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 popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some entrants can get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complex at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi-low provides an overwhelming assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many individuals battling for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.