Omaha Hi-Low: General Summary

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many entrants can get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.

While it seems difficult at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi low offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering options and because you have several individuals shooting for the high hand, along with many trying for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.