Omaha Hi/Lo: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in popularity so quickly.
Omaha Hi-Lo starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering ensues in which gamblers can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The players must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few entrants get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in nearly every poker game.
A lower hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem difficult initially, following a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an exciting array of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several players trying for the high, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.
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