Omaha Hi Lo: Basic 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 is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting ensues. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some players get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same concept in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
While it seems difficult initially, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the fundamental nuances of play with ease. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha High-Low offers an exciting array of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have numerous players battling for the high hand, along with many battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.