Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once obscure variation, has increased in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A round of wagering ensues in which players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of betting happens. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get confused. Unlike Hold’em, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same approach in nearly all poker games.
The lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the weakest hand that can be made, 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 smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand available, the high hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems difficult at the outset, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of the game easily enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing array of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have numerous individuals trying for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to participate in Omaha/8.