Omaha Hi/Lo: Fundamental Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is 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 irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The players will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some players get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as 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 lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
While it seems difficult initially, following a few rounds you will be able to get the base nuances of the game with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha High-Low offers an exciting assortment of betting options and owing to the fact that you have numerous players shooting for the high, as well as many battling for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.