I'm new to the game (now been playing about a month of .25/.50 PL Omaha) and I'm wondering what hands you raise with preflop. I've read numerous places, including this forum, that Omaha is an after-the-flop game since no reasonable hand has a huge advtantage over any other reasonable hand preflop. So my question is, what hands should I raise with preflop? I have a feeling that I am misplaying a lot of hands preflop, but I typically don't raise (except with complete monsters like AAXX double suited), however I do call preflop raises with strong starting hands (because in cash games it seems that someone agressive preflop will really pay you off when you hit your hand).

To give a concrete example, let's say you start with Ac Kh 10c Qs. This is a strong drawing hand, but without the right flop it is worthless. Do you raise preflop with this hand if you have position? Does your answer change if the hand is double suited?

For me, the answer is almost nothing. The games that I play in are about the same level that you play in, and the players are loose enough that raising doesn't limit the field and I don't really have to worry about building the pot because I usually get paid on my strong hands anyway.

I find that raising preflop generally increases the variance for me to an undesirable level, and for me it works better to take a wait-and-see attitude. As far as raising with double-suited aces, I REALLY don't like that strategy, as I would prefer everyone be in the pot if that hand hits; I'm hoping that someone with a small flush will pay me off. The other thing that raising with double suited aces does is cause people to draw against your made flush or top set because the pot is so big that they have the right odds to do so.

Ac Kh 10c Qs is a better than avg. starting hand, it is not a strong drawing hand unless you are drawing to the nut flush and the flop texture has hit ur str8 draw somewhat...be weary of the broadway str8, it is the biggest sucker hand in omaha.

Never raise in EP w/ AAxx unless your repot will get 75% of your stack in the middle and you can isolate 1 or 2 players. Also, never raise in EP when u hold a drawing hand or are drawing--building a pot OOP is a major leak in PLO. In the higher limits, most players never play drawing hands up front, unless of course their switching up their play or the table dynamics allow 4 it.

If your @ a table with smart players for several hours, you need to switch up your game. Raising in LP is 1 way to do this, you can also add deception to your J1098ds or 8765ds hands. When the flop hits you hard, you may stack several players when they think your AA is drawing dead to their set or 2 pair, when you actually hold the nut str8 with flush blockers.

Position is a major force in PLO, if you have a very strong drawing hand in LP you should raise in order to get the cut-off and button to fold, giving you ultimate position thru-out the hand.

deep, thanks for your thoughts.

btw, you have the best avatar pics in the history of FCP.

deep, thanks for your thoughts.

btw, you have the best avatar pics in the history of FCP.

thank her for it:

http://www.kontraband.com/show/show.asp?ID...yra%20augustina