Omaha Hi Lo: Basic Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular 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’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same approach in nearly every poker game.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be made, 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 value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a few rounds you will be able to get the basic nuances of the game with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting array of betting possibilities and because you have several players trying for the high hand, as well as many trying for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.