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 popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in just about every poker game.

A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem difficult at first, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as 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 provides an amazing array of wagering options and seeing that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high hand, along with a few battling for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.