Omaha Hi Low: Basic Summary
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 is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi low begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low 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 presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, after a couple of rounds you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an amazing collection of wagering possibilities and because you have numerous individuals battling for the high hand, as well as several trying for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi low.