Omaha Hi/Lo: General Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get baffled. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the base nuances of play easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting collection of betting possibilities and because you have several players shooting for the high hand, along with a few trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.
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