Omaha Hi/Lo: Basic Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has increased in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A round of wagering follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering happens. Once all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to make the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where a few players get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player must use precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, no less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of everyone’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly free’s up the action. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the worst being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The low hand is any five 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 presented, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complicated initially, after a couple of hands you will be able to get the basic subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and betting for the high, and since such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha/8 provides an overwhelming collection of betting possibilities and owing to the fact that you have several individuals trying for the high hand, and a few battling for the low hand. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha 8 or better.