Omaha Strategy

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where some players get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in just about all poker games.

A low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem complicated at first, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an overwhelming assortment of betting choices and seeing that you have many individuals trying for the high, as well as several battling for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha High-Low.