Omaha Strategies

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of entrants often get flustered. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high 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, etc. It’s the same notion in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not 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 do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.

While it seems complex at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.