Omaha Strategy

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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. 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 presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.

It may seem complex at the outset, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play simply enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/low offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering possibilities and because you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, as well as a few trying for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi/low.