Poker

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.

Omaha 8 or better begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some players often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

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

A low hand is more difficult, but really 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 made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.

While it seems complex at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play simply enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing assortment of wagering possibilities and because you have several individuals battling for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.