Omaha Hi Low: Fundamental Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. One more sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players can get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really 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 worst being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated initially, after a few hands you will be able to get the base nuances of play with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing range of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, along with a few shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha Hi-Lo.