Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can bet, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. One more sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to make the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players get confused. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in almost every poker game.
A lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value 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 low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming array of wagering choices and seeing that you have numerous individuals trying for the high, along with several trying for the low. If you like a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.
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