Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi-low starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 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’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same approach in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex initially, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an exciting range of wagering choices and seeing that you have several players trying for the high, as well as a few shooting for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha High-Low.
This entry was posted on February 6, 2026, 4:25 am and is filed under Omaha. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.