[Buzz]

Hi Ben -

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I would consider this a coordinated hand, and would play it with few exceptions. The king might look like a dangler at first glance, but it works with the ace for a high draw, so it is not completely isolated from the rest of the hand.

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You were referring to A23Ks. O.K. I can easily come up with another hand which has a total dangler.

Which do you like better, 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]-7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]-8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]-9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] or
A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]-9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]-2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]-3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]?

It's an easy choice, even though I had to come up with a hand that includes a middle card to get a dangler.

Clearly the hand would be better if the nine of spades was replaced by a card than was better coordinated to the ace, or even the deuce or trey. But A239 with a suited ace is very playable without having all four cards coordinated. (It wouldn't even have to be that good. Suited ace-deuce is very playable, regardless of the other two cards involved. And then there are various playable KKWWn hands like 23KKn where the deuce and trey are coordinated only with each other and the pair of kings stands alone. You have to want to see the flop with that hand in a loose (or tight - or any) game.

Avoiding hands with too many middle cards is a much better commandment, if you're looking for commandments, than wanting all four cards coordinated. That commandment would lead you astray, away from the path of righteousness.

You see the suggestion to only play hands with four coordinated cards written here and there, but I think it's a carryover from Omaha-high. It's a false commandment for Omaha-8.

I do generally (1) avoid hands with middle cards, and I do generally (2) avoid rainbow (non-suited) hands. There are exceptions, but those are two better commandments, if you feel like Moses.

Just my opinion.

Buzz