Omaha Hi Low: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at first, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo offers an amazing array of betting options and because you have several players trying for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.