Omaha Hi Low: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex 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 chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more round of wagering happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more difficult, 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 worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi/lo provides an overwhelming range of betting options and seeing that you have numerous individuals battling for the high, as well as a few shooting for the low hand. If you like a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.
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