Omaha Hi-Low: Fundamental Outline

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. a further round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players often get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in nearly all poker games.

A lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people 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 betting options and seeing that you have many players battling for the high hand, and a few battling for the low. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.