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Omaha Hi Lo: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A sequence of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, a further card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting ensues at which point the river card is revealed. The players will have to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants get baffled. Contrasted to Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the identical approach in just about every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but really opens up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.
While it seems complicated at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing range of wagering possibilities and because you have several individuals trying for the high hand, along with many trying for the low. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha/8.