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Omaha Hi Low: Fundamental Outline

November 29th, 2015 Leave a comment Go to comments
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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where many entrants can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical notion in nearly every poker game.

The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.

While it seems complicated initially, after a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties 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 array of wagering choices and because you have several individuals battling for the high, as well as many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha Hi-Lo.

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