Omaha Hi/Low: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi-low begins just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. 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 approach in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly 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 could be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex initially, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an overwhelming range of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous players trying for the high, along with a few battling for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/low.