PokerToast · study tools for mixed-game poker
In heads-up limit Omaha 8, which hands should I raise or fold on the button (for example A-2-3-4 double-suited, K-K-Q-Q)?
Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Omaha 8 solver raises A-2-3-4 double-suited 99.9% of the time and limps K-K-Q-Q rainbow 99% of the time; on the button it folds only 7% of all starting hands.
The spot
Heads-up limit Omaha 8, before the flop. You are on the button (the small blind) and act first.
The solver's numbers
| Play | Share of all hands |
|---|---|
| Raise | 80.7% |
| Limp (call) | 12.2% |
| Fold | 7.1% |
Every one of the 270,725 possible starting hands, each counted once (each is equally likely to be dealt).
Example hands
| Hand | Plays (how often) | Worth (EV estimate, small bets) |
|---|---|---|
| A-2-3-4 double-suited A♠ 2♠ 3♦ 4♦ | Raise 99.9% | Raise +1.68 Limp (call) +1.48 Fold +0.00 |
| A-2-K-Q double-suited A♠ 2♠ K♦ Q♦ | Raise 99.9% | Raise +1.52 Fold +0.00 Limp (call) +0.84 |
| K-K-Q-Q rainbow K♥ K♦ Q♣ Q♠ | Limp (call) 99.0% Raise 1.0% | Limp (call) +0.22 Raise +0.22 Fold +0.00 |
| K-Q-J-T rainbow K♠ Q♦ J♣ 10♥ | Limp (call) 98.2% Raise 1.2% Fold 0.7% | Limp (call) +0.11 Raise +0.10 Fold +0.00 |
| 5-6-7-8 rainbow 5♠ 6♦ 7♣ 8♥ | Limp (call) 99.7% | Limp (call) +0.22 Raise +0.16 Fold +0.00 |
| 2-3-K-K 2♠ 3♦ K♣ K♥ | Raise 100.0% | Raise +1.17 Fold +0.00 Limp (call) +0.62 |
What popular strategy articles say
Raise A-2-3-4 double-suited; fold high-only hands like K-Q-J-T, low-only runs and hands with a "dangler". (This is full-ring, multiway advice; no heads-up limit answer was found.)
What AI search answers said when we asked this question on 2026-10-08. They cited strategy articles written mostly between about 2007 and 2013, and most of that advice is for full-ring games with several players in the pot.
A-2-3-4 double-suited: the advice says raise; the solver raises 99.9% (agrees).
K-Q-J-T rainbow: the advice says fold; the solver limps 98% (disagrees).
5-6-7-8 rainbow: the advice says fold; the solver limps 99.7% (disagrees).
Over all starting hands the solver folds only 7% on the button heads-up.
Heads-up vs multiway
This question is about heads-up play (two players), so there is no multiway version of it.
How these numbers were made
From PokerToast's own heads-up limit Omaha 8 solver, trained 19,095,762 iterations, exported 2026-10-05 18:07:15, 93,573 situations (version Y-19095762-20261005180715). It learned by self-play (Monte Carlo counterfactual regret minimization) for limit betting, at most four bets a street.
- How often is the solver's average strategy for this situation.
- Worth (EV) is an estimate measured after training by playing the situation out many times against the solver's own strategy: small bets won or lost from this decision on, compared with folding (0). It assumes an opponent who plays like the solver.
- Hand groups: the solver groups similar hands, so the numbers are for the group, not only these exact cards. Before the flop it groups your four cards by their low cards (A-2, A-3, other aces, 2-3), how many low cards you hold, suits (including a suited ace), pairs and high cards. After the flop it groups by your high hand and low hand on that board, the board itself, the pot and the betting so far on this street.
- Looked up when this page was built (2026-10-19); a newly trained solver changes the page and its version number.
Practice it
Today's Omaha 8 Daily Spot Open PokerToast
Part of: Heads-up limit Omaha 8: starting hands and the first flop decision
More Omaha 8 spots: Heads-up limit Omaha 8: a bare A-2 with two middling cards on the button. Raise or fold? · Heads-up limit Omaha 8: A-A-2-3 on the button · Heads-up limit Omaha 8: A-A-K-Q (high only) on the button. Raise or limp? · Heads-up limit Omaha 8: an overpair with no low on a 7-5-2 flop. Bet or check? · Heads-up limit Omaha 8: big blind defense against a button raise