Poker Tips

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 complex but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha hi-low begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players often get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in just about every poker game.

The lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. 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 worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem complex initially, after a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo provides an amazing assortment of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, as well as several trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha High-Low.