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How to play Omaha 8 part 1: The Basics
Omaha high/low split 8 or better, commonly referred to as Omaha 8, is one of the most popular non-Hold’ Em games in the poker community (which isn’t saying all that much: It’s sort of like being the valedictorian of summer school). Omaha 8 can be found as a stand-alone game at all levels of play –live and online-- and is incorporated into most mixed games; like H.O.R.S.E., S.H.O.E., and the 7and 8-Game Mixes on Full Tilt and PokerStars.
Similar to Hold’ Em, Omaha 8 is a community card game where each player is dealt private ‘hole’ cards, followed by community cards that all the players can use –a three-card flop, turn card, and river card. There is a small and a big blind; the size of the bet pre-flop and on the flop is the same as the big blind, and the bet size doubles for the turn and river. That’s about where the similarities to Hold’ Em end.
First off, Omaha 8 is a split pot game; meaning the player with the best high hand wins ½ the pot, and the player with the best (or worst depending on how you want to look at it) low hand wins ½ the pot. And that’s only the beginning of the differences!
In Omaha 8 you are dealt four hole cards, however you may only use two of these cards to make your best five-card high hand – and since Omaha 8 is a split pot game you will use two (and only two cards) cards to make your best five-card low hand -- these cards can be the same ones you use for your high hand; or different cards. Therefore, you will have to use three of the community cards (and only three cards) to complete your hand.
If you are dealt three Aces in Omaha 8 you only have two Aces (and one of your Aces is dead). If you have the Ace of Spades, and there are four Spades on the board you do not have a flush: You must use two hole cards, and three community cards to make your hand!
Low hand rankings:
In order for a low hand to qualify, the player must have 2 unmatched cards in their hand below 8, and there must be 3 additional unmatched cards on the board lower than 8. Hence the game’s full name is 8 or better.
If the board reads A-3-J-J-K, no low is possible –there are only two low cards on the board (the Ace and the 3) so even if you had 2-4-5-6 in your hand you do not have a low: Remember you must use two from your hand, and three from the board.
The best Low hand in Omaha 8 is 5-4-3-2-A (straights and flushes do not apply). The strength of a low hand is counted in descending order: So, 6-5-4-3-2 is better than 7-5-3-2-A; which is better than 7-5-4-2-A.
Your goal in Omaha 8 is to scoop the pot. However, this doesn’t happen all that often, so you must win ½ the pot (earning a much smaller profit) while you bide your time looking for the big scoop. Think of it as digging a hole with a shovel while you wait for the backhoe to show up.
Unlike Hold’ Em, Omaha 8 pots tend to be multi-way all the way to the river. If you are heads up you will basically get your money back from a split pot (minus the rake): If it is a three-way pot you will win a couple bets. On the other hand, if you scoop a three-way pot you win a lot; and when you win that four or five-way, capped on every streets pot, you’ll double your stack, giving you your profits for the session. This is what you are playing for: The backhoe!
As you can see, Omaha 8 is probably the most complex poker game to learn. However, once you have the basics of the game down, it’s one of the more mechanical forms of poker for the following reasons:
1. With each player choosing from 9 cards, and with a high and low hand possible, a lot of players will play virtually any 4 card starting hand, and most hands will go to showdown with multiple people vying for the pot. Omaha 8 is the ultimate action game.
I was once told: When you give someone four cards, deal five cards on the table, and tell them there will be a high and a low winner of the pot, they’re going to play almost every hand they are dealt. Think of it this way: At the end of a hand of Omaha 8 there are only 4 cards left in the deck!
2. Unlike Texas Hold’ Em, Omaha 8 doesn’t punish a bad player as openly. Often enough, there loose play and post-flop chasing will net them half the pot. So, these players lose money slowly; often so slow they don’t realize it until the end of the night! This is why bad players rarely wise up to their mistakes in Omaha 8. Day in and day out you will see the same players sitting at an Omaha 8 table making the same mistakes over and over.
Continue to part 2: Omaha 8 Strategy Part 2
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