Omaha Hi-Low: Basic Outline

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of players often get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular 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’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in just about every poker game.

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

It may seem complicated at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to get the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing range of betting choices and seeing that you have numerous individuals trying for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi/low.