Omaha Hi Lo: Fundamental Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really opens 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 made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 offers an amazing assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals trying for the high, along with several shooting 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.