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 difficult but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.

Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is where a number of entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in nearly every poker game.

The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the entire pot.

It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several individuals battling for the high, along with many battling for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.