Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or better) is often times viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker games. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from all levels of players. This is the chief reason why a once irrelevant game, has expanded in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha/8 starts like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to every player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can bet, check, or fold. Three cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. Once all the players have either called or dropped out, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of wagering follows and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will need to put together the strongest high and low 5 card hands based on the board and hole cards.
This is where many entrants often get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Holdem, in which the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha hi-low the player must use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, no 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 just how it sounds. It’s the best hand out of everyone’s, it doesn’t matter if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It is the same concept in nearly every poker game.
A low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the play. When determining a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that could be put together, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Seeing as straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the smallest value hand possible. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the entire pot.
It may seem complex at first, following a couple of rounds you will be able to pick up on the basic nuances of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have individuals wagering for the low and betting for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha hi low provides an amazing assortment of wagering possibilities and seeing that you have several individuals shooting for the high hand, and several battling for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to participate in Omaha Hi-Lo.
