Omaha Hi Lo: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi/lo starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players often get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same notion in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems complex at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic nuances of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an exciting range of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many players trying for the high, and a few shooting for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.