There has been some controversy lately about the true value of low wrap hands - more specifically the 7,6,5,4 unsuited. A “wrap hand” in Omaha is a hand with either four consecutive cards (eg. Q,J,10,9, also called a “quartet”), or four nearly consecutive cards (eg. Q,J,9,8). With four nearly consecutive cards, the missing card is called a “hole” or “eye” or “cavity” (in the Q,J,9,8 wrap, the hole is the ten).

The controversy started when in a recent article (”How Good are Wrap Hands”, The Card Player, March 8, 1991) I made a casual reference to good wrap hands “seven or higher”. By “good” I meant that the 7,6,5,4 is high enough from the low end to have the full range of board straight combinations. In a subsequent article Larry Hill characterized the 7,6,5,4 hand as a “stinker”.

He cited a computer simulation where the 7,6,5,4 only prevailed 11% of the time against 7 other hands (but all 7 hands play until the end, ignoring the all important reality of how they hit the flop). Several sharp-eyed readers noted the difference in our evaluations and wrote inquiries.

“Big cards win big pots”. But I have found that playing the “low end” yields surprisingly good results. If you want to be a winner at Omaha, you should not overlook the opportunities offered when you are dealt certain prime “low end” hands. The 7,6,5,4 is not as good as the higher wraps (especially in computer showdowns), but it is one of the best “low end” hands to take advantage of what I refer to as the “low end bonus”.

But first, just how does this seven high hand actually measure up to minimum Omaha starting hand requirements?

Reviewing very briefly, my simplistic “one-third, one-third” formula for winning at Omaha is to play only starting hands that rate to hit the flop around one third of the time (say 30% or more). Hitting the flop means that a hand fits with the flop so that it wins the pot around one third of the time (or more).

In my book I describe a Point Count System which helps evaluate Omaha hands by adding up “points” for various two-card combinations. Using this point count system, the 7,6,5,4 easily exceeds the minimum starting requirements.

But certainly the straight-making potential of four touching cards (without a 3 or 2) should strongly promote this hand using any evaluation method.

The 7,6,5,4 quartet does get at least one-third good flops. All the quartets from the king (K,Q,J,10) to the seven (7,6,5,4) have at least 10 “good” two-card flop combinations (for the seven, 23,34,45,35,46,36,47,58,37,48).

We know mathematically that one of these ten two-card combinations will appear in the three-card flop around 25% of the time. Note in comparison, that one-hole wraps (eg. 8,7,5,4) have only 6 good two-card flop straight combos (ie. 23,36,46,56,67,69).

Here the word “good” means MORE than a one-card (”gut”) draw to a “nut” straight. The “nut” straight is the highest straight possible with given board cards, eg. with 7,6,5,4 in hand and a flop K,8,5: a 9 or 4 gives you a “nut” straight, whereas a 7 or 6 only gives you a non-nut 8 high straight (which might well lose to a 9 high straight).

Even though any straight might win a pot (especially a backdoor straight or against few opponents), in real life Omaha we are often forced to fold non-nut straights, especially if they are made of medium or high cards. Non-nut low straights are generally a bit safer since lower cards are more often folded than higher and medium cards.

In addition to the core 25% yielded by the aforementioned 10 good two-card flop combinations, all quartets from the jack to the seven also have 16 other lesser two-card straight combinations (eg. A,2). There are several three-card combinations (eg. actually flopping a straight or something like a 2,5,9). Finally there are the standard “four-unpaired-card equities” (around 12% for two-pair and 3% for matching a flop pair, which is the mainstay of hands without a pair, flush or primary straight draw).

All of the above holdings easily total over a one-third likelihood of hitting the flop, even after subtracting some good flops that have the wrong pair or are triple suited (this also can be demonstrated by computer dealing some number of hands). Of course, just seeing the fourth card with this type of hand, often develops additional potential.

Larry Hill commented that low straights have about as much invincibility as an “Iraqi tank”. In Omaha the fourth street nut straight IS a frequent victim to the last card, but that does not mean that we lose money playing low straights.

Usually the made nut straight is more likely to win the pot than the good drawing hands (with some exceptions, see my articles on “brickology”). If you draw your straight on the last card, you win the pot, otherwise you would not be in there (unless you hit with the dreaded wrong-suit card). If you hit your nut-straight on fourth street, you bet it big and pray for a “brick”. Most of the time you like your odds. If the odds are right, you will be a winner in the long haul regardless of whether your cards are high or low.

If you are doubtful that the 7,6,5,4 is powerful enough to win on its own, as a legitimate hand, maybe the following observations about the “low-end bonus” and the “holdem syndrome” will help you see the light. If you are sitting in a late position holding 7,6,5,4 and a number of players have called, it is probably correct to raise (!), since 1) more callers increase the likelihood of more low cards remaining in deck, 2) if two or more high cards flop, YOU know enough to fold; but if two or more of your cards flop, some of the high card hands SHALL be in there (partly because of the pot size) calling and/or “making moves” with their high pairs, etc. (with hands that really should be folded, otherwise known as the

“holdem syndrome”), 3) because you raised, your opponents might think that YOU are driving highcards, holdem syndrome, etc. (and thus make loose calls) 4) overall, you will probably get both excellent pot odds on your investment and better than face odds on hitting your draws.

If you are sitting in an early seat, there is much to be said for raising in a loose game to help fold low card competition that might otherwise call. Such a raise greatly improves your chances of winning with a non-nut straight, and 2), 3), and 4) above still apply. But in a tightish game (the low cards fold voluntarily) you should not raise early because you need other players to get good odds (you do not want to play a 7,6,5,4 against only one or two).

Note that the tactical aspects of the above raises are somewhat like raising with a five-four suited in holdem. But the better “low end” hands in high Omaha are much more flexible and powerful with a low flop than the analogous situation in holdem. Just remember, sometimes “big things come in little packages”. And sometimes low cards win big pots.