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 well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha Hi-Lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. a further sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of players can get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

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

A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.

While it seems complex at the outset, after a few hands you will be able to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi low offers an exciting array of wagering options and because you have several players shooting for the high hand, as well as a few battling 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 play Omaha 8 or better.