Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Overview
Posted in Poker on 12/29/2015 08:21 am by Caylee
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but favored poker variations. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha/8 starts like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can bet, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, in which the board can make up everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in nearly all poker games.
A lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no low hand available, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at the outset, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of the game simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better provides an overwhelming collection of wagering possibilities and because you have many players battling for the high, as well as many shooting 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 hi low.