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 difficult but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a few players get confused. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical notion in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

While it seems complicated initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of play easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing collection of wagering choices and because you have many players trying for the high, and several trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.