How to Win Omaha 8 Poker Online

Omaha/8, or to give the full name ‘Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or better’ is a split-pot variation of the increasingly popular Omaha poker. At showdown the pot is split between the player with the best ‘high’ poker hand and the player holding the ‘low’ – made up of 5 different cards below 8. This article will show you how to win online Omaha/8.

We start with a brief description of the game structure in Omaha/8 including how the best high and low hands are determined at showdown. Next starting hand selection is covered in the context of trying to scoop the pot. We then look at the perennial danger in Omaha/8 – being ‘quartered’. Playing drawing hands and adapting to the tendencies of your opponents are then looked at. 

Omaha/8 is a ‘community card’ came in a similar way to the more popular Texas Holdem. The flop, turn and river are dealt in the same way – with the same round of betting between each. There are 2 major differences worth noting. Firstly each player is dealt 4 hole cards, exactly 2 hole cards and 3 community cards are used to determine the winning hands at showdown – the high and low hands being determined independently. Secondly Omaha/8 uses a pot-limit or a fixed-limit betting structure. The reason for this is that it is a game of strong draws, no-limit betting would mean players can go all-in easily which would remove a good deal of strategy from the game.

Starting hands in Omaha/8 have their strength determined by the ability to ‘scoop’ the pot. That is to win both the high and low sides of the pot at the same time. Winning just half of the pot will result in only a small profit – making the potential to scoop the single most important factor.  

Premium starting hands in this game are small suited cards – especially containing an ace suited with another card in your hand. These have the potential to make a flush for the high side of the pot and the small cards to take the low side as well. Connected small cards and hands containing Ace-2 and another card 5 or below are also considered good starting hands. High-only starting hands can sometimes be played in Omaha/8, however unless the flop comes with no obvious low draw these need to be played very cautiously. 

The key to starting hand selection is that every hand you play should have potential to win both the high and low sides of the pot. This is known as ‘scooping’ and is a key element of Omaha/8. If you draw to only one side of the pot you small wins will not make up for the times you end up losing both sides. 

Winning in online Omaha/8 involves avoiding being ‘quartered’. This happens when you share one side of the pot with another player – while losing the other side (either to the same opponent or a different one). The most common form of this is when you share the low side of the pot while someone else wins the high. To put being quartered into perspective you are getting back only 25c for every $1 you put into the pot! 

Holding a hand containing Ace-two (for example) and no other low card is one common situation where quartering can happen. Since this is a common starting combination other players may also hold this. If a low is made possible by the flop and betting gets heavy then you may save chips by getting out of the pot early – particularly when ‘sandwiched’ between 2 players raising and re-raising. In addition an ace or two could fall on the turn or river – also ruining your low hand unless you have back-up in the form of another low card. 

The number of combinations of cards that can fit with the community cards in all forms of Omaha Poker are high. With 4 hole cards there are 6 different 2-card combinations that could work with the required 3 cards from the board. In Omaha/8 there are even more combinations – since the high and low hands are determined independently at showdown and ace (for example) could be used in both hands.

This makes Omaha/8 a game of very strong hands at showdown – nut low hands (A-2-3-4-5), full houses and nut flushes are very common. When playing Omaha/8 you should only ever draw to the strongest hands – preferably the nuts. This will avoid expensive situations where you hit your ‘ideal card’ on the turn or river, only to find out you were drawing to the second best hand all along.

Finally winning in online Omaha/8 involves watching your opponents closely and taking note of their individual tendencies. Some things to watch out for are ‘Holdem style’ players who overvalue high pairs and those opponents who will regularly call bets drawing to non-nut hands or even just one side of the pot.

To summarize, winning online Omaha/8 involves selecting the best starting hands consisting of small suited or connected cards with the aim of scooping each pot. Avoid the danger of being quartered and draw only to the best hands. Spotting and adjusting to the specific tendencies of your opponents will improve your edge still further.