Omaha Hi Lo: Basic Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha hi lo begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at first, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high, along with several shooting for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.