Omaha Hi/Low: Basic Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen 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 primary reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting ensues 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 where many entrants often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly 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 "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the strongest hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at the start, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play simply enough. Seeing as you have players betting 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 array of betting possibilities and because you have many players trying for the high, along with many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha hi/lo.
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