Poker Secrets

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 complex but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in just about all poker games.

The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem difficult at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an overwhelming array of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous players battling for the high, as well as several shooting for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.