Poker Information

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a few entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in almost all poker games.

The lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest 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 takes the whole pot.

While it seems difficult initially, after a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting array of wagering choices and seeing that you have several players battling for the high, along with many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha High-Low.