Omaha Hi Lo: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most complex but popular poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players can get confused. Contrasted to Hold’em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical concept in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might 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 low 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’s no low hand presented, the higher hand takes the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated initially, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play easily enough. Since you have players betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals battling for the high hand, as well as a few trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.