Omaha Hi Lo: General Outline
Posted in Omaha on 10/20/2025 09:25 pm by Ayden
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players can get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same concept in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.
While it seems complex at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play simply enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi lo offers an overwhelming array of wagering options and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high, along with a few trying for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.