Omaha Hi-Lo

 

Omaha plays a lot like Holdem (Texas Holdem that is) with a few key differences in its rules, that add up to turn it into a radically different game.

It is the same old community card game, with a flop a turn and a river, but the differences are obvious from the get-go: there are four hole cards dealt, instead of the two in Holdem.

 

These hole cards come with restrictions though. You won’t be able to freely use one or two or three of these cards in the composition of your final showdown hand. The final hand has to be made of exactly two of the hole cards and three of the community cards from the table. Rookies often get this aspect wrong, betting out on hands they reckon are made, just to find out they don’t really have anything.

To avoid that, simply remember: two from the pocket, three off the board.

 

The thing that makes Omaha so different from Holdem is the high-low split though. Both players in possession of the highest and the lowest hand win, splitting the pot. This has far-reaching repercussions, turning Omaha into a game of nuts.

 

What this means is, that Omaha features far less short-term variance than Holdem. Fish don’t really stand a chance against experienced opposition, and schooling no longer works in their favor. On the contrary actually, the more fish there are in a hand, the better the return for the experienced player will be.

 

This same factor makes Omaha a hell when played among good players.