Omaha Hi Low: Fundamental Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. After all the players have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. a further round of betting follows and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of players get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best 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 lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as 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 8 and below. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at the outset, after a few hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at once, Omaha hi/low offers an exciting array of betting possibilities and because you have many individuals shooting for the high hand, as well as many battling for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha 8 or better.