Omaha Hi/Lo: General Summary
Posted in Omaha on 01/31/2026 04:25 pm by Luna
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at first, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of play easily enough. 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 Hi-Lo offers an overwhelming collection of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high hand, and many shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.