Omaha Hi-Low: Basic Summary
September 22nd, 2015 at 0:21
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It is a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites action from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once invisible variation, has expanded in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to each player. A round of wagering follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another round of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The players must attempt to make the best high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many players often get confused. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player must utilize exactly three cards from the board, and exactly two hole cards. No more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot may 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, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in almost all poker games.
A lower hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. A low hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The lower hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand available, the higher hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex at first, after a few rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic nuances of play with ease. Since you have individuals betting for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an amazing range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals shooting for the high, and a few shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha/8.