Omaha Hi/Low: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to each player. A round of wagering ensues where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens 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 the point where some entrants get baffled. Unlike Holdem, where the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in just about every poker game.
The low hand is more complex, but certainly opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated initially, following a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the base subtleties of play with ease. Since you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha hi/low offers an exciting assortment of wagering possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several individuals battling for the high hand, and several battling for the low. If you love a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.