Omaha

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a few entrants get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is 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 complicated, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can 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 worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

While it seems difficult initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play simply enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming range of betting options and because you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as a few shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.