Omaha Hi-Lo: Fundamental Summary

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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 variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants can get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical concept in almost all poker games.

A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low 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 low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.

Although it seems difficult at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as 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 array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as several shooting for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi-low.