Pot-Limit Omaha: Raising or Limping Pre-Flop

In Pot-Limit Omaha, no matter what you hold, your opponent's hand will almost always have a decent chance of beating your hand. For example, being dealt an A-A-K-K double suited is 50,000:1 (against) and that hand is just a 3:2 favourite to win against 8-7-6-5 double suited. As such, the question arises as to whether or not you should raise when you hold a good starting hand.

What about only raising when you hold Aces? The problem with this strategy is that you become too predicable, as people will know exactly where you are and will not likely make mistakes against you.

How about always limping in? This is better than just raising with Aces though it is still not an optimal strategy. Whenever you bet, raise or call on the flop, your opponents will also have a good idea of what type of hand you hold. If you never raise pre-flop, you do not make other limping players pay enough to see the flop for those times when you hold a strong starting hand. Also, you will not be picking up as many pots as when you play with a raising strategy.

By raising with a variety of hands pre-flop, you will gain numerous advantages: you become unpredictable, you pick up more pots, you make opponents pay when you are likely to have the best hand, and you obtain more bluffing opportunities. Another advantage is that it is more fun to play according to this strategy. In light of all this, it becomes clear that a strategy combining both raising and limping with a variety of hands is the best.

What hands to raise with

A good pre-flop raising strategy is to raise with any of the top 30 hands mentioned above, all of which hold at least one suit and most that don't, though this is not entirely sufficient and you will need to raise with more hands. Add any four cards in a row that are double-suited with cards, Six or higher, and all single and double suited A-K-x-x with at least one x-card, Ten or higher. Hands like Q-J-9-8 or J-T-9-7 double suited are also good to raise with.

Summary:

1. All top 30 hands with at least one suit and most of the time when off suit.
2. All suited A-K-x-x with at least one x-card, Ten or higher.
3. All double suited four in a row of hands, Five or higher.
4. All double suited connected hands, Five or higher, with a maximum of one gap between the top two and the two low cards or between the low card and the three high cards. An example is K-Q-T-9 double suited and J-9-8-6 double suited.
5. All K-K-x-x double suited.

What hands to limp with

1. All A-Q-x-x with at least one x-card, Ten or higher, and the Ace being suited.
2. All four in a row combinations, Four or higher.
3. All A-x-x-x anything with at least two x-cards that are connected and the Ace being suited.
4. All four in a row combinations, Five or higher, with a maximum of one gap that is not between the top and bottom three cards in the hand.

I don't find much good in raising perflop in Omaha. Maybe in live games, but on internet poker it seems like everyone calls everything to see what the flop has. When I have a good hand pre flop, it seems like I lose to rags.

omaha is a great game and a lot of fun. it has a lot more action and runs faster than holdem but you have to always be aware that u must play two out of your hand and the nuts usually change every card. raising with a nut low can be very costly playing high is real risky it is so easy for someone to river a fh str8flsh or quads i only like to play h/l and play only solid low hands.

Pot-Limit Omaha: Raising or Limping Pre-Flop

In Pot-Limit Omaha, no matter what you hold, your opponent's hand will almost always have a decent chance of beating your hand. For example, being dealt an A-A-K-K double suited is 50,000:1 (against) and that hand is just a 3:2 favourite to win against 8-7-6-5 double suited. As such, the question arises as to whether or not you should raise when you hold a good starting hand.

What about only raising when you hold Aces? The problem with this strategy is that you become too predicable, as people will know exactly where you are and will not likely make mistakes against you.

How about always limping in? This is better than just raising with Aces though it is still not an optimal strategy. Whenever you bet, raise or call on the flop, your opponents will also have a good idea of what type of hand you hold. If you never raise pre-flop, you do not make other limping players pay enough to see the flop for those times when you hold a strong starting hand. Also, you will not be picking up as many pots as when you play with a raising strategy.

By raising with a variety of hands pre-flop, you will gain numerous advantages: you become unpredictable, you pick up more pots, you make opponents pay when you are likely to have the best hand, and you obtain more bluffing opportunities. Another advantage is that it is more fun to play according to this strategy. In light of all this, it becomes clear that a strategy combining both raising and limping with a variety of hands is the best.

What hands to raise with

A good pre-flop raising strategy is to raise with any of the top 30 hands mentioned above, all of which hold at least one suit and most that don't, though this is not entirely sufficient and you will need to raise with more hands. Add any four cards in a row that are double-suited with cards, Six or higher, and all single and double suited A-K-x-x with at least one x-card, Ten or higher. Hands like Q-J-9-8 or J-T-9-7 double suited are also good to raise with.

Summary:

1. All top 30 hands with at least one suit and most of the time when off suit.
2. All suited A-K-x-x with at least one x-card, Ten or higher.
3. All double suited four in a row of hands, Five or higher.
4. All double suited connected hands, Five or higher, with a maximum of one gap between the top two and the two low cards or between the low card and the three high cards. An example is K-Q-T-9 double suited and J-9-8-6 double suited.
5. All K-K-x-x double suited.

What hands to limp with

1. All A-Q-x-x with at least one x-card, Ten or higher, and the Ace being suited.
2. All four in a row combinations, Four or higher.
3. All A-x-x-x anything with at least two x-cards that are connected and the Ace being suited.
4. All four in a row combinations, Five or higher, with a maximum of one gap that is not between the top and bottom three cards in the hand.

[follow this and you/ll be fine]

[I agree only play solid hands]omaha is a great game and a lot of fun. it has a lot more action and runs faster than holdem but you have to always be aware that u must play two out of your hand and the nuts usually change every card. raising with a nut low can be very costly playing high is real risky it is so easy for someone to river a fh str8flsh or quads i only like to play h/l and play only solid low hands.[/quote]

[Only raise solid hands when u think you can narrow the play]

Absolute Poker has great omaha the best ive seen online.

Only raise when u think you can get the others to fold

[I agree to many fishs sit and wait for it to hit]I don't find much good in raising perflop in Omaha. Maybe in live games, but on internet poker it seems like everyone calls everything to see what the flop has. When I have a good hand pre flop, it seems like I lose to rags.[/quote]

i feel that in pot limit omaha pre flop you have to press your best hands....AAKK or AAJ10 double suited for both..if someone wants to catch up to you make them pay the prce

Raising preflop when u have a good hand also allows one to get all in or close to it on the flop. This is advantages in the fact that it allows u to knock out 7, 8, and 9 out draws that inveriably hit many omaha hands. This allows one to take the pot down on the flop or get heads up against an inferor made hand.
advce dont pot it with wrap possibilites when u have top set or when u dont have redraw against someone who likelyt shares your nut hand. Knowbody whats to give up a freeroll