Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Outline
Posted in Poker on 07/01/2019 09:25 am by Caylee
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but popular poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha hi lo starts just like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where gamblers can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have either called or folded, an additional card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering follows at which point the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some entrants can get confused. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use exactly three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. No more, no less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same concept in just about all poker games.
The low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
Although it seems complicated at first, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of play easily enough. Since you have people wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming array of betting possibilities and because you have numerous individuals trying for the high, as well as a few shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.