Omaha Hi/Lo: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s 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 grown in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at the start, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 offers an amazing collection of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players battling for the high hand, as well as a few trying for the low. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.