Omaha Hi-Lo: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The players will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in almost every poker game.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems complicated at first, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting range of wagering choices and seeing that you have many players shooting for the high, along with several battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.