Omaha

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

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’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha 8 or better begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of players often get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

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

The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem difficult at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo offers an exciting array of wagering options and seeing that you have several players trying for the high, as well as many trying for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha High-Low.