Omaha Hi/Lo: Fundamental Outline


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

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few entrants get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can 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 smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.

Although it seems complex at the start, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low offers an amazing collection of betting choices and seeing that you have several players battling for the high, and a few trying for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.

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