In a recent article (Quartet and Trio Straight Holdings) I summarized the odds and Break Even Pot size (BEP) of what I called trio, quartet and eye-card straight holdings in four card Omaha. Some related observations should be made regarding how certain additional cards affect these holdings and the number of “outs” involved. In the following discussion, the term “outs” refers to the number of “outstanding cards” in the remaining deck which would complete your straight. The term “nut straight” means a straight, which given your hand cards and the board cards, is the high-end straight AND a lock winner, as opposed to the low-end straight (also called the “ignorant end” or “suck end” straight).

Let us examine how extra cards affect some of the standard holdings.

THREE HOLE BOARD: (example 84 on board)

(around a trio) Hand=765 Board=K84 (9 outs)

(with extra card) Hand=765 Board=849 or 843 (12 outs)

Thus the low-end extra card (here the 3) is always good, BUT note that the extra card on the HIGH end (here the 9) is more likely to cause you grief, since it jeopardizes ALL nine of your good cards (ie. you no longer have the “nut” straight) and the ten on fourth street only gives you a double low-end straight (ie. losing to both QJ and J7).

TWO HOLE BOARD: (example 74 on board)

If one additional hand card is added to either side of a standard two-card two-way straight come (hence a 3-card eye), the result is 5 extra “outs”. But note that a second extra hand card on either side adds nothing unless we also add an additional card to the board to extend the holding.

    (standard)  2 card  Hand=65   Board=K74 (8 outs)  83
    (1 extra)   3-eye   Hand=865  Board=K74 (13 outs) 8653
    (2 extras)  3-eye+  Hand=8653 Board=K74 (12 outs) 8653
    (2 extras)  4-eye   Hand=9865 Board=K74 (13 outs) 8653

    (combined extras)   Hand=T865 Board=974 (20 outs) JT8653
                                  (but only J53 are “nuts”)
ONE HOLE BOARD:  (example 64 on board)

Note that the higher hand cards which make a two-way straight (ie. 75) make two NUT straights (with the 8 and 3), whereas the lower two hand cards (ie. 53) do not make a nut straight with the seven.  Generally, whenever you have a two-way straight come (ie. 4 in a row - 2 in hand and 2 on board) with the LOWEST card IN YOUR HAND, the high card make is NOT a nut straight, whereas if the LOWEST card is ON THE BOARD then BOTH making cards give you nut straights.

Both the “same side” additional hand card (13 outs) or “other side” additional card (17 outs) are very helpful (see below), although some of these straight comes yield non-nut straights.  But note that the second extra hand card (ie. if you have the 3 then the extra 8) is mostly useless (except that the 8 converts the 764 into a nut straight). 

    (standard)    2 card  Hand=75or53  Board=K64  (8 outs) 83or72      (one extra)   3-eye   Hand=875     Board=K64  (13 outs) 8753
    (one extra)   3 card  Hand=753     Board=K64  (17 outs) 87532
    (two extras)  4 card  Hand=8753    Board=K64  (16 outs) 87532
TOUCHING BOARD CARDS:  (example 76 on board)

    Somewhat like the one-hole holdings, one additional hand card on either side of these touching board cards is very helpful (see below).  But with this holding a second extra hand card can produce up to the maximum come with TWENTY outs (without an additional board card).

    (standard)    2 card  Hand=98,85  Board=K76  (8 outs)
    (one extra)   trio    Hand=T98    Board=K76  (13 outs) T985
    (one extra)   3 card  Hand=985    Board=K76  (17 outs) T9854
    (two extras)  4 card  Hand=9854   Board=K76  (20 outs) T98543
                                                (T543 are “nuts”)

Perhaps the main lesson to be learned summarizing all of the above is that one additional hand card is always helpful; but, with the frequent one and two-hole board card situations, the second additional card is usually not as good as you might think.