Omaha Hi-Lo: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting happens and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not 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 below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha hi/low offers an exciting array of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players battling for the high hand, as well as a few shooting for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.
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