Omaha Hi Lo: General Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is referred to as the flop. A further sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players can get confused. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same notion in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems complex at the start, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play with ease. Since 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 or better provides an overwhelming collection of wagering choices and because you have several players trying for the high, and several shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/lo.
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