Poker Probability Straight Flush
Here are some important probabilities in Omaha that returns in different situations. Knowledge about probabilities will help you to better evaluate situations in poker. You will , for example, know when you should call and when you shouldn't, and, vice versa, know when to fold and when the odds are in your favor.
The worst case for a possible straight flush is holding something like A2s, AKs, A5s, etc., where there's only one possible way to flop the straight flush. In that case, the probability is one in 50C3, or 19600. The best case is 45s.TJs, which is 4 in 19600, because there are 4 ways to flop the straight flush. Straight Flush To have a straight flush the hand must consist of all five cards being of the same suit and all in numerical order. There are 10 possible sequences: A – 5, 2 – 6, 9 – K, and 10 – A. Since there are 4 suits, then the number of straight flushes possible is just 10. 4 = 40, with the highest four (each a straight flush.
| Drawing hands probabilities | Odds | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Double wraparound straight draw (e.g. hand: 9-8-5-4, flop: 7-6-x) | 0.48-1 | 68% |
| Wraparound straight draw (e.g. hand: 8-5-4-x, flop: 7-6-x) | 0.67-1 | 60% |
| Straight flush draw | 0.84-1 | 54% |
| Hitting a full house with three pairs | 3-1 | 24% |
| Hitting a full house with two pairs | 5.1-1 | 16.5% |
| Hitting quads with a set | 21.5-1 | 4.5% |
Starting hands
There are many starting hands in Omaha (16.432 if not all suit combinations are counted), which makes it difficult to get an overview. Table 2 will hopefully increase that overview a bit.
| Situation | Percent |
|---|---|
| A-A-K-K double suited to win against average hand | 73% |
| A-A-K-K rainbow to win against average hand | 68% |
| A-A-7-7 double suited to win against average hand | 72% |
| A-A-7-7 rainbow to win against average hand | 67% |
| A-A-J-T double suited to win against average hand | 76% |
| A-A-J-T rainbow to win against average hand | 71% |
| J-T-9-8 double suited to win against average hand | 56% |
| J-T-9-8 rainbow to win against average hand | 49% |
Comments
Exemple of a double suited hand: Q♥ A♥ 2♦ K♦
Exemple of a rainbow hand: Q♥ A♣ 2♠ K♦
The best Omaha hands are less bigger favorites against an average hand compared to Texas Hold'em.
In Texas Hold'em, common knowledge is that A-A is very big favorite against all other hands. In Omaha, A-A as a part of a hand is far from that strong. In general, an A-A-x-x hand versus a random four-card hand is a 70-30 favorite in average (if all the starting hands that are normally folded are excluded, the A-A-x-x hands will be even less favorites).
Made hands versus draws
A typical feature in an Omaha Hi game is a set against a hand with several drawing possibilities. The made hand will not be a very big favorite (sometimes it is an underdog), so the recommended strategy is to play fast and bet/raise the pot in these situations.
| Situation | Percent |
|---|---|
| Top set against flush draw | 70%-30% |
| Middle set against flush draw | 70%-30% |
| Top set against flush draw + two pairs | 68%-32% |
| Set against wraparound straight draw | 52%-48% |
| Set against double wraparound straight draw | 53%-47% |
Comments
Factors that can affect the odds are for example blocking cards.
Flush draws versus straight draws
In Omaha, hands with flush draws are often more likely to win than straight draws.
| Situation | Percent |
|---|---|
| Flush draw against wraparound | 60%-40% |
| Flush draw against double wraparound | 55%-45% |
Comments
Since that many cards are in action, there are often combined possibilities, which makes it hard to give general percentages. A hand with a flush draw has mostly something else, like a pair or a straight draw as well.
Related article:Omaha strategy
Mark Brader has provided the following tables of probabilities of the various five-card poker hands when five cards are dealt from a single 52-card deck, and also when using multiple decks.
Poker Probability Straight Flush Lines
The traditional hand types are described on the poker hand ranking page. These include one hand that belongs to two types at once - a straight flush is both a straight and a flush. With two or more decks, it is possible for other combinations to occur, such as a hand that has both a flush and a pair (such as 4-6-6-8-9 all of one suit). The left-hand tables include these composite hand types for multiple decks; in these tables 'plain' means a hand that is not a flush.
The hands are listed in descending order of probability, which could be used as the basis for their ranking order in multi-deck poker variations. It can be seen that as the number of decks increases, flushes become easier to make than straights, and sets of equal cards become more common.
Poker Probability Straight Flush Video Poker
Here is the Perl program that produced the tables. Mark Brader has placed both the program and the tables in the public domain.