Omaha Hi Low: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same approach in almost every poker game.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the weakest 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 5 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 lower hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing collection of wagering options and seeing that you have several players trying for the high hand, as well as a few battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha/8.