Omaha Secrets

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players can get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical approach in nearly all poker games.

The low hand is more complicated, but really opens 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 put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem difficult at first, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming collection of betting options and seeing that you have many individuals battling for the high hand, and a few trying for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.