Omaha Secrets

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few entrants often get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

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

The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complex initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an overwhelming range of wagering choices and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high hand, along with many trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.