Omaha Hi Lo: Basic Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi/low starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering happens. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The players will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many players often get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complex, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems complicated initially, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an exciting array of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high hand, and many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.