Omaha Hi Low: Fundamental Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi-low begins just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, where the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to utilize precisely three cards on the board, and precisely two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in nearly every poker game.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems complex at the outset, following a few hands you will be able to pick up on the basic subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better provides an exciting collection of betting options and because you have numerous players trying for the high hand, and a few shooting for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi/low.