Omaha Secrets

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players can get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in just about every poker game.

The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complex at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi-low provides an amazing range of betting choices and because you have many players trying for the high hand, and many trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.