Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each 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 round of betting happens. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens 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 a number of entrants can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical concept in nearly all poker games.

A low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem difficult at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing collection of betting possibilities and because you have many individuals battling for the high, as well as a few trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.