Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of betting follows where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering happens and then the river card is revealed. The players will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some players get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use precisely 3 cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "higher 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. It’s the same approach in almost every poker game.
The low 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 worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and lower. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have people 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 offers an exciting assortment of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, and a few battling for the low. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/low.