Omaha Hi Low: General Outline

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha hi/low starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few entrants often get flustered. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in almost every poker game.

A lower 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 might be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

While it seems complicated at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing array of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several players battling for the high hand, along with many trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi lo.