Omaha Hi Low: Fundamental Outline

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha hi/low begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants get baffled. Unlike 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 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same approach in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as 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 eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complicated at the start, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming assortment of betting options and owing to the fact that you have numerous players battling for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.