Omaha Strategies

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical approach in nearly every poker game.

The 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 made up of 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 eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi low provides an exciting range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have several players battling 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 participate in Omaha/8.