Omaha Hi-Low: Fundamental Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must use exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
Although it seems difficult at the start, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing range of wagering choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, as well as a few trying for the low hand. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.
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