Omaha Strategy

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so quickly.

Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

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

A low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not 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 below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.

Although it seems complicated initially, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play simply enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have many individuals shooting for the high, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha hi-low.