Poker Information

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting follows where players can wager, 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 dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.

A lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest being 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complex at the start, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of play simply enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, along with several trying for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi lo.