Omaha Hi Low: Basic Outline
September 27th, 2019 at 9:25
Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complicated but popular poker games. It’s a game that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 begins just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are dealt to every player. A sequence of wagering follows where players can wager, check, or fold. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another round of betting ensues. After all the players have in turn called or dropped out, another card is revealed on the turn. an additional sequence of betting happens at which point the river card is revealed. The entrants will have to put together the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where a number of entrants can get baffled. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi lo the player has to use exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot may be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."
A high hand is just what it sounds like. It’s the strongest hand out of every player’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the very same concept in just about every poker game.
The lower hand is more complicated, but really opens up the action. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be put together, with the lowest value being A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes do not count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest value hand possible. The low hand is any 5 card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the high hand takes the whole pot.
It may seem complex at the start, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to pick up on the fundamental subtleties of the game simply enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha/8 provides an amazing array of wagering choices and because you have numerous individuals battling for the high, as well as many trying for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it is worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.