Omaha Strategy

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha hi lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some entrants get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

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

The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because 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 does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.

Although it seems complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming assortment of betting choices and seeing that you have many individuals battling for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.