Omaha Hi/Low: General Overview
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most difficult but well-loved poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant variation, has increased in acceptance so quickly.
Omaha hi low starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. Another round of wagering ensues. Once all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another round of wagering follows at which point the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to put together the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where some players get flustered. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, where the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize precisely three cards from the board, and precisely two hole cards. Not a single card more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot might be won: the "high hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It is the strongest possible hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the very same concept in almost every poker game.
The low hand is more complicated, but certainly opens up the play. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest 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 worst possible hand. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no low hand presented, the high hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complicated initially, following a few rounds you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of play easily enough. Seeing as you have players wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are in play, Omaha High-Low provides an amazing assortment of wagering options and owing to the fact that you have many players shooting for the high, along with several shooting for the low hand. If you prefer a game with all kinds of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha/8.
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