Omaha Hi/Low: General Summary
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly seen as one of the most complex but well-loved poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has expanded in acceptance so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better begins exactly like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are handed out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering happens at which point the river card is revealed. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where many players can get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must utilize exactly 3 cards from the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to 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, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the identical approach in nearly all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand presented, the higher hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem complex at the outset, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing assortment of betting options and seeing that you have several players trying for the high hand, and many shooting for the low. If you like a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha 8 or better.