Omaha Hi/Low: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi/lo begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many entrants often get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical notion in almost all poker games.
A lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/low provides an overwhelming collection of wagering options and because you have many individuals battling for the high hand, along with several shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.