Poker Strategy

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed 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 all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many players get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no 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 is the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in nearly all poker games.

The low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. 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 high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complicated at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi lo offers an exciting array of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have many players battling for the high hand, along with a few trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.