Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the identical notion in just about all poker games.
A low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting collection of wagering choices and because you have numerous individuals trying for the high hand, and many battling for the low. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha Hi-Lo.
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