Omaha Hi/Lo: General Summary
Posted in Poker on 01/13/2025 12:25 pm by Rudy
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. a further round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants can get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated initially, after a few hands you will be able to get the base nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/low offers an overwhelming assortment of betting options and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high, along with many battling for the low. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha High-Low.