Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting follows and then the river card is flipped. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants often get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complicated at the outset, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low offers an overwhelming range of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players trying for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low hand. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi lo.