Omaha Hi Low: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. a further round of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players often get flustered. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical concept in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that might be made, 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 lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complex at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have people 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 range of wagering possibilities and because you have several players battling for the high, as well as several trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.
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