Poker Strategy

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few entrants can get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.

Although it seems difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of play easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several individuals shooting for the high, as well as several trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.