Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where some players often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in almost every poker game.

A low hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of 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 eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem difficult at the start, after a few hands you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/low provides an exciting range of betting choices and seeing that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, and several shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.