Omaha

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants can get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might 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, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in almost every poker game.

The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of 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 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.

Although it seems complex initially, following a few rounds you will be able to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an exciting assortment of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have many players shooting for the high hand, along with many shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/low.