Poker

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. 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 game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few players often get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same notion in just about every poker game.

The low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might 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 lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complex initially, following a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of the game with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an exciting collection of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, and several battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.