Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. 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 increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have 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 can get flustered. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same notion in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
Although it seems complex initially, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing array of betting options and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high hand, and a few trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi low.
This entry was posted on October 9, 2025, 3:25 am and is filed under Omaha. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.