Omaha Hi Low: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure game, has grown in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to every player. A round of betting follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. a further sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players often get flustered. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player must use precisely three cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in just about all poker games.
The lower hand is more difficult, but certainly free’s up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since 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 eight and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex initially, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have people wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha hi/low offers an overwhelming assortment of wagering possibilities and because you have numerous players shooting for the high hand, and many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/lo.