Omaha Hi/Low: Fundamental Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the identical notion in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest 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 low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play simply enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha High-Low provides an amazing range of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have several players shooting for the high, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha Hi-Lo.