Omaha Hi Low: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi-low begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might 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 every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical concept in almost every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems complex initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play easily enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting assortment of wagering options and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high, along with many trying for the low hand. If you love a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.