Omaha Hi-Lo: Basic Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 begins like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to each player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are given out, this is called the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers must attempt to put together the strongest high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where many players can get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player must utilize exactly three cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same notion in almost all poker games.
The lower hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
It may seem difficult at first, after a couple of hands you will be able to pick up on the base nuances of play simply enough. Since you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha 8 or better offers an exciting collection of betting choices and owing to the fact that you have many individuals shooting for the high hand, as well as several trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha/8.