PLO starting hand rankings by solver EV
Which Omaha hands are best? Instead of rules of thumb, this ranking uses a solved strategy: the expected value of opening each hand under the gun in 6-max Pot-Limit Omaha, 100bb deep, cash game, high stakes.
How the ranking works
UTG acts first with five players behind, so its opening raise is the cleanest test of raw hand strength. For each of the 16,432 strategically different starting hands (270,725 combos once suits are counted) the solver reports the EV of raising to 3.5bb, in big blinds, with folding at zero. Positive EV means the hand earns more by opening than by folding. Overall, UTG opens 19.5% of all combos.
Top 20 PLO starting hands
| # | Hand | Suits | EV, bb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AAQQ A♠A♥Q♠Q♥ | double-suited | +4.88 |
| 2 | AAJJ A♠A♥J♠J♥ | double-suited | +4.86 |
| 3 | AATT A♠A♥T♠T♥ | double-suited | +4.78 |
| 4 | AA44 A♠A♥4♠4♥ | double-suited | +4.73 |
| 5 | AA55 A♠A♥5♠5♥ | double-suited | +4.72 |
| 6 | AA33 A♠A♥3♠3♥ | double-suited | +4.69 |
| 7 | AAKK A♠A♥K♠K♥ | double-suited | +4.64 |
| 8 | AA99 A♠A♥9♠9♥ | double-suited | +4.62 |
| 9 | AA88 A♠A♥8♠8♥ | double-suited | +4.60 |
| 10 | AA22 A♠A♥2♠2♥ | double-suited | +4.59 |
| 11 | AA77 A♠A♥7♠7♥ | double-suited | +4.55 |
| 12 | AA66 A♠A♥6♠6♥ | double-suited | +4.52 |
| 13 | AAJT A♠A♥J♥T♠ | double-suited | +4.45 |
| 14 | AAT9 A♠A♥T♥9♠ | double-suited | +4.39 |
| 15 | AAT8 A♠A♥T♥8♠ | double-suited | +4.31 |
| 16 | AA98 A♠A♥9♥8♠ | double-suited | +4.28 |
| 17 | AA87 A♠A♥8♥7♠ | double-suited | +4.28 |
| 18 | AA75 A♠A♥7♥5♠ | double-suited | +4.26 |
| 19 | AA76 A♠A♥7♥6♠ | double-suited | +4.26 |
| 20 | AA54 A♠A♥5♥4♠ | double-suited | +4.26 |
The top of the list is all aces: the 314 highest-EV hands all hold AA, and the first hand without them — KKQQ double-suited (K♠K♥Q♠Q♥) — comes in at number 315 with +2.30bb. Note that AAKK double-suited is only seventh: in this solve AAQQ, AAJJ and even AA44 double-suited earn slightly more.
The best hand of each type
| Hand type | Best hand | EV, bb |
|---|---|---|
| Aces (AA) | AAQQ double-suited — A♠A♥Q♠Q♥ | +4.88 |
| Kings (KK) | KKQQ double-suited — K♠K♥Q♠Q♥ | +2.30 |
| Double pair without AA/KK | QQJJ double-suited — Q♠Q♥J♠J♥ | +2.08 |
| One pair | AKQQ double-suited — A♥K♠Q♠Q♥ | +1.79 |
| No pair | AQJT double-suited — A♥Q♠J♥T♠ | +1.30 |
Suits are worth more than you think
The same ranks with different suits are different hands. The table shows the best EV for each suit pattern:
| Ranks | double-suited | single-suited | rainbow |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAKK | +4.64 | +3.64 | +2.66 |
| AAJT | +4.45 | +3.48 | +2.51 |
| KKQQ | +2.30 | +1.57 | +0.94 |
| QQJJ | +2.08 | +1.46 | +0.95 |
| AKQJ | +1.16 | +0.62 | +0.08 |
| KQJT | +1.05 | +0.47 | −0.05 (fold) |
| JT98 | +0.71 | +0.25 | −0.20 (fold) |
| 9876 | +0.51 | +0.09 | −0.32 (fold) |
Going from double-suited to rainbow costs an aces hand about 2bb, and for rundowns without a pair it is the difference between an open and a fold: UTG folds KQJT, JT98 and 9876 rainbow.
What UTG opens, by hand type
| Hand type | UTG opens |
|---|---|
| Aces (AA) | >99.9% |
| Kings (KK) | 82.9% |
| Double pair without AA/KK | 89.6% |
| One pair | 19.8% |
| No pair | 13.1% |
| Suits | UTG opens |
|---|---|
| double-suited | 49.0% |
| single-suited | 18.5% |
| three of a suit | 8.2% |
| rainbow | 6.6% |
| four of a suit | 0.8% |
The only aces hand UTG folds is quad aces, AAAA (−0.32bb): it can make neither a flush nor a straight and cannot improve to a set. The strategy is almost pure: 3,345 hand classes are always opened, 13,013 never, and only 74 are mixed.
How to use these rankings
These EVs belong to one spot: UTG in 6-max, 100bb, cash, high stakes. Later seats open far wider (the button opens 50.8%), and other stack depths shift the values. See the strategy for every position in the PLO 6-max 100bb chart, and the whole preflop tree with the EV of every hand in the free viewer. For what GTO means and where solutions like this come from, read What is GTO in poker?