Omaha Hi/Low: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a game 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 increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing array of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, and several shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha hi-low.
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