Poker Tips

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where many players get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card 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 strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in just about all poker games.

The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, 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 lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.

It may seem complex at first, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an exciting collection of betting options and seeing that you have several players battling for the high, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/low.