Omaha

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many players often get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 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 strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in almost all poker games.

A low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.

While it seems complicated at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing collection of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players trying for the high, and many shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.