Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Summary
Posted in Omaha on 04/14/2025 11:25 pm by Ayden
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated at the outset, 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 wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high, as well as a few trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.