Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of betting follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants often get baffled. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting range of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several individuals battling for the high hand, as well as many trying for the low. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.