Omaha Hi Lo: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is often times seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation 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 quickly.
Omaha hi-low begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are handed out to each player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are dealt out, this is called the flop. Another round of betting happens. Once all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a few players can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player has to use precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot can be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same concept in almost all poker games.
A low hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complicated initially, following a few hands you will be able to get the fundamental subtleties of play simply enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of betting possibilities and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high, as well as a few 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 compete in Omaha 8 or better.