Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha hi low begins just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to make the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of players often get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It is the strongest possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the very same approach in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t 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 lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the start, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha Hi-Lo offers an exciting range of wagering options and seeing that you have many individuals battling for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to compete in Omaha High-Low.