Omaha Hi/Low: General Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. a further round of wagering happens at which point the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players can get baffled. Contrasted to Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, after a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, and several trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.