In order to make the transition from No Limit Hold’em to Pot Limit Omaha as painless as can be, here is an idea of what constitutes a good starting hand.
The main concept that No Limit Hold’em players tend to forget about is that your four card starting hand is actually like having six hands in No Limit Hold’em, not two. For example, if you have JT98, you have the combinations JT, J9, J8, T9, T8, and 98. Any of these “six hands” could flop a strong hand or a draw to a strong hand. It is the fact that all of the cards in JT98 play well together that gives the starting hand its power. A hand like AcKd8s7s does give you two playable starting hands in No Limit Hold’em, and to players in that game that may appear pretty cool. The problem is that there are just too many of the cards in the hand that just do not play well together.
For example, K7 is not a good starting hand even in No Limit Hold’em. A7 is really just as much a bummer. Actually, while AK is a very solid hand in No Limit Hold’em, it really is not even that great to have in your Pot Limit Omaha hand unless the A and the K are “double suited” with your other two cards. The main reason that Ace/King is a good hand in No Limit Hold’em is that when you hit the flop with it you will have top pair top kicker. While TPTK is pretty good in No Limit Hold’em, in Omaha, it is usually not even worth a bet.
By and large Omaha is a game based on sets and flushes. Even if you hold top set, you have to be cautious if the board offers potential flushes and straights. AAxx is still a very powerful hand in Omaha, but you will usually have to flop a set with it to feel safe. You can play any AAxx combination before the flop in Omaha; just mmake sure that you realize that it is not nearly as powerful a hand in Pot Limit Omaha as it is in No Limit Hold’em. The other two cards are still important, even when you start with an AA. The best draw usually wins in Omaha, but you should defintetly remember that AA is the pre-flop nuts. Most of the time a hand that calls your raise when you have AAxx is not much more than a 3 to 2 dog when there’s money.
