Omaha

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some players often get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in just about every poker game.

A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not 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 low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

While it seems complex at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have players wagering 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 amazing assortment of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have many players shooting for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.