Omaha Strategy

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where many entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

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

A low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.

Although it seems complicated at first, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting array of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have many players battling for the high, along with many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.