2020
03.03

Omaha Hi/Low: General Outline

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where many entrants often get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in just about every poker game.

A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, 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 lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the entire pot.

Although it seems complex at the outset, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/lo offers an overwhelming collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, and many trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha Hi-Lo.