a strong hand like A Q, A J, or K Q – but wind up whiffing on these ragged flops, you can comfortably call their continuation bet bluffs knowing you have the best possible unpaired hand. Omaha Hi-Lo Preflop Hand Values. There are 16,432 different starting hands in Omaha Hi-Lo Holdem (considering equivalence relations). The table on this page shows the top 5% of hands dealt, click here to see all of the hands, the page is almost 2MB so may take a while to load. The table is generated using a java program which randomly deals 10 players and 5 community cards, finds the winner/s.
Because Texas Hold’em poker is very complex game it is impossible to draw any strict rules that will guarantee you to play winning poker. The only part of Texas Hold’em poker game where can be successfully applied some particular rules is Texas Holdem preflop starting poker hands strategy.
The decision which poker starting hands combinations should be played preflop can be made based on Texas Holdem preflop starting hand value ranking . Remember that sometimes you should play also weaker poker starting hands combinations to make your poker preflop strategy game less readable. Poker preflop hand value ranking is based on starting hands groups and poker hand rankings. Poker starting hands combinations from the same group can be played in pretty much the same way. As you will become more experienced poker player you will be thinking rather in terms of EV (expected value based on preflop odds) of each preflop poker strating hands combination rather than in groups. Poker odds calculator is another tool that may help you with learning preflop odds as well aspreflop strategy.
Keep in mind that the Texas Holdem poker preflop strategy and the poker starting hands groups you are going to play depend on playing style and quality of poker players at your table and your position. You will need lot of practice at poker tables to master this preflop part of poker strategy which is important part of learning to play winning poker.
Below you can find the preflop poker starting hand ranking.
Poker Starting Hands Groups
s – suited
x – low card
T – 10
- AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs
- TT, AQs, AJs, KQs, AK
- 99, JTs, QJs, KJs, ATs, AQ
- T9s, KQ, 88, QTs, 98s, J9s, AJ, KTs
- 77, 87s, Q9s, T8s, KJ, QJ, JT, 76s, 97s, Axs, 65s
- 66, AT, 55, 86s, KT, QT, 54s, K9s, J8s, 75s
- 44, J9, 64s, T9, 53s, 33, 98, 43s, 22, Kxs, T7s, Q8s
- 87, A9, Q9, 76, 42s, 32s, 96s, 85s, J8, J7s, 65, 54, 74s, K9, T8
The poker starting hands listed in each group first have higher rank.
Texas Holdem Poker Preflop Strategy
Early position preflop | |
| Unraised: | Raised: |
| Aggresive games: unraised: first 3 groups | Tight player: first 2 groups (you should fold weaker combinations as KQs) |
| Normal game: first 4 groups | Loose player: first 3 groups |
| Passive games: first 4 groups + suited connectors | Advice: In case there are just few callers always raise preflop |
Middle position preflop | |
| Unraised: | Raised: |
| Aggresive games: unraised: first 4 groups | Tight player: first 2 |
| Normal game: first 5 groups | Loose player: first 4 groups |
| Passive games: first 6 groups | Advice: Always raise preflop if there are few or no callers or you expect that other players will fold |
Late position preflop | |
| Unraised: | Raised: |
| Aggresive games: unraised: first 6 groups | Tight player: first 3 groups |
| Normal game: first 7 groups | Loose player: first 5 groups |
| Passive games: first 8 groups | Advice: Always raise preflop if there are few or no callers |
Blinds | |
| Unraised: | Raised: |
| Aggresive games: unraised: first 2 groups | Tight player: first 2 groups (you should fold weaker combinations as KQs) |
| Normal game: first 3 groups | Trying to steal blinds: first 6 groups |
| Passive games: first 5 groups | Advice: Raise only with first 2 group hands |
What Texas Holdem poker preflop rules to remember:
- always raise preflop, rarely call unless you are in blinds
- in raised pot preflop rather re-raise or fold than call
- always make your decisions based on your poker starting hands strength - preflop odds, position and quality of your opponents
For more complex view into Texas Holdem poker preflop strategy and strategy on and after the flop check our the best poker books reviews or recommended learning poker portals that can be found in our learn how to play poker section.
When you're playing hole card games such as Omaha, choosing the right hands to play preflop can make a big difference -in fact, it can make all the difference.
If you play absolutely every hand, you're just going to funnel your winnings right back into the game. However, in Omaha especially, you want to play enough hands to scoop some big pots. Those of you crossing over from Texas Hold'em will find yourself playing a lot more hands. Omaha Hold'em is definitely more of an action based game than its sister game Texas Hold'em.
Pre Flop Hand Rankings
When a game of Omaha begins you'll be dealt 4 cards, and from those 4 cards you can come up with 6 starting hand combinations. Omaha rules require you to use exactly 2 of your hole cards and 3 of the community cards (the ones dealt face up on the felt table and shared amongst all the players).
So you get two more cards than you're used to, and so do all of the other players. In fact, there are in general a lot more cards out there to play with.
That variance makes playing Omaha poker, creating winning Omaha strategies, and choosing strong Omaha starting hands a little trickier. Although you get 4 cards to choose from, keep in mind that so do all the other players at the table, so there are more cards dealt out altogether.
Suited Cards - Remember, You Only Get to Keep Two...
Finding yourself looking down at four cards of the same suit is not a good thing when you're playing Omaha. If you're holding four spades what you really have is two spades to a flush, and two of your own outs mucked.
Preflop Hand Rankings
Pocket Pairs
Pocket pairs in Omaha are a good hand, but not nearly as valuable as in Texas Hold'em. The look on a new players face when he first sees a solid boat get beat by another boat… it's priceless. It's not uncommon to see three sets of trips at showdown, or a couple boats, a flush, and top two pair.
What I'm saying here is that with all these cards and so many more players paying for a flop, you're going to need a lot better of a hand to win a pot.
The Best Possible Starting Hand in Omaha High:
When playing straight Omaha, or Omaha High, the best hand you can hope to peel up from the table is AAKK. That's it, the very best hand preflop. Now you want these to be suited as well to give you the best odds post flop. So Something like Ah As Kh Ks would be perfect.
Now you've got two shots at flopping trips, two cracks at a flush draw, and a high straight possibility. You are holding your out cards for a full house if you make trips, but in the Omaha high world, this is as good as a starting hand gets. And if all else fails there, you've still got that pair of aces workin' for ya.
Second up on the list of Highest ranking Omaha High Starting hands is AAQQ, still giving you a nice pair of bullets to start off the show. In addition here you have AQ for pulling off Broadway straights. And of course we want the hand to be double suited such as Ah As Qh and Qs, giving you two shots at making a flush.
Omaha Hi Hand Ranking Chart:
Texas Hold'em Preflop Hand Rankings
**Please assume that these hands are all Double Suited**
Poker Preflop Hand Rankings
| Rank | Hand |
| #1 | AAKK |
| #2 | AAQQ |
| #3 | AAJJ |
| #4 | AATT |
| #5 | AAKQ |
| #6 | AAQJ |
| #7 | AAAT |
| #8 | AKJ10 |
| #9 | AKQJ |
| #10 | AKQT |
The Best Starting Hands for Omaha Hi/Lo...
The most popular versions of Omaha today are the Hi/Lo varieties which award a pot to both the highest hand and to the lowest hand. Omaha Hi-Lo is super fun to play because the action is insanely intense.
You already have a full table seeing more flops, but now you have the lowest hand betting against the highest hand, and both actually standing to win. However, if you play your cards right, you'll be playing hands that will give you a shot at scooping up both the low pot and the Omaha high pot all in one clean swoop.
Omaha Hi/Lo players are eligible to win either the entire pot or a 50/50 split. The pot is of course split when there is a winning 'low' hand. A winning low hand must include five cards all under 8 (hence the Omaha 8 nickname) and different in value; a hand with a pair doesn't count, because it's no longer a low qualifying hand.
So with that in mind, the best possible hand to win the low is A2345.
Due to the fact that a player MUST use two cards from their hand and three from the board, a low hand is only a possibility if there are three or more cards on the table that are an 8 or lower. Learn more about Omaha Hi/Lo.
The Best Starting Hand in Omaha Hi-Lo Hands Down!
The best hand a dealer can put in front of you in an Omaha Hi Low game is AA23, especially if the ace and the deuce are suited, and the other ace and 3 are also suited.
This hand, dealt exactly this way (double suited), gives you the best shot at hitting flushes, straights, and the best low, not to mention it begins with a pair of aces you can use to build a high hand.
Considered to be the second best starting hand in Omaha Hi/Lo is AAK2, giving you a pair of aces and AK to work your way into a decent high hand, and A2 to work toward the low.