Omaha Hi Lo: Fundamental Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker variations. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi/lo starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many players often get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can 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, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical concept in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems complex at the start, following a few hands you will be able to get the basic nuances of play simply enough. Seeing as you have players betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing range of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high, and many trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.