Omaha Hi-Lo: Fundamental Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but popular poker games. It is a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the main reason why a once obscure variation, has grown 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 follows where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering happens. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will need to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants often get confused. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards from the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the best possible hand out of every player’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same notion in almost every poker game.
A low hand is more difficult, but certainly opens up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the entire pot.
While it seems complicated at the start, after a few rounds you will be able to get the base subtleties of play with ease. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at the same time, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing assortment of wagering options and because you have several individuals trying for the high hand, as well as several battling for the low hand. If you like a game with a lot of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.