Omaha Hi Low: General Outline
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from all levels of players. This is the main reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in acceptance so rapidly.
Omaha hi lo starts just like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting follows in which gamblers can wager, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is called the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of betting ensues and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is the point where a number of entrants get confused. Unlike Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi low the player has to utilize precisely 3 cards on the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Unlike normal Omaha, there are two ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same approach in just about every poker game.
A lower hand is more difficult, but really free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that 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 8 and smaller. The lower hand takes half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand wins the complete pot.
Although it seems difficult at the outset, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game easily enough. Since you have people betting 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 choices and seeing that you have several players shooting for the high hand, and several shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi/lo.