Omaha

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

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 chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many players can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in just about all poker games.

The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.

It may seem difficult initially, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming assortment of betting options and owing to the fact that you have many players shooting for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.