Omaha Hi-Low: General Overview

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few players often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical notion in just about all poker games.

A lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.

It may seem difficult at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing range of betting options and because you have many players shooting for the high, and several battling for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi low.