Omaha Hi-Lo: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so quickly.
Omaha hi low begins like a regular 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. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. A further sequence of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The players will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get flustered. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be made, 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 lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, after a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play simply enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming range of betting choices and because you have many players battling for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha hi/lo.