Poker

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of entrants can get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in almost every poker game.

The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at first, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi lo provides an amazing assortment of betting possibilities and because you have many players trying for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.