Omaha Hi Low: General Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of wagering follows in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can 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, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the same approach in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game with ease. Since you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming array of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have numerous individuals shooting for the high, as well as many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to compete in Omaha/8.